A WATERSHED APPROACH TO

ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCACY

John M.S. King

West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection

Office of Environmental Advocate

304-382-8666

John.M.S.King@wv.gov

West Virginia Department of Environmental ProtectionDivision of Water and Waste

Division of Mining

Office of Oil & Gas

Division of Air Quality

• Permitting

• Enforcement

• Emergency Response

Toll Free Advocate Hotline

1-800-654-5227

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

Vital to protecting the environment Problems are better solved when concerned citizens are involved in

developing a dialogue among industry, environmental protection

officials, & their communities.~~WVDEP Citizen’s Guide

WATER QUALITY

The Infrastructure of Life

Cuyahoga River, 1969

Lakes, Wetlands, & Rivers =

• < .01% of all water on Earth

• Contain ½ of World’s known Fish Species

• Freshwater animals are disappearing 4-6 X as fast as

animals on land or at sea

Global Statistics

(National Geographic, 2010)

NATIONAL STATISTICS

Out of 573 threatened & endangered species

½ are Freshwater animals

(National Geographic, 2010)

Top 3 causes of Stream Impairments & # of Stream MilesBiologically Impaired = 5,153

Fecal / Bacteria = 4,255

Iron = 3,958

All waters in WV are contaminated with Mercury & PCBs

(WVDEP )

Regional Statistics

WV has 9,500 streams covering 32,000 miles*18,244.3 stream miles are impaired

Holistic Watershed Resource Management

32,278 Stream Miles

32 Major Watershed Basins

2 Catchments:

•Ohio River

•Potomac River

Watershed Approach

to Resource Management

Mississippi Watershed

Watershed Facts• Approx. 1.8 million square miles

• Drains 41% of continental United States

• 31 states & 2 Canadian provinces

• Carries 436,000 tons of sediment per day

• 159 million tons per year

Gulf of Mexico dead zone

Dead Zone FactsCovers 6,000-7,000 square miles

Caused by nutrient enrichment • fertilizers, soil erosion, animal wastes, and

sewage

Chesapeake Bay

Chesapeake Bay Dead Zone

Sources of Pollution

Non-point Source Point-source

Morris Creek Watershed Association;

An Example of a Successful Stakeholder-based Watershed Approach

The land, tributaries, and area that drains into Morris Creek situate in

Fayette and Kanawha Counties of WV.

~~ MCWA Bylaw Article I, C

Watershed FactsTotal Length

5.1 miles

Total Area

7.53 sq. miles

4,819 acres

Elv. @ Source

1,800 feet

Elv. @ Mouth

640 feet

Avg. Drop

228 ft./mi.

Up Stream from Morris Creek on the Kanawha River

Montgomery, WV Home of WVU Tech

Down Stream from Morris Creek on the Kanawha River

Morris Creek Citizens

• Most live out side Montgomery city limits

• Had no communication with absentee land owners

• Share a common thread with many rural communities in the WV coal fields.

• Cultural History

• Economic Situation

• Environmental Degradation

Social Situation before the MCWA

COAL

• Generates 60% of U.S. electricity

• Makes up 95% of U.S. fossil energy reserves

• Coal pays 60% of all business taxes in WV

• Since 1863 WV mined 13 billion tons

• 20% of NY power at 13 cents per kw hour

• 99% of WV power at 5 cents “ “ “

Since 1863 WV mined 13 billion tons

Generates 60% of U.S. electricity

King Coal

In 1911, within a 5 mile radius of Montgomery,

26 coal operations employed 15,000 men

Water + Oxygen + Pyrite (gold flecks in sand stone) =

Acid Mine Drainage (AMD)

E

AMD seep from an abandoned mine

AMD coming from a pipe draining an abandoned mine

Aluminum on Shyler Fork

Open mine portals

Open Dumps

Provided the MCWA with its first challenge and an opportunity to make

a tangible difference in the community

WV Make It Shine Program

161 tons since 2002

TRACKING DOWN SOURCES OF POLLUTION USING THE

WATERSHED APPROACH

Watershed Assessment

6.626.4

6.656.43

5.8 5.8

6.59

6.04

4.46

6.94

5.51

6.916.8 6.75 6.78

4.14

7

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Aci

d

----

pH

----

Base

Monitoring Sites & AML Projects

Sample Sites 1-17

Water Quality

BENTHIC SAMPLING

WVDEP Save Our Streams Program (SOS)

MCWA Monitoring Stations & AMD Project Sites

Possum Hollow

Lower Mainstem

Upper Mainstem

ResultsA stream formerly void of aquatic life, now a

thriving (reproducing?) trout stream.

Only stream in Kanawha Co. currently supporting

three species of trout:

• Brown

• Rainbow

• Brook

MCWA’s Past, Present and Future Home

Civic Engagement The freedom the Athenians wanted was not just a release from

bondage; they wanted political freedom, the right to help decide

their own destiny through active participation in government

~~Woodruff, 2005

Outreach & EducationWhen you engage and educate people in their community about

environmental issues, it’s the first step toward engaging them in a

broader debate and effort—whether it be on a city, state, or

national level.

~~Carol Browner, chair of Audubon’s Board of Directors

Necessities for Environmental Advocacy

We did not inherit the earth from our fathers…

We are borrowing it from our children

John M.S. King

West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection

Office of Environmental Advocate

304-382-8666

John.M.S.King@wv.gov

Thank You Questions???