Monongahela River
Background:
The Monongahela River is located in north central West Virginia and the mainstem of the Monongahela River is formed by the confluence of the Tygart Valley and West Fork rivers at Fairmont, West Virginia. The mainstem flows north for 37 miles in West Virginia before it enters Pennsylvania and eventually joins the Allegheny River at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The river drains approximately 465 square miles (297,599 acres). The watershed covers most of Monongalia and Marion counties and smaller portions of Preston and Taylor counties. Major tributaries that enter the mainstem in West Virginia are Buffalo Creek and Deckers Creek. The flow of the Monongahela mainstem is regulated by four lock and dam structures at Opekiska, Hildebrande, Point Marion, and Morgantown. These structures were constructed primarily for navigation, however in recent years, navigation activities are very limited (WVDEP, 2001).
The watershed is dominated by forest and agricultural lands. Common industrial practices include coal mining, natural gas production, glass, brick and tile manufacturing, recreational development, and agricultural activities (WVDEP, 1985). Counties in the watershed contain active surface and deep mining operations and many of the coal fields in the watershed contain abandoned coal mines.
Mining
Historically, coal mining has represented the most economically valuable mineral resource in the Monongahela watershed. The basin lies in the northern coalfields of West Virginia, where coal has been mined extensively since the1800s. The Pittsburgh coal seam lies in the central portion of the watershed, while the Upper Kittanning and Upper Freeport coal seams are found in the eastern areas. The coal deposits in this region contain large amounts of pyrite which, coupled with the large extent of historical mining, has caused widespread acid mine drainage throughout the Monongahela watershed. Other raw materials produced in the area include oil and gas production, sandstone, shale, limestone, and gravel.
Forestry
Forestry is another major industry in the Monongahela watershed. According to the U.S. Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis Database Retrieval System, more than 400 square miles of forest land (approximately 256, 000 acres) exists in the three counties in and around the Monongahela watershed. Nearly all of those acres are held under corporate (timber industry) ownership.
Agriculture
Agriculture is also very important part of the economy in the Monongahela watershed. Farming activities have increased slightly (approximately 2.7%) from 1987 to 1997 with the total number of farms in the counties in and around the Monongahela watershed increasing from 997 to 1,025. Farms in this region are generally 120 to 160 acres in size and comprise approximately 20% of the landuse area in the Monongahela watershed.
Section 303(d) Listed Waterbodies
Thirty-nine waterbodies in the Monongahela watershed have been included on West Virginia’s 1996 and 1998 Section 303(d) list due to metals and/or pH impairments. These listed waterbodies include the main stem of the Monongahela River and 38 additional stream segments in the watershed. The pH and metals impairments, which have been defined by WVDEP to include total iron, aluminum, and manganese, have been attributed to acid mine drainage (AMD), and other point and nonpoint sources.
Monongahela River Fishery:
The West Virginia Surface Mining and Reclamation Act of 1971 increased restrictions on the surface mining industry. As a result, substantial water quality improvements occurred in the Monongahela River (Weller et al. 1991) resulting in an increase in the health of the fishery. A total of 38 fish species including three species listed on the West Virginia Rare, Threatened, or Endangered (RTE) species list were collected during the lock rotenone (2003) and night electrofishing surveys (2004). However, the threat of new sources of acid mine drainage could result in the disruption or reverse the trend in water quality improvement and fish community recovery.
Common Name / Scientific Name / Common Name / Scientific NameBlack Crappie / Pomoxis Nigromaculatus / River Redhorse* / Moxostoma carinatum
Bluegill / Lepomis macrochirus / Rockbass / Ambloplites rupestris
Bluntnose Minnow / Pimephales notatus / Rosyface Shiners / Notropis rubellus
Brook Silverside / Lathestheis sicclius / Sand Shiner / Notropis ludibundus
Channel Catfish / Ictalurus punctatus / Sauger / Sander canadense
Channel Shiners / Notropis wickliffi / Silver Shiner / Notropis photogenis
Common Carp / Cyprinus carpio / Sivler Chub* / Macrhybopsis storeriana
Emerald Shiners / Notropis atherinoides / Skipjack Herring / Alosa chrysochloris
Flathead Catfish / Pylodictus olivaris / Smallmouth Bass / Micropterus dolomieu
Freshwater Drum / Aplodinotus grunniens / Smallmouth Buffalo / Ictiobus bubalus
Ghost Shiners* / Notropis buchanani / Spotfin Shiners / Cyprinella spiloptera
Gizzard Shad / Dorosoma cepedianum / Spotted Bass / Micropterus punctulatus
Golden Redhorse / Moxostoma erythrurum / Walleye / Sander vitreum
Green Sunfish / Lepomis cyanellus / White Bass / Morone chrysops
Hybrid Striped Bass / M. chrysops X M. saxatilis / Yellow Perch / Perca flavescens
Largemouth Bass / Micropterus salmoides
Logperch / Percina caprodes
Longnose Gar / Lepisosteus osseus
Mimic Shiners / Notropis volucellus
Northern Hogsucker / Hypentelium nigricans
Pumpkinseed / Lepomis gibbosus
Quillback Carpsucker / Carpiodes cyprinus
River Carpsucker / Carpiodes carpio
Water Quality:
Morgantown Lock & Dams:
The Morgantown lock and dam was constructed during 1948-1950 at a cost of $8.8 million dollars. The length of the dam is 410 ft. with a 600 X 84 ft. lock providing 17 ft. of vertical lift. The lock and dam averages approximately 1.9 million tons of freight passage annually. Coal is the primary commodity moving through the pool and originates at mines located in the Hildebrand and Opekiska pools.
Morgantown Energy Facility:
The Morgantown Energy Facility generates steam and electrical energy simultaneously. This “cogeneration” facility provides the Monongahela Power Company 50,000 kilowatts of power while also providing WVU with up to 225,000 pounds per hour of steam, enough to heat/cool all of its facilities year round. The facility uses water from the Monongahela River in a “once through non-contact cooling system”. Effluent from the facility consists of industrial runoff and release of thermally impacted water from the cooling system. Waters released back into the river directly from the facility do not differ from the river by more than 15 degrees (F). All other waters released from the plant are first transported to and treated by the Morgantown Utility Board.