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NONPOINT SOURCE SUCCESS STORY
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Limestone Application Treatments Improve Alexander Run
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Waterbody Improved Maryland's Alexander Run, a tributary to Casselman River in
Garrett County, was impaired due to low pH caused by acid mine
drainage (AMD), The entire Casselman River watershed, which included Alexander Run, was added
to the Clean Water Act section 303(d) list for pH impairment in 1996. According to the Casselman
River Watershed Plan for pH Remediation (January 2011), an assessment of AMD identified and
ranked Alexander Run as one of its top priorities for mitigation in the watershed. Successfully
implementing a passive AMD mitigation project brought the stream into compliance with
Maryland's water quality standard for pH. The Maryland Department of the Environment delisted
Alexander Run for pH impairment in Maryland's 2018 Integrated Report.
Problem
The Casselman River watershed, in Garrett County,
Maryland, originates near the Savage River State
Forest and flows approximately 20 miles to the
Pennsylvania state line (Figure 1). In the early 1900s,
the Casselman River and its tributaries were high-
quality waterways that supported native brook trout.
Since then, coal mining changed the local hydrology,
resulting in AMD that caused pH decreases in many
streams, including Alexander Run—a tributary to
the North Branch Casselman River. Alexander Run's
headwaters flow through a portion of the Savage River
State Forest that is affected by AMD from abandoned
deep coal mines. The associated land use is 71% forest
and 19% agriculture.
The Casselman River watershed was listed for pH
impairment in 1996. In 2005, water quality monitor-
ing to support pH total maximum daily load (TMDL)
development found that Alexander Run consistently
fell below the lower threshold of the Maryland water
quality standard for pH, which mandates a range
of 6.5-8.5. In 2008, EPA approved the pH TMDL for
Alexander Run and other pH-impaired streams in
western Maryland.
Monitoring in 2010-2013 showed that in-stream pH
was often less than 5. Maryland's 2014 Integrated
Report clarified the pH conditions in the Casselman
River watershed by separately listing each stream seg-
ment that had pH impairment and a pH TMDL, which
included Alexander Run.
Figure 1. Casseiman River is in northwest Maryland.
Story Highlights
In late 2008, the Maryland Department of the
Environment (MDE) undertook comprehensive
watershed restoration planning for the Casselman
River focusing on nonpoint sources of acidity. The
-Maryland'
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CASS-001
CASS-007
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Alexander Run
Sand Application Area
LEGEND
MDE Proposed WQ Stations	s
Treatment Implementation - Leach Bed
Treatment Implementation - Sand Dump
pH TMDL Impaired Stream
Casselman 8 Digit Watershed
w | Casselman Monitoring Sites
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Alexander Run Low pH Restoration Success | 2010 - 2016
Sample Moving Average
Sampled pH
pH Water Quality Standard (6.5 — 8.5)
pH 6.5 -
Figure 2. Passive treatment/limestone sand dump area.
planning process included assessing potential AMD
mitigation sites, which identified Alexander Run as a
priority stream. The plan also analyzed AMD mitigation
technologies, and one of the low-cost/low-capital
outlay technologies recommended for Alexander Run
was limestone sand application, sometimes referred
to as a limestone "sand dump," This technique involves
constructing a driveway for a dump truck to pull up
adjacent to the stream so that measured quantities of
limestone sand are delivered directly to the stream's
edge. Natural variation in stream flow then distributes
the particles of limestone downstream. Most of the
limestone sand particles dissolve in the stream over
time, increasing alkalinity and acid-neutralizing capac-
ity. The amount and timing of limestone sand applica-
tion at each site is determined by periodic monitoring
of in-stream pH.
In early 2011, the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) accepted the Casselman River Watershed
Plan for pH Remediation and approved CWA section
319(h) grant funds for a project to mitigate AMD-
impacted areas in the watershed. Alexander Run was
selected to be one of 11 Phase I projects for construc-
tion because the land was publicly owned, the site was
accessible and permit requirements were attainable.
In-mid 2013, one limestone sand application site
was constructed directly adjacent to Alexander Run
(Figure 2). During its first year of operation, the
Alexander Run site received 43.83 tons of limestone
sand. Under this method, periodic replenishing of the
limestone sand might be required as it dissipates.
Figure 3. Alexander Run pH monitoring data.
Results
MDE's Abandoned Mine Land Division (AMLD) periodi-
cally monitored the pH and scheduled delivery of
limestone sand to the application sites as needed.
Following a period of adjustment In 2013-2014, water
quality data collected in 2015-2016 showed that in-
stream pH consistently met Maryland's water quality
standard (Figure 3).
Partners and Funding
MDE's AMLD and MDE's Water Quality Protection
and Restoration (WQPR) Program developed the
watershed plan. AMLD used $55,000 from the
2008 CWA section 319(h) grant for their part of the
planning effort. AMLD implemented the 11 Phase 1
Casselman River watershed AMD mitigation sites using
$644,115 from the 2009 319(h) grant. The Garrett
Soil Conservation District oversaw contractor hiring,
construction management and project inspection.
The capital cost of the 319 project included funds for
the limestone sand application site at Alexander Run
($9,605). Since then, AMLD has continued to carry
the cost of operating and maintaining the Alexander
Run site. Other partners contributed in-kind efforts to
the project. Watershed plan drafting by MDE WQPR
staff was funded by the 319(h) grant through ongo-
ing projects that support the state Nonpoint Source
Management Program. Also, water quality monitoring
efforts conducted by MDE's Field Services Program
were funded by separate ongoing 319(h) grant
projects. A Maryland Fisheries Service assessment and
analysis was funded by the state.
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA 841-F-21-001E
March 2021
For additional information contact:
Maryland Department of the Environment
Erik Schafer, Abandoned Mine Land Division
301-689-1462 • Erik.Schafer@Maryland.gov
Jeff White, integrated Water Planning Program
4*10-537-3884 • Jeff.White@Maryland.gov

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