The North Fork of the Blackwater River is located in the highlands of West Virginia in Tucker County. It is heavily impacted by acid mine drainage (AMD) and metal deposits caused by abandoned deep mines and strip mines. This degrades the quality of water used for drinking and for recreation, as well as the scenic potential of the river. The problem affects towns and communities adjacent to the river, but it also affects aquatic life and towns down stream.

The North Fork Watershed Project (NFWP), established in August of 2002, is committed to working with the community to find creative solutions to this problem. Solutions to the water pollution will take into account the rich cultural resources in the watershed. The area boomed in the early part of the 1900’s with the coal mining, coke and timber industries. These industries have largely disappeared leaving adverse environmental impacts and a depressed economy as well as many historical landmarks. Some of the watershed project’s goals include developing  tourism, historical and educational projects and working with state and federal agencies to improve water quality in the North Fork and the amount of life the river can sustain.

The office for the NFWP is located in Davis between Hypno Coffee and Highland Prospects outdoor outfitters. This building used to be a service station and garage. Now it serves as local business hub and community gathering spot. It is a great location for an office because it brings in a diverse range of community members.

The North Fork of the Blackwater River flows through the communities of Thomas, Douglas, and Coketon, West Virginia. Between 1887 and the 1920's the region experienced an enormous economic boom as a result of the activity of the Davis Coal & Coke Co. The extraction of coal resources continued through 1956. Many historic landmarks remain from the days of the Coal and Coke industry including the old company headquarters, the Buxton and Landstreet store and some of West Virginia's most easily accessible and well preserved coke ovens.

Today Coketon and Douglas are inhabited by few residents, whereas Thomas is slowly making an economic recovery based on recreation and tourism. The growth is supported by interest in outdoor pursuits such as: fishing, hunting, hiking, biking, boating, and skiing. Having three ski areas, Blackwater Falls and Canaan Valley State Parks, the Monongahela National Forest, the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge and a number of scenic rivers nearby make it a perfect destination for outdoor enthusiasts.

After the coal industry ceased production in 1956, the two mile stretch along the North Fork of the Blackwater River between Thomas and Douglas was left heavily affected by environmental impacts.  Significant problems include Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) seepage from deep mines and spoil piles into the river, substantial amounts of carbon based waste materials, hazardous highwalls, and several open deep mine entrances.

In 1993 the West Virginia DEP assessed the damaged area and started on a large-scale reclamation project in the North Fork Watershed. Safety issues like highwall structures, open pits, waste materials, and erosion were dealt with. The AMD issue was substantially more difficult to repair. The project was only partially successful with AMD treatment systems.

Goals and Accomplishments:

The existing NFWP community is comprised of only approximately 1,000 residents. Having staff as residents of the NFWP allows the organization to gain insight into the local vision of future planning and historical preservation of the area.

The OSM/VISTA's role in the community presently entails building capacity for the NFWP, developing ideas and solutions for implementing AMD reclamation, developing community improvement projects, generating ways to educate and involve the local residents and youth, and working to preserve and share local history and culture.

The North Fork Watershed Project office houses over ten years of water quality data that were collected during the first year of operation and has a computer database of monthly monitoring data reaching back to 2006. The data is now available online through a Google Earth based mapping project. We are adding more GIS capabilities to spatially analyze the data.  We recently purchased our own monitoring equipment and plan to expand our watershed research to additional streams in the watershed this summer. Monitoring currently occurs monthly at 14 sites along the Northfork and tributaries with the help of volunteer monitors.

In 2005 The North Fork Watershed Project received an EPA Targeted Brownfield’s Assessment grant to investigate treatment options for AMD discharge site mine #29 and major AMD contributing tributary Long Run. The result is a Watershed Based Plan for remediating AMD in the region and a North Fork Task Force comprised of regional government officials and environmental groups.  Work will continue throughout 2010 to find collaborative solutions for restoring the North Fork.  The use of coal combustion byproducts to grout mines and prevent acid formation is currently being explored in cooperation with the Maryland Power Plant Research program because hydrologic connectivity of AMD in the North Fork and the Potomac Rivers.

During the 2010/2011 school year, the NFWP will continue to partner with Tucker County High School and home school groups to provide hands-on activities educating students about the environment, AMD and area history.

Students and community members are also volunteering with NFWP on a trail building project in Thomas’ City Park that will create 5 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails with interpretive signs within walking distance of downtown Thomas.  Initial design of the project was funded through a Project FLOW grant and will help to revitalize the downtown Thomas riverfront. Local trail group Tucker County Trails, the Forest Service, Canaan Valley Wildlife Refuge and various biking groups are also contributing to the project.

 

 

Partners and Contributors:

• West Virginia Stream Partners
• West Virginia Humanities Council
• EPA's Targeted Brownfield Assessment
• Tom's of Maine
• National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
• Nisource
• Town Creek
• Norcrosse
• Generations United
• WV DEP
• Down Stream Strategies
• Paul Petzrick from MD Power Plant Research Program, MDOE
• West Virginia University
• US Forest Service
• TRAID Engineering
• WV DNR
• Tucker County Trails
• New Historic Society in Thomas
• Frostburg University
• Friends of the Cheat
• Friends of Decker’s Creek
• Canaan Valley Institute
• OSM
• The Mountain Institute
• Blackwater State Park
• Karin and Phillip Nelson
• Oakland Foundation
• City of Thomas, WV
• Individual Donors