Health and History of the North Branch of the Potomac River North Fork Watershed Project/Friends of Blackwater MAY 2009 This report was made possible by a generous donation from the MARPAT Foundation. DRAFT 2 DRAFT TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF TABLES ...................................................................................................................................................... 5 TABLE OF Figures ...................................................................................................................................................... 5 Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................................................ 6 THE UPPER NORTH BRANCH POTOMAC RIVER WATERSHED ................................................................................... 7 PART I ‐ General Information about the North Branch Potomac Watershed ........................................................... 8 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................... 8 Geography and Geology of the Watershed Area ................................................................................................. 9 Demographics .................................................................................................................................................... 10 Land Use ............................................................................................................................................................. 11 Recreation .......................................................................................................................................................... 12 History ................................................................................................................................................................ 13 Mining Methods ................................................................................................................................................. 18 PART II – WATER QUALITY REPORT FROM DOWNSTREAM STRATEGIES ................................................................ 20 METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................................................. 20 General Background on the Watershed ............................................................................................................. 21 What is acid mine drainage and how is it detrimental ...................................................................................... 22 The legacy of early mining: An overview ........................................................................................................... 23 Impaired streams and total maximum daily loads ............................................................................................. 25 Water chemistry................................................................................................................................................. 28 Aquatic life ......................................................................................................................................................... 31 Impacts and remediation options ........................................................................................................................... 36 Kempton/Coketon complex ............................................................................................................................... 36 Other Maryland tributaries and dosers ............................................................................................................. 41 Other West Virginia tributaries .......................................................................................................................... 44 OPPORTUNITIES and priorities FOR WATERSHED GROUP ENGAGEMENT ............................................................. 52 Implement a water monitoring program ........................................................................................................... 53 Develop watershed‐based plans ........................................................................................................................ 53 DRAFT 3 DRAFT Establish partnerships and watchdog agencies ................................................................................................. 54 Generate funding and build treatment systems ................................................................................................ 54 FINAL WORDS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................................................. 55 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ............................................................................................................................................. 56 References .............................................................................................................................................................. 57 Appendix 1: Mining permits by subwatershed ....................................................................................................... 60 APPENDIX II: PHOTOS OF The NBP, Potomac State Forest, Maryland .................................................................... 68 APPENDIX III: RECONNAISSANCE AND MONITORING FROM THE WV SIDE ............................................................ 78 APPENDIX IV: PHOTOS – WORTH SAVING IT FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS ............................................................. 87 APPENDIX V: ADDITIONAL MAP .............................................................................................................................. 95 DRAFT 4 DRAFT TABLE OF TABLES Table 1: Trace element health effects ........................................................................................................ 22 Table 2: Impaired streams .......................................................................................................................... 27 Table 3: Brook trout status of the upper North Branch Potomac and its Maryland tributaries ................ 33 Table 4: Fish status in West Virginia tributaries to the upper North Branch Potomac .............................. 35 Table 5: Baseline loads and TMDLs for Maryland tributaries ..................................................................... 41 Table 6: Pre‐ and post‐doser pH data in the upper North Branch Potomac watershed, Maryland ........... 43 Table 7: Mining wasteload allocations for Abram Creek (aluminum) ........................................................ 45 Table 8: Reductions to meet TMDL targets for abandoned and revoked mines ........................................ 46 Table 9: Mining wasteload allocations for Stony River ............................................................................... 49 Table 10: Reductions to meet TMDL targets for abandoned mine lands ................................................... 51 Table 11: Reductions to meet TMDL targets for abandoned mine lands ................................................... 52 Table 12: Abbreviations used in mine permit tables .................................................................................. 60 Table 13: Abram Creek watershed mining permits .................................................................................... 60 Table 14: Stony River watershed mining permits ....................................................................................... 63 Table 15: Shields Run (headwaters) watershed mining permits ................................................................ 64 Table 16: Buffalo Creek watershed mining permits ................................................................................... 65 Table 17: Lostland permits .......................................................................................................................... 66 TABLE OF FIGURES Figure 1 ‐Potomac Basin in Grant County, WV ........................................................................................... 11 Figure 2 Potomac Basin in Garrett County, MD .......................................................................................... 12 Figure 3 Mining Methods ............................................................................................................................ 18 Figure 4 The upper North Branch Potomac Watershed ............................................................................ 21 Figure 5 Historical pH data for mainstem ................................................................................................... 23 Figure 6 ‐ Potential acid mine drainage sources in the upper North Branch Potomac watershed ............ 25 Figure 7 ‐ pH data and pH‐impaired streams .............................................................................................. 29 Figure 8 ‐ Metal impaired streams .............................................................................................................. 30 Figure 9: Benthic community health ........................................................................................................... 32 Figure 10 ‐ Kempton Mine Complex hydrologic profile .............................................................................. 36 Figure 11 ‐ Laurel Run downstream of the doser ......................................................................................