WHO: Representatives from the West Virginia Water Research Institute at West Virginia University; West Virginia University’s Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design; Save the Tygart Watershed Association; West Virginia Division of Natural Resources; and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection Office of Abandoned Mine Land and Reclamation.
WHAT: A small celebration will be held to recognize the successful restoration efforts of Three Fork Creek of the Tygart Valley River in conjunction with World Water Day. The event will include several brief presentations by project collaborators, project posters, and a lime doser demonstration unit. The event is open to the public and free to attend.
World Water Day is held annually on March 22 as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for sustainable management of freshwater resources.
WHEN: Friday, March 22, 10 a.m.
WHERE: Grafton City Campground Pavilion, Grafton, W.Va.
WVWRI background: The West Virginia Water Research Institute based at WVU has been in existence since 1967 and has served as a statewide vehicle for performing research related to water issues. WVWRI is the premier water research center in West Virginia and, within selected fields, an international leader. Under Federal legislation, the United States Geological Survey supports a Water Research Institute in each U.S. state and territory. An advisory board serves to direct the activities of the WVWRI.
Three Fork Creek restoration background:
• Three Fork Creek is a tributary of the Tygart Valley River in north central West Virginia. It flows approximately 19 miles and has a drainage area of 165 square miles.
• Three Fork Creek was one of the most severely impacted subwatersheds in the Tygart Valley River Basin by acid mine drainage. Eighty abandoned mine lands are documented in the Three Fork Creek subwatershed, 38 of which are known to discharge acid mine drainage. A total of 45 miles of the stream was impaired in the watershed, including Squires Creek, Birds Creek, Brains Creek, Raccoon Creek, and the Three Fork Creek mainstem. Additionally, Three Fork Creek was the second highest contributor of AMD in the Monongahela River Basin.
• In an effort to address these problems, Congress reauthorized the Abandoned Mine Land Program in 2006 which would allocate additional funds to the state of West Virginia for reclamation efforts.
• In 2008, the WVWRI, along with other collaborating partners began the Three Fork Creek Restoration project. The project included quantifying stream conditions, identifying a series of alternative remediation plans, calculating the costs of each alternative plan, and finally, estimating the amount of coldwater and warmwater fisheries that could be recovered by each remediation plan.
• Today, Three Fork Creek has seen a dramatic improvement. Once dead for 50 years, it now has sustained aquatic life and continues to see improvements. The project has included the implementation of several active treatment units designed to neutralize the acidity from past mining operations. These units are situated at strategic locations within the headwater reaches of Three Forks Creek and act cumulatively to dramatically restore conditions within the watershed.
World Water Day background:
• World Water Day is held annually on March 22 as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.
• An International day to celebrate freshwater was recommended at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environmental and Development. The United Nations General Assembly responded by designating March 22, 1993 as the first World Water Day.
• Each year, World Water Day highlights a specific aspect of freshwater. For 2013, World Water Day is dedicated to the theme of cooperation around water.
