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November 15, 2005
UP TO $20 MILLION TO AID MONDAY CREEK WATERSHED CLEANUP EFFORTS
COLUMBUS, OH - Efforts to clean up the 74,240-acre Monday Creek Watershed in southeast Ohio should soon get up to $20 million in state and federal funding, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).
Earlier this fall, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works Review Board unanimously approved the Monday Creek Feasibility Report prepared by the Huntington District of the Army Corps of Engineers, in conjunction with 11 other federal, local and state agencies from Ohio and West Virginia. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) served as the non-federal sponsor for the report, providing funding and technical support. The report identifies ways to clean up the creek’s aquatic ecosystem that has been severely impacted by abandoned underground coalmines in the area.
“Ohio is fortunate to be the first project approved under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers new Civil Works Review Board,” said ODNR Director Sam Speck. “This effort is an excellent example of how state and federal agencies can cooperate with local interests to clean up areas biologically impaired by abandoned mines.”
Restoration efforts are expected to be authorized and funded under the 2005 Water Resources Development Act. As the non-federal sponsor of the project, ODNR will provide 35 percent in matching funds.
At the same time, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved the report for implementation under the federal Clean Water Act.
Monday Creek is a 27-mile long tributary of the Hocking River. Its watershed drains a 116-square mile area, with streams winding through portions of Athens, Hocking and Perry counties.
Historical underground mining practices have resulted in years of acid mine drainage into the creek, adversely affecting its aquatic life. The report identifies sources of the acid mine drainage, as well as locations of subsided areas, recommending alternatives to restore the aquatic ecosystem.
Other participants in this study included the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory, U.S. Forest Service, Ohio University, West Virginia University, Ohio University’s Institute for Local Government Administration and Rural Development, Rural Action of Southern Ohio, U.S. Department of the Interior Office of Surface Mining, and the Monday Creek Restoration Project.
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