MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A public-private partnership is concentrating on cleaning up the lower portion of Deckers Creek in Monongalia County.
The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and Northeast Natural Energy previously announced plans to build a facility for treating acid main drainage near the Richard Mine.
Diane Corwin, the vice president of operations for Northeast Natural Energy, told MetroNews affiliate WAJR-AM the effort will focus on removing metals such as iron, manganese and aluminum, as well as rejuvenating the local ecosystem.
“The acid mine drainage into Deckers Creek has been happening for many years, so this is not a new occurrence,” she explained.
Despite prior clean-up efforts, the drainage has degraded a portion of Deckers Creek for more than a century.
“It’s a concentrated effort for the last five miles of Deckers Creek,” Corwin said.
The facility will separate metals from the water, and the clean water will be discharged into Deckers Creek.
“With this effort, we hope to restore Deckers Creek so that it can become a better asset to the community and an enhancement to the Rail Trail,” said Jon Bourdon, the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s state conservationist of West Virginia. “It’s been decades since the water in Deckers Creek could support aquatic life and we hope to change that with this project.”
Corwin noted officials will monitor cleaning efforts to understand local improvements and make any adjustments.
Construction on the facility is slated to begin in October with the goal of having operations ready next year.