. ~ ,· ,f EVALUATION OF THE ..\!:.I CANAAN VALLEY - CABIN MT. WETLAND TU~R CO. , WEST VIRGINIA Prepared for Department of the Army Pittsburgh District, Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania By H. w. Vogelmann .... Botany Department, University of Vermont Burlington, Vermont June 1978 . ~· ..• ...... .. .. .. ·. ~. :~{ .·.,: ... .:.. ·.. ·j.... .: ... ~-e~-r 'lcrr7~-L- t.u -e::t \...A.\\J os . (~t'?<lo)C°') Wt.\LAtvOS 'S?~ 'G;Q;-}) N- D&~ ~l~K.;;T i q.8 i~<o f>OLVIR.l~\tot-'\ 'B~S. g-, N~-ru QA.L.. Lu 6'I" N.EA 00'-\J 2.o S Pff-Mitv u k 'e>c b- 13 . .. ... ·~ . : . ~.. 7·; .... S.P t RA-£4- 1'lt\-\C~~\ S-. t~ . ..._:~~:.:~:~~-. - ~··.· f·)~~ ·~:: ~t=:Ave~ PoNOS t{ \ \ : :~:B)~~~; .':: 100 '"<- ~c . '10"IA-<­ • .#" ';.·... ...• ~t=.TUlt.. ·~ ~:~~~~~~~ . ·.. · .. ·.. #.).-·-·- .... bf~ .\Jt.~-tA:nc~ 0-Pl-l'r-ND~) ... ····· ! ~ ASPBN . a.Rove:~ 2bO ~ i' . i "! I -OL-.0 T=-feLD h-ND ~t 1.,L/S- . ! . \OT.It-· 5 () s bJ:lt.AN . • • ,., . ...... f , ~· • . .. .... _. ,..., .. , .., =:-...· .... ·"' . ,,,.._ ...:, . -··'Ai. _,,,. _ .... ................_. ... ' ..- ' . .... , 'i. • I . i I •'·' ' EVALUATION OF THE CANAAN VALLEY - CABIN MT. WETLANDS TABLE OF CX>NTENTS I. LITERATURE REVIEW INTRODUCTION • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1 Canaan Valley • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1 Davis Pumped-Storage Power Project. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 2 HISTORY • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 3 CLIMATE • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 7 GEOLOGY AND SOILS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 8 VEGETATION • • . • • • • • • • . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 11 WILDLIFE • • • • • • • • • • • • • . .. • • • • • • • • • • 19 Present Fishing Resources • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 19 Waterfowl, Wetland Birds, Game • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 23 SIMILAR AREAS IN WEST VIRGINIA • • • • • • • • • . • 27 EFFECTS OF IMPOUNDMENTS FROM nIE DAVIS POWER PROJECT • • • • • • • • • • • 30 Impact on Vegetation • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • .-:., _• • •. ... 30 Impact on Fisheries • • • • • • • • . ·. • • • • • • • • • • • • • 31 Impact on Waterfowl, Wetland Birds, Game • • • • • • • • • • • • • 31 PROJECTED PRODUCTIVITY OF BLACKWATER LAKE • 32 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Characteristics ·of Blackwater Lake • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 32 Drawdown • • • • • • • • • •• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 32 Projected Fishery • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 35 Game and Waterfowl • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 36 II. FIELD STUDIES RECONNAISSANCE OF STUDY SITE AND OniER WETLANDS • • • • • • • • 37 Canaan Valley Physiography • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 37 Wetland Vegetation • • • • • • • • • • • ... • 39 Muskeg • • • • • • • • • • • .. • • • • 39 Alder thickets • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 39 Swamp forest • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . • • • • • • • 42 Grass-Sedge meadows • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 42 Spiraea and Hypericum thickets • • • • • • • • • • • • • 42 Upland Vegetation • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 44 H.ardwoods • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 44 Savannah • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • · • • • • • • • • • 45 Aspen groves • • • • . • • • • • • • • • • • • 45 Cabin Mt. Physiography • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . ... • • • • • • • 47 Wetland vegetation • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 47 Acreage of Wetland Types in Canaan Vallev and on Cabin Mt. • • • • • 48 Plant Succession in the Canaan Valley-Cabin Mt. Wetlands • • • • • • 48 Other Wetlands in West Virginia • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • .... 50 " III. REGIONAL AND ?tAnONAL SIGNIFICANCE OF CANAAN VALLEY - CABIN MT. WETLANDS COMPARISON OF CANAAN VALLEY - CABIN MT . WETLANDS WITH ontER WETLAfIDS IN WEST VIRGINIA • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 54 CCMPARISON OF nm CANAA?l VALLEY WETLANDS TO ontER WETLANDS Ill EASTER.~ UNITED STATES • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 55 SUMMARY . .- . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 61 CONCLUSION • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 63 LITERATURE CITED • • • • • • • • • • • . • • • • • • • • • • • • 64 . .....i ' APPENDIX •••••••••••••• • • • • • • • • • • • • • . •• 67 'l .. I. LITERATURE REVIEW . ·.:. L EVALUATION OF TilE CANAAN VALLEY - CABL.'l MT. WETLANDS TUCKER CO., WEST VIRGINIA INTRODUCTION Canaan Valley Canaan Valley (39°0S'N latitude, 79°25'W longitude) is a large high eleva- tion anticline basin containing a diverse array of vegetation types including wetland and boreal plant communities. The valley is located in the southern Allegheny Mountains in the eastern portion of Tucker Co. in northeastern W. Virginia. It lies 3~ miles east of the nearest town of Davis. The area is contained within the Appalachian Plateau Province, a physiographic area in the central Appalachian Region (Fenneman, 1938). Canaan Valley is oval shaped, approximately 14 miles long and 2-4 miles wide, and. is oriented on a NE-SW axis. The level valley floor, encompassing 40 square miles or 25,600 acres at.an elevation of about 3200' ! SO' is sur- rounded by mountains which in places rise 1000' above the valley floor. The entire area of the basin is approximately 55 sq. miles or 35,139 acres "(W. Va. Dept. Nat. Res . , 1978). Brown Mt. (3,732') borders the valley to the north, Canaan Mt. (3,920') to the west, and Cabin Mt. (4,375') to the east. The Canaan Valley watershed forms the headwaters of the Blackwater River whose cold,reddish-brown waters meander through the valley and then flow more rapidly after passing through a cut between Brown and <=:anaan Mountain. The Blackwater River combines with Beaver Creek at the town of Davis, and further downstream joins with Shavers Fork to form the Cheat River which flows into the Monongahela River, a major tributary in the Ohio River drainage. The valley encompasses a large wetland system consisting of a diverse mosaic of meadows, boggy terrain, beaver ponds and boreal forests. The area contains approximately 6,000 acres of wetlands which makes Canaan Valley the largest complex of bog and swamp communities in W. Virginia as well as in the entire Central Appalachian Region (Fortney & Pelurie, 1977). The vegetation in the valley is generally characteristic of more northern regions and is a result of a combination of soil conditions, cold wet climate, and widespread disturbances by man. Davis Pumped-Storage Power Project The Davis Power Project, proposed by the Monongabela Power Company; Potomac ... Edison Company, and the West Penn Power Company, entails the construction of a pumped- storage facility in Canaan Valley consisting of a water conduit, a powerhouse, a switchyard, transmission lines and two reservoirs constructed at different elevations. Recreation facilities will also be constructed which - include marina and picnicking area, a camping area, fishing access sites, and information and interpretive centers (U. S. Federal Power Commission, 1974). A license to build the DPSP power project was granted by the Federal Power - ·. .. Commission in 1976 to the Monongahela Power Company, the Potomac Edison Company, and the West Penn Power Company. A lower reservoir, Blackwater Lake, wi~l be created by damming the Blackwater River at its exit point from Canaan Valley between Brown and Canaan Mts. The pro- posed rock-filled~ype dam will be 710' long and 75' high above the existing river bed. The water impounded by this dam will back up to the maximum water level elevation of 3,182', creating a reservoir containing 162,000 acre-feet and having a surface area of 7,000 acres. The total length of the shoreline will be about 53 mi. at the normal minimum elevation of 3,178', the sµrface area of the lake will be 6,550 acres (U . S. Fed . Power Cotr.111., 1974). The maximum depth of the lake is 60 1 near the dam site, however, the average depth of.Blackwater Lake is only 20'. Approximately 77% of the lower reservoir 1 volume is contained in the top 20' vertical depth (Ebasco, 1973) • The upper reservoir will be constructed 900' above Blackwater Lake at the headwaters of the Red Creek drainage in a natural depression known as Dobbin Slashing near the top of Cabin Mt.. This will entail construction of two rock-filled dikes totaling 7,800' in length and having a maximum height of 90'. The capacity of this reservoir will be 30,000 acre-feet at a maximum water 1 •. surface elevation of 4,042 and will have a surface area of 600 acres (U. S • Fed. Power Comm., 1974). The depth will be 75' (Ebasco, 1973). During pumped storage operation, about 127. of the volume of Blackwater - Lake will be cycled through the hydroelectric facility every 24 hrs. on weekdays (Ebasco, _1973). This will result in daily water level fluctuations of Blackwater Lake of about l~' with a maximum weekly drawdown of 4'. Proposed maximum draw- down in the upper reservoir will be 57' (Ebasco, 1973; u. s. Fed. Power Comm., 1974). ' • •,.· . • "..'2 . ' . HISTORY Canaan Valley was first visited by white men in 1746 (Brown, 1959) and settlers arrived as early as 1800. The area was not inhabited by Indians although it may have been used as hunting grounds for elk, deer, and eastern bison (Fansler, 1962). While scattered artifacts have been found, there are no concentrations of archaeo~ogical . material indicative of more permanent inhabitation (U. S. Fed. Power Comm., 1974). 1 Estimates made with 7.5' u.s.G.S. topographic maps indicate