Muddy Creek Targeted Watershed Initiative:

Strategic AMD Restoration

Rick Herd, Jennifer Fulton and Paul ZiemkiewiczWest Virginia Water Research Institute

WV Mine Drainage Task Force SymposiumApril 10, 2007

Overview

• Targeted Watershed Grant Objectives

• Background

• Technical Approach

• Implications

EPA Targeted Watershed Grants Program

• Purpose- encourages innovative solutions to achieving measurable water quality improvements at watershed scale

• Objective- to restore and preserve water resources through strategic planning and coordinated project management that draw in public and private sector partners

• Goal- advance successful partnerships and coalitions to implement technically sound watershed restoration/protection plans

Partners

• Friends of the Cheat

• River of Promise

• WVDEP Special Rec and AML

• OSM

• WVU--NMLRC and Watershed Technical Assistance Center (WTAC)

Implementation of the Watershed Based Plan for AMD Remediation in the Cheat River Watershed, WV

• Primary objective- restore 27 stream miles ( six 303(d) listings) in Muddy Creek and Lower Cheat Watersheds

• Secondary objective- evaluate and compare the efficacy (cost and ecological benefit) of four approaches for remediating AMD:

Passive at-sourceActive at-source Active in-streamCombination of above (hybrid)

What We Know About Passive At-Source AMD Treatment (Traditional Approach)

• Significant number of diffuse and spatially distributed sources

• Landowner access agreements difficult and sometimes impossible to obtain

• Individual access roads can be costly• long-term effectiveness of passive technologies

uncertain• It will take much longer and cost much more to

restore water quality with passive at-source treatment alone

What We know About Active In-Stream AMD Treatment

• Achieves an economy of scale producing greater benefits, more quickly at less cost In more stream miles (Ziemkiewicz, 2006)

• Reduces risk by Increasing performance certainty

• Sacrifices some amount of stream habitat• Requires long term O&M• Compatible with EPA’s “Watershed

Approach”

Strategic Approach to Watershed Restoration

• Integrate chemical, biological and habitat data into GIS watershed modeling framework

• Quantify the ecological value (EUs) in terms of historic, current and recoverable

• Iterate location and type of least cost projects to maximize benefits (link EU recovery)

• Design and implement projects• Monitor and assess outcome• Adapt and modify if necessary

EcoUnit Concept= a quantitative measurement of the structural/functional ecological value of a stream (length or surface area).***scalable from stream segment to whole watershed***decision making “currency”

Examples:Coldwater Fishery EcoUnit Warmwater Fishery EcoUnit Organic Matter Processing EcoUnit.Biological Diversity EcoUnit

Applications:Strategic Watershed RestorationDevelopment of Mitigation Offset CreditsDevelopment of Water Quality Trading Credits

EU ApplicationsPetty, J. T., and D. Thorne. 2005. An ecologically based approach to identifying restoration priorities in an acid-impacted watershed. Restoration Ecology 13:348-357.

Developed a coldwater fishery EU to conduct a cost:benefit analysis of various limestone sand remediation alternatives in the upper Shavers Fork watershed.

Merovich, G. T., Jr., and J. T. Petty. 2007. Interactive effects of multiple stressors and restoration priorities in a mined Appalachian watershed. Hydrobiologia 575:13-31.

Developed an invertebrate diversity EU to assess the benefits of AMD treatment as an alternative offset to impacts from thermal effluent to the Cheat River mainstem.

Poplar-Jeffers, I. and J. T. Petty. 2007. Culvert replacement and stream restoration: application to brook trout management in an Appalachian watershed. Restoration Ecology (IN PRESS).

Applied the coldwater fishery EU to identify culvert replacement priorities and assess the benefits of culvert replacement as a form of mitigation for road related impacts to streams.

General Equations for EU Calculation

• EU=Stream Surface Area (ac) X Observed WVSCI/Max WVSCI

• Coldwater EU = fn (drainage area, elevation, canopy cover, habitat quality, water quality)

• Warmwater EU = fn (drainage area, gradient, water quality)

Muddy Creek AML and BF sites

")")!(!(

!(!(

!(

!(!(!(!(

!(!(")

!(

!(

")")

!(

")#*

!(

!(

!(

!(")")!( ")")")

")")") !(")") !(#*") ")")

")")")

!(!(") ")")")!(")")

")#*!( #*")!(

#* #*!( ")

!(

")#*#* #*

#*

#*

#*

#*!(

#*#*

#*#*

!(

!(

")")#*#*")

!(

#*

")!( #*

#*

#*#*#*#*#*")

#*

")

#*

!(

#*

")

#*

")#*#*

#*#*#*#*

#*") ")")#*

#*#*")#*#*")

!(

!(

!(!(

!(

")")

!(

#*!(

#*#*

#*

#*

#*

!(#*#*

!(

#* !(

!(!(

#*")#*#*")#*#*

#*")#*")")#*") #*#*")#*

!(!(

!(!(

!(

!(

!(

#*#*

!(#*#*

#*

#*

!(!(!(

!(!(!(

!(

!(

#*

!(!(

!(!(!(

!(!(!(

")

!(#*

#*

#*

!(

#*!(

#*

!(!(

#*

#*!(#*!(

")

#*

")

#*

")")

#*

")

#*

!(

")")!(

#*

") ")

")!(

!(!(

#*

!(

!(

")

!(

!(

!(!(!(

!(

#*

!(#*

#*

#*#*

")!(

#*

")

!(

!(

#*#*!(#*#*

#*#*

#*!(

!(!(!(!(

")

!(

!(#*

!(#*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*!(#*#*#*

#*#*#*!(#*#*

!(

!(

!(

!(

!(

!(

!(!( !(!(!(!(

!(

!(#*

Ç#*!(

!(!(

Ç#*

!(!(

!(!(!(

!(!(!(

!(!(!(!(

!(

!(

#*

")")

!(

!(

!(

!(!( !(

!(

!(#*

!(!(!(!(

!(

!(

#*

!(!(

")

#*#*#*

!(")#*#*

!(

")")

#*#*

ÇÇ #*

#*!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!( !(!(!(!(!(!(

!( !(#*#*!(!(!(

!(

")!(!(

")

!(!(!(!(!(

#*

!(

#*

!(#*!(

!( !(

!(#*#*!(

")") !(

#*

")

!(

!(!(!(

!(!(!(!(!(!(

!(!(!(

!(!(!(

!(#*!(!(#*!(#*#*!(#*!(#*

!(#*

!(

!(!(!(!(!(!(

!(!(") !(#*

!(!(!(

")

#*

!(#*#*!(#*#*#*#*

!(#*

!(!(

!( &<

")

!(!(#*

!(

!(#*

!(

!(

#*

")

")

§§§

§

§

§§

Valley PointGary Connor Site

DreamMtn

Million$ Bridge

C & A ConnorBond Forfeiture

Viking Coal BF

Kingwood MiningTerrible Seep

Fickey RunChannelFickey

Portal

EU Loss Within the Targeted Watershed Area

Historic, Current, Lost, and Recoverable EcoUnits in each 12-Digit HUC subwatersheds of the lower Cheat River.

HUC 12ID

HUC 12MI

HistoricEUs

CurrentEUs

LostEUs

RecoverableEUs

REUDensity

%EU Loss

%Recoverable

Muddy 13 372 175 197 69 0.8 53 35

Greens 13 1247 556 692 552 6.7 55 80

Pringle 12 1342 934 407 191 1.4 30 47

Bull 12 621 313 309 192 2.6 50 62

Beaver 10 647 209 438 205 1.4 68 47

MBSan 9 527 333 193 22 0.2 37 11

LBSan 8 711 453 258 164 1.4 36 64

LCheat 5 2345 1497 849 803 4.5 36 95

Roaring 4 1005 690 314 251 21.9 31 80

UBSan 2 341 309 31 4 0.0 9 13

Saltlick 0 682 682 0 0 0.0 0 NA

Total - 9480 6150 3688 2453 1.8 36 66

EcoUnit Recovery Under Various Restoration Alternatives in the Upper

Shavers Fork of the Cheat River

Summary• Traditional AMD restoration is expensive

and time consuming; outcomes uncertain

• A holistic science-based strategic watershed approach produces greater benefits more quickly at less cost and risk

• Anticipated Outcome- inform future AMD restoration policy and demonstrate a currency for mitigation/WQ trading credits