COLUMBUS, OH -- The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) will contribute $211,060 toward restoration of Monday Creek in Hocking County where acid mine drainage from abandoned coal mines has killed off fish and other wildlife, leaving the water biologically impaired. ODNR Director Sam Speck said the agency will also contribute nearly $40,000 in in-kind services for ongoing water testing along the creek.
The ODNR money, allocated from the state's Acid Mine Drainage Abatement and Treatment Fund, matches a $125,700 grant obtained by the local Monday Creek Restoration Project under the federal Clean Water Act. The $336,760 in total clean-up funds are specifically earmarked for restoration of Jobs Hollow and Monkey Hollow - two critical areas that experts from ODNR's Division of Mineral Resources Management say contribute significant levels of acid mine pollution to the waterway.
"This current phase of the Monday Creek restoration is one part of a long-term effort to bring the stream back to life," Speck said. Right now, ODNR and its local partners are looking at ways to stem the flow of acid mine drainage that prevents wildlife species from calling the creek home - an important first step in restoring the waterway."
Jobs Hollow, located in the upper reaches of the watershed, contains a 1.3-acre coal mine waste (gob) pile. Runoff from the gob pile flows into the creek, adding to pollution levels. Restoration efforts there will include reshaping the gob pile and adding a 2-foot layer of soil over the top to seal it against rainwater. A proposed wetland dam with a limestone drain and channel will also help divert runoff from the area surrounding the gob pile.
Monkey Hollow, located in the lower Monday Creek watershed, is home to three small tributaries that pour highly acidic waters into the main stream. Remediation workers plan to capture mine drainage from the tributaries and install a neutralizing system. Clean-up crews will also construct a limestone channel to route acidic waters away from a small unpolluted lake in the area. They will also install a steel slag or limestone channel from a deep mine fracture to an abandoned surface mine impoundment where the acidic waters can be neutralized.
As part of the clean-up agreement, ODNR will oversee design and engineering work on the two projects and provide long-term water quality testing throughout the creek's watershed. ODNR will also conduct a feasibility study of Jobs Hollow, upstream of the proposed project, in anticipation of future restoration efforts.
Monday Creek rates high on ODNR's list of state waterways in need of restoration. Most recently, the department supported a study to identify abandoned mines on Monday Creek and prioritize those contributing the largest amounts of stream pollutants. The current projects are an outgrowth of that study.
Additional information on the Monday Creek Restoration is available by email at mcrp@netpluscom.com