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Tuscarora Creek Relocation and Restoration Improves Biodiversity
Waterbody Improved
Tuscarora Creek was added to West Virginia's Clean Water Act
(CWA) section 303(d) list of impaired waters in 2002 for not
meeting the state's biological water quality standard. Sediment and organic enrichment were
identified as the key stressors to aquatic life in the 2008 total maximum daily load. Project
partners re-routed the creek around an obsolete dam to adjust the creek's profile and pattern to
transport sediment more effectively through a 950-foot reach. Abundance and diversity of benthic
macroinvertebrates have improved in the first year, indicating water quality progress. Thanks to the
generous cooperation of the landowners, the site has served as a demonstration to the community
through articles, videos and tours to inspire more streamside vegetation and general awareness
about pollution in the Tuscarora Creek watershed.
Problem
Tuscarora Creek is a tributary of Opequon Creek in
Berkeley County West Virginia (Figure 1). Tuscarora
Creek was added to West Virginia's list of impaired
waters in 2002 for not meeting the state's biological
water quality standard due to organic enrichment and
sediment. A dam was built in the 1920s to provide irri-
gation water for a nearby orchard (now gone). A local
group of fishermen, the Creekside Anglers, identified
the removal of the dam as an important next step for
improving habitat for trout, because the slack water
behind the dam was causing an increase in water tem-
perature. The dam was also a barrier to aquatic organ-
ism passage and captured sediment being naturally
transported by the stream. West Virginia Department
of Environmental Protection (DEP) staff sampled above
and below the dam in April 2013 for benthic macro-
invertebrates and found that the community had a
combined score of "poor."
Story Highlights
Using CWA section 319 funds, the Canaan Valley
Institute (CVI) designed a stream restoration project
that adjusted the stream's path to avoid the dam
while also approaching the road culvert at a better
angle (Figures 2 and 3). The new design added shallow
riffles, deep pools, and vegetative bank stabilization
to improve the benthic habitat for organisms as well.
The project restored 448 feet of natural channel and
established 1.5 acres of trees and shrubs. CVI obtained
Figure 1. Tuscarora Creek is in the West Virginia panhandle.
a grant from National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to
implement the dam removal portion of the project.
In 2016 a portion of the spillway was removed, the
remaining portion of the dam was abandoned and
buried in place, and the stream was rerouted to flow
around the abandoned dam site.
Creek
Tuscarora
Creek
Watershed
Morgan County
Berkeley County
Tuscarora
Watershed
Jefferson
County

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-igure 2. The new stream channel diverts water
around a small concrete dam, now buried.
: igure 4. Upper portion of the restored reach.
Results
Native plants in the new riparian buffer along the
restored areas flourished quickly after project
completion, stabilizing the area (Figures 4 and 5).
In September 2017 (one year after the project was
completed), DEP collected benthic macroinvertebrates
with dip nets from several riffles along the project
reach and found that the IBI score has significantly
improved. The IBI score recorded on April 23, 2013
(before project implementation) was 31.5 ("poor"
integrity). The IBI score recorded on September
12, 2017 (after project implementation), was 57.4
("marginal" integrity)—a 58 percent increase.
An elevated nitrate-nitrogen level and the abundance
of certain pollutant-tolerant macroinvertebrates
indicate there are still water quality challenges influ-
encing this reach. The Tuscarora Creek Project Team
Figure 3. The stream channel was configured to allow
water to flow more directly into the culvert.
Figure 5. Lower portion of the restored reach.
continues to implement the watershed-based plan to
reduce nonpoint sources of pollution such as leaking
septic systems, livestock access to surface water, and
residential fertilizer over-use. Streambank stabilization
work at upstream sites may also decrease excess sedi-
ment delivered to the creek.
Partners and Funding
This work was implemented with funding from the
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (through a
Chesapeake Stewardship grant) and the West Virginia
DEP CWA Section 319 Program. CVI designed and
managed the project with help from the Roach
Family, Eastern Panhandle Conservation District, West
Virginia DEP West Virginia Division of Forestry, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, Appalachian Stream
Restoration and the Opequon Creek Project Team.
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©
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA 841-F-19-001K
March 2019
For additional information contact:
Tim Craddock
West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection
304-926-0499 • Timothy.D.Craddock@wv.gov
Kristin Mielcarek
Canaan Valley Institute
304-940-3443 • kristin.mielcarek@canaanvi.org

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