Buckhannon River Coal Spill: Updates and Follow Up  

By: Martin Christ, WVDEP Northern Basin Coordinator  

On Sunday, July 16, WVDEP Stream Partners VISTA Jessica Bryzek was meeting people for a float trip on the Buckhannon River. At Hampton, a site just upstream from the City of Buckhannon, they found the river thick with black sediment and decided to paddle on Stonecoal Reservoir instead.  

Over the following days, MyBuckhannon.com and WDTV published stories on the spill. After a heavy rainstorm on Saturday, 7/15, approximately 4,500 tons of coal was washed into the river from the Preparation Plant (permit number O-203186) for the Carter Roag Coal Company. 

According to WVDEP, the spill did not cause any impact to aquatic life. I interpret this to mean there was no raft of dead fish going down the river. A resident of Alton, WV, a community almost four miles downstream from Alexander, also reported that no dead fish were floating down in the following two weeks. In addition, he had not seen any deposits of coal fines in the river. WVDEP sampled the water and laboratory results did not indicate any adverse impacts to the water chemistry in the streams. 

According to MyBuchannon.com, the slug of coal had little effect on the drinking water. The City of Buckhannon’s Water Department reported that they did not have to stop preparing water, they only needed to add more flocculant and adjust the chemicals they use to maintain the pH in the water. Flocculant helps particles in the water settle to the bottom of a tank. The spill raised the pH of the water slightly. 

Following the spill, WVDEP issued three notices of violation (NOVs) to the company. One NOV was for failure to maintain a sediment control structure; another was for causing a Condition Not Allowable (CNA) in the waters of the state.The third was for failing to notify The Spill Line within 24 hours of the spill. CNA is a term that comes from the state’s 47CSR02 rule on water quality standards. That rule states:

No sewage, industrial wastes or other wastes present in any of the waters of the State shall cause therein or materially contribute to any of the following conditions thereof: 

Distinctly visible floating or settleable solids, suspended solids, scum, foam or oily slicks 

The Spill Line is an important component in emergency management. The Spill Line can contact all the water plants downstream to make sure they know that some kind of pollution is coming.

The coal seams mined near the Preparation Plant, Sewell, Sewell A, Peerless, and Hughes Ferry, have less than 1% pyritic sulfur, whereas the Lower Kittanning Coal Seam has 1.8% pyritic sulfur. Pyrite is the mineral that oxidizes to form sulfuric acid and dissolved iron in acid mine drainage. The Buckhannon River Watershed Association and West Virginia Water Research Institute have built five projects to combat AMD from the Lower Kittanning in tributaries near Alton and Alexander.  

Paint Creek Spill & Community Resiliency  

By: Kate Cruickshank, DEP AmeriCorps VISTA  

Over the Summer of 2023, I have been lucky to engage in various outdoors events throughout the state of West Virginia. As a non-native West Virginia resident, this was a great opportunity to explore the state I have lived in for a few years now, and to meet people from all walks of life who also call West Virginia home.

One of the places I have traveled to several times this summer was Seneca Rocks. On one of these occasions, I was in attendance for a joint Save Our Streams and USFS Snorkeling Workshop. In the cool, clear waters of the North Fork South Branch of the Potomac River, under the shadow of the peaks of Seneca Rocks, myself and a group of ten or twelve others participated in our first freshwater snorkeling excursion.  

Our guide, Chad Landress of the USFS, showed us the basics, and stuck in the middle of the group as we made our way upstream. As we advanced in more or less of a line, Chad discussed various species of fish we encountered, pointed out unique underwater habitats, and instructed us all on how to properly identify, catch, and handle aquatic life, from benthic macroinvertebrates, such as crayfish and hellgrammites,  to trout, darters, and sculpins. White-tailed deer observed the convoy from the riverbanks.  

Being submerged in the water inspired a peace unlike many other experiences. The colors of the fish, pebbles, and boulders, and light filtering through the water, and silence were entrancing. Although required to keep a hold on rocks or underwater tree limbs to keep from being swept downstream by the current, snorkeling was an incredibly relaxing experience nonetheless. 

The magic of snorkeling had the same effect on all members of our group, regardless of age and background. The kids in this and other snorkeling groups over the summer seemed to enjoy snorkeling most out of all other outdoor activities, and some refused to leave the water for our entire allotted time. Afterwards, they always had a multitude of questions for Chad and other USFS personnel to answer. Nowadays, when it seems to be a challenge to get kids engaged with the environment and/or environmental careers, it appears that snorkeling is the great difference maker when it comes to capturing their attention. 

Freshwater snorkeling not only won over the kids during the summer events I attended, but I believe it also inspired the adults among the groups, myself included, to get out and do more in our communities to protect our resources and engage in environmental work; events such as snorkeling, fishing, and other recreation require clean water sources and  healthy habitats for aquatic life to be possible. Snorkeling serves as both an enjoyable recreational activity, and a valuable opportunity for education, highlighting careers in environmental work, and engaging with the public.

Recorded Webinars and Trainings 

PFAS Webinar Recordings

There has been a lot of information in the news regarding PFAS, or per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, particularly since the passage of the PFAS Protection Act this past legislative session. Want to get caught up on prevalence of this toxic compound in West Virginia waters and what is being done about it? Watch these two webinars hosted by WV Rivers:  

PFAS in Untreated Drinking Water & Advocating for the PFAS Protection Act  

PFAS in Treated Drinking Water & Implementing the PFAS Protection Act 

If you would like to receive information, updates, and actions you can take related to reducing PFAS in West Virginia waters, sign-up for PFAS news.

Creating Engaging Zoom Webinars Recording

Do you want to make your organization’s Zoom webinars and meetings more organized and engaging? Check out the recording of Reimagine Appalachia’s ‘Creating Engaging Zoom Webinars’ training:  

Creating Engaging Zoom Webinars  

This webinar goes over: 

• a logistics check list to make sure your event is organized and easy-join-participate for registrants 

• accessible ways to share your Zoom call on social media 

• interactive tools to keep your participants engaged 

• and more! 

Reimagine Appalachia has also put together a Zoom Guidebook that goes over the logistics of running a Zoom webinar. This guidebook, which will be regularly updated, can be viewed here.