CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — Plans to remove dams along the West Fork River in Harrison County have been adjusted after a nearby road became damaged.
Those working on the project with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at the Highland Dam began to notice cracks in Hideaway Road before Wednesday morning, when the the damage worsened and the project had to be delayed.
“Some of those cracks had grown to five or six inches wide, and in one location, about half the road has collapsed on the riverward side,” John Schmidt, a Field Supervisor with U.S. Fish and Wildlife said. “It almost looks like there was a void under it because the trees haven’t really moved that much, the stream bank itself doesn’t look like it’s moved much.”
Equipment will be moved to the Two Lick Dam to begin demolition there on Thursday, while experts from the Department of Highways evaluate the damage.
“We’re getting together here in the next day or two to figure out what’s going on and how do we fix it,” Schmidt said.
The Highland Dam phase of the project began last week when crews hammered the first notch, two feet in length, into the structure.
Every 24 hours another notch was to be put in the dam to incrementally lower the pool of water behind the dam and allow the river banks to adjust.
The cause for the damaged road is unknown at this time, but Schmidt said they have a theory that relates to the pools being removed.
“We think it may be just the pressure of the water in the pool as that water pressure goes away as the water level drops. That may be what was holding the road in place.”
The DOT will begin evaluating the damage while looking for all possible causes, including a potential preexisting issue with drainage on the landward side.
“The landward side of that road may have not carried enough water through it,” Schmidt said. “There’s ponding in the ditch lines and sometimes that causes water to go down and pipe soil out from under the road and roads will fail that way.”
A theory behind the speed in which the road became damaged involves the recent fluctuation in temperature creating a freeze-thaw effect.
The cold temperatures predicted for this weekend led to a planed event in which employees and volunteers would clean up the litter that has been found in the river being rescheduled.
Overall, the project began earlier last month with the removal of the West Milford Dam, shifted to the Highland Dam last week and was supposed to move to the Two Lick Dam before finishing with renovations at the Hartland Dam.
Proponents of the project say it will benefits the Clarksburg Water Board —the owners of the dams— by removing the liability that comes with the dams and the Roller Effect they create and maintenance cost, while restoring the habitat of endangered species of mussels.
There has been opposition to the project from those who believe that it is a violation of fencing rights, denies them access to the water and eliminates recreational opportunities.
While the timeline has been altered at the Highland Dam, the project is still expected to be completed as soon as conditions allow.
“We’re just disappointed that we have a pause in that action, but we want to make sure that the road is safe for people that need to get in and out of there,” Schmidt said.
Progress on the project can be followed on the West Virginia Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program Facebook page.