Cooperative Agreement S23AC00115

PROGRAM: NOT-FOR-PROFIT ACID MINE DRAINAGE (AMD) RECLAMATIONAWARD PURPOSE: FUNDING ASSISTS LOCAL QUALIFIED NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS TO BEGIN ACTUAL CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS TO IMPROVE THE WATER QUALITY OF STREAMS IMPACTED BY AMD. LANDS AND WATER ELIGIBLE FOR RECLAMATION OR DRAINAGE ABATEMENT EXPENDITURES UNDER SECTION 404 OF PUBLIC LAW 95-87 (THE ACT), AS AMENDED, ARE THOSE WHICH WERE MINED FOR COAL OR WHICH WERE AFFECTED BY SUCH MINING, WASTE BANKS, COAL PROCESSING, OR OTHER COAL MINING PROCESSES, EXCEPT AS PROVIDED FOR UNDER SECTION 411 OF THE ACT PRIOR TO AUGUST 3, 1977, AND FOR WHICH THERE IS NO CONTINUING RECLAMATION RESPONSIBILITY UNDER STATE OR OTHER FEDERAL LAWS.ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED: FRIENDS OF THE CHEAT (FOC) REQUESTS 100,000 FROM THE OFFICE OF SURFACE MINING AND RECLAMATION (OSMRE) THROUGH THE WATERSHED COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT PROGRAM (WCAP) FOR THE SOVERN 62 ACID MINE DRAINAGE (AMD) PASSIVE TREATMENT SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT NEAR VALLEY POINT, IN PRESTON COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA. THE PROJECT WILL INVOLVE THE CONVERSION OF AN EXISTING STEEL SLAG PASSIVE AMD TREATMENT SYSTEM TO A LIMESTONE LEACH BED, SETTLING POND, AND TREATMENT WETLAND CONFIGURATION. THIS PROJECT WILL IMPROVE TREATMENT EFFICACY OF A SIGNIFICANT SOURCE OF ACID MINE DRAINAGE TO THE SOVERN RUN SUBWATERSHED OF BIG SANDY CREEK OF THE CHEAT RIVER. THE EXISTING SOVERN 62 TREATMENT SITE HAS BEEN UNDERPERFORMING SINCE 2011, AS THE EFFICACY OF STEEL SLAG TREATMENT HAS BEEN INTERMITTENT DUE TO UNSTABLE RATIOS OF STEEL SLAG EFFLUENT: AMD. ON AVERAGE, THE AMD SEEPS AT THE SOVERN 62 SITE (MC27F-100-6) CONTRIBUTE APPROXIMATELY CONTRIBUTES APPROXIMATELY 288 POUNDS PER YEAR OF ALUMINUM AND 175 POUNDS PER YEAR OF IRON TO SOVERN RUN.EXPECTED DELIVERABLES OR OUTCOMES: FOC ANTICIPATES A 80 100 LOAD REDUCTION OF ACIDITY, ALUMINUM AND IRON AS WELL AS THE SYSTEM OUT EFFLUENT MEETING WATER QUALITY STANDARDS IF THE STEEL SLAG TREATMENT COMPONENTS AT SOVERN 62 ARE CONVERTED TO A LIMESTONE LEACH BED, SETTLING POND, AND WETLAND CONFIGURATION. FOCS OVERALL GOAL FOR SOVERN RUN IS TO MOVE IT FROM THE WEST VIRGINIAS 303(D) LIST OF IMPAIRED STREAMS FOR ACIDITY, IRON, AND ALUMINUM TO SUPPLEMENTAL TABLE C: IMPROVED WATERS, THUS DOCUMENTING IMPROVE WATER QUALITY CONDITIONS FOR AQUATIC ORGANISMS AS WELL AS HUMAN HEALTH AND RECREATION. INTENDED BENEFICIARIES: THIS PROJECT, LOCATED IN TRIBUTARY SOVERN RUN, WILL BENEFIT BIG SANDY CREEK OF THE CHEAT RIVER, WHICH HOSTS A VIABLE FISHERY AND IS NATIONALLY RENOWNED FOR RIVER RECREATION. SOVERN RUN IS ALSO USED RECREATIONALLY BY EXPERIENCED WHITEWATER BOATERS, AND IN RECENT YEARS FISH AND OTHER AQUATIC ORGANISMS HAVE BEEN OBSERVED AFTER DECADES OF CLEAN-UP EFFORTS TO ADDRESS ACID MINE DRAINAGE FROM ABANDONED MINE LANDS.SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES (IF KNOWN OR SPECIFIED AT TIME OF AWARD): N A