NUTTER FORT, W.Va. — A multi-million dollar stormwater project aimed to address a half-century-long problem behind Nutter Fort Elementary School in Harrison County has officially broken ground.
Del. Clay Riley said the project is the second phase of a longstanding issue.
“Nutter Fort happened to have this situation where they had significant water coming into their stormwater system, causing overflows in their sewer system as well,” Riley said at Wednesday afternoon’s ceremony. “So they were able to work with the DEP to help secure this finding.”
The $12. 6 million project is fully funded by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s Abandoned Mine Lands Program and will address water seepage that has affected the town for decades.
The project itself will consist of the installation of approximately 2,900 feet of 12” fused HDPE piping to dewater the Pitcairn Mine, which has been abandoned for over a half century. This will be followed by the installation of around 6,400 linear feet (LF) of stormwater pipe to deal with mitigation and management of acid mine drainage that has affected the Bagwell area of town for years. Work will also take place around Route 20 and Route 98, as well as parts of Norma Avenue, First, Second and Third streets.
“The project is solving known abandoned mine lands issues,” said designer Thrasher Group project manager Ryan Holcomb. “The mine is from around the 1920s, and 10 of the project is to dewater the mine and install a stormwater collection system downstream that can convey that acid mine drainage; the contract times are approximately a year.”
According to Nutter Fort officials, the issue surrounding the abandoned Pitcarin Mine has been affecting the town since the 1970s, in particular in the Bagwell area of the town, a short walk away from the elementary school. This strain on the town’s stormwater system has resulted in regular flooding in the area that becomes environmentally hazardous as a result of Acid Mine Drainage (AMD). Aspects that make town officials appreciative that the long-term issues have found a long-term solution.
“It’s put a strain on our stormwater system forever for way longer than I am old,” Nutter Fort Mayor Rezin Hudkins IV said. “It’s corrosive water, and it really puts a strain on our stormwater system.”
The goal is to complete the project within the next year with contractors with the West Virginia Division of Highways and Bear Contracting carrying out the work. Construction is expected to begin in December, with the entirety of the project funded through the State DEP AMLER grant program. With state officials noting the long-time issues prompting the need for the project, appreciation was expressed to see over three years of work on a state and local level come to fruition.
“It made it stand out to me because it was right here behind the elementary school, going right into the creek,” said Riley on the need for the project. “You see the orange water, we’ve all seen the abandoned mine lands, but it was really not only affecting the quality in the stream, but as it flowed into the sewer system and then caused an overflow there, it was now compounding the problem.”