deckers creek final

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Deckers Creek Monongahela ,West Virginia Parker Schankweiler - Edger Hannibal - Justin Pitsenbarger

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Page 1: Deckers Creek Final

Deckers CreekMonongahela ,West Virginia

Parker Schankweiler - Edger Hannibal - Justin Pitsenbarger

Page 2: Deckers Creek Final

Mission Statement Our mission is to identify and design a site responsive master plan of diminished locations throughout the Deck-ers Creek watershed. The design will focus on restoring and preserving the existing wildlife, aquatic, and ripar-ian habitat along the corridor. The project will achieve goals that respond to stream rehabilitation efforts and increased access to the stream corridor. Transforming sections of the landscape into an immersive educational gre-enway that demonstrates functional stream restoration applications, green infrastructure techniques, and Acid Mine Drainage treatment systems. Providing a linkage of outdoor learning environments alongside the Deck-er Creek Trail, which encourages the surrounding communities to reconnect and learn about the effects various pollutants can have on a watercourse. The extension and integration of the Deckers Creek Outdoor Learning Park will become an all-encompassing adventure destination, which can be applied to similar tarnished watercourses.

GoalEnhance sites along the Deckers Creek corridor

Objectives:• Incorporate green infrastructure to manage stormwater runoff • Highlight and alleviate current Acid Mine Drainage sources • Stabilize sections of the streams edge • Rejuvenate biodiversity through providing additional habitat

Goal Create interpretative trail destinations that integrate the surrounding communities

Objectives:• Improve pedestrian circulation, stream, and trail access• Incorporate parking and informational signage• Design areas for community interactions and personal leisure• Integrate local and recycled building materials to link the site with its surroundings • Stimulate cultural art exhibits

GoalIncorporate environmental learning opportunities

Objectives:• Create a linkage of environmental learning sites along the Deckers Creek Trail• Integrate interpretative areas throughout the stream corridor• Provide visitors and residents with access to the stream

Deckers Creek

Page 3: Deckers Creek Final

1 mileAMD source

Waterway

Watershed Boundary

Rail Trail

FODC AMDRemediation Project

NRCS AMDRemediation Project

< Deckers Creek

< Dillan Creek

< Kanes Creek

Deckers Creek >

Kingwood 3.4 miles

Masontown

Mon

onga

lia C

ount

y

Pres

ton

Coun

ty

Route 7

Kingwood Pike

Route 7

Back Run >

Slabcamp Run >Laurel Run >

Fairfax Pond

Reedsville

5

4

32

1

7

6

Upper Deckers ImpoundmentDrinking Water Supply

Upper Deckers CreekWidlife Management Area

In order to prevent flooding down-stream,five flood retention ponds werebuilt and five miles of streambed weredredged and straightened. Notice howstraight Deckers Creek is just upstreamfrom the Kingwood Pike.

Glady Run >

Swam

p R

un

>

ACCESS Deckers Creek �ows right by thetrailhead in Masontown. From Route 7, �ndthe trailhead near mile 13 by turning downDepot Street.

WATER QUALITY Masontown usually haslow pH values. It is expected to improvedue to remediation projects by the NaturalResource Conservation Service and FODC.

FISH On those occasions when the wateris not acidic, the stream contains manyminnows and a few large �sh. Many sur-veys, however, yield no �sh aT all becauseof AMD.

ACCESS The Kingwood Pike crosses Deck-ers Creek and the Rail-Trail (near mile 17)within approximately 300 feet of eachother.

WATER QUALITY Measurements of waterquality vary widely in this area. pH mea-surements range from 4 to above 7. Thechanges in Kanes Creek, 0.6 miles up-stream, account for the changes here.

FISH In bad years, there are no �sh here.In good years, we �nd a few minnows.One or two small bass often blend in withthe other �sh.

INVERTEBRATES We �nd few inverte-brates in the sandy substrate in this area.In the few areas with decent invertebratehabitat, we �nd sparse communities withdragon�y larvae, sowbugs, snails, ri�ebeetles, and other organisms.

FISH Creek chub dominate the communi-ties, but bullhead cat�sh are sometimesfound as well. We caught a crappie hereonce, probably an escapee from a privatepond.

INVERTEBRATES Benthic invertebratesare di�cult to sample: the streambed isextremely tough to disturb because ofyears of iron deposits and other materials.Netspinner caddis�ies dominate the com-munity.

Dillan Creekat Burke Road

ACCESS Route 7 crosses Dillan Creekand intersects Burke Road 1.6 miles southof Masontown. The Deckers Creek Rail-Trail intersects Burke Road just past mile16.

WATER QUALITY In its upper reaches,Dillan Creek is severely damaged by AMD.At Burke Road, however, it is close to neu-tral. Bacteria counts are occasionally high.The creek held a thick algal bloom in2005, indicating nutrient enrichment.

FISH We �nd �sh in Dillan Creek everyyear. Creek chub, sun�sh, and bullheadcat�sh are usually present. They may swiminto Dillan when Deckers has bad water.

INVERTEBRATES Like the algae, the in-vertebrates indicate an enriched com-munity. Netspinners are most common,but we also �nd many ri�e beetles. Anaverage of ten varieties of benthic macro-invertebrates appear each year.

ACCESS The Rail-Trail bends near the con�u-ence of Kanes and Deckers. Upstream, the trailparallels Kanes rather than Deckers. Route 92crosses both trail (near mile 18) and KanesCreek one-half mile from Reedsville.

WATER QUALITY Kanes Creek is usually amajor source of AMD to Deckers Creek. Its pHhas been as low as 3.

FISH Until recently, the water in Kanes was sobad we did not dare survey �sh for fear thebackpack shocker would short-circuit. In 2005,however, six �sh were found there. In 2007, wefound 74 �sh of eight di�erent species.

INVERTEBRATES Few invertebrates live in theacid waters. Typically, only four or �ve insectsare found even after several kicks in the sedi-ment.

ACCESS This site has no easy access. Whenvisiting it, we park next to Kanes Creek onRoute 92, and walk three tenths of a milethrough a �eld to Deckers.

WATER QUALITY The water here is not acid-ic, but occasionally has low dissolved oxygenand high bacteria counts.

FISH In many years, there are more large(>6”) �sh per acre at this site than at any ot-her site on Deckers Creek. The �sh seem tocamp out in the good water just upstreamfrom Kanes Creek and the AMD it carries.

INVERTEBRATES The mix of non-acidic wa-ter and the sandy bottom at this site makesfor an unusual community for Deckers: it isdominated by midges, but also containsdamsel�ies, ri�e beetles, and snails.

ACCESS This stretch of the creek can beseen from Route 7 as it crosses the Monon-galia/Preston County line. From the Rail-Trail, walk downhill in the area betweenmiles 11 and 12.

WATER QUALITY This reach usually smel-led of sewage before construction of Ma-sontown’s sewage treatment plant. It isbetter now, although it still sometimes vi-olates pH standards because it is too acidic.

Deckers Creek cuts through snow and ice near thecounty line.

FODC VISTA James Nutaitis monitoring Deckers Creekamong the cattails near the Kingwood Pike.

INVERTEBRATES Benthic inverte-brates indicate poor water quality. Net-spinners and aquatic earthworms pre-dominate.

Creek chubs

Dragonfly larva

FISH Our �rst two annual surveys yieldedvery large (>10”) bullhead cat�sh and large-mouth bass for such a small stream. Morerecently however, only a few small creekchub and sun�sh have been found in thepool, which is getting �lled in with stonefrom a ford for gas trucks.

INVERTEBRATES Netspinners are the mostcommon, but a variety of may�ies andstone�ies are also present. Cray�sh seem tolove the large cavities between the stonesfor the ford.

Deckers Creek near Zinn Chapel in winter.

Deckers Creek AtREedsville Airstrip2 Kanes creek3

Deckers Creekat Kingwood Pike4

5

Deckers Creek atthe county line7 Masontown6

Clockwise from left: A yellow bullhead cat�shcollected from Deckers Creek at the Reeds-ville airstrip.The Reedsville Airstrip section, waschannelized and straightened to decreasethe risk of flooding along the creek. Iron deposits from AMD coat Kanes Creek.

Cheat RiverWatershed

Three Fork Creekof the Tygart River

Watershed

Mon

ong

alia

Cou

nty

Pres

ton

Co

un

ty

Marion County

Kingwood

Cheat River

MonongahelaRiver

Deckers CreekWatershed

Downstream Map

Upstream Map

Reedsville

Masontown

Monongalia County

Chestnut Ridge

Morgantown

Deckers Creek

Chestnut Ridge divides theDeckers Creek watershedinto upper and lower sec-tions. Deckers cuts throughthe ridge in the gorge.

About Deckers CreekDeckers Creek starts on Chestnut Ridge near the KingwoodPike in Monongalia County. It �ows through the Valley Dis-trict of Preston County to Masontown, where it turns to thenorthwest and cuts a gap back through Chestnut Ridge.After passing through the gorge it has cut in the ridge, itcharges through Morgantown to the Monongahela River.

The 23-mile creek drains more than 60 square miles andshould contain many habitats and support a variety of �shand other organisms. Unfortunately, acid mine drainage(AMD) and other kinds of pollution completely eliminated�sh from much of the creek and several of its tributaries formuch of the 20th century.

Friends of Deckers Creek (FODC) has been studying thewatershed since 1995, and has sampled �sh communitiesin various places annually since 2002. Fish can now befound in almost every part of Deckers, and some of thosespots contain enough �sh to support enjoyable �shing.

This brochure will describe the communities of �sh andother organisms that are gradually recovering in DeckersCreek, along with the factors that a�ect which �sh appearwhere. You can learn about these communities in threeways. First, read A Trip Down Deckers Creek below; thenread more of the details about each of our sampling sites;�nally, visit Deckers Creek at all the points with public ac-cess and discover the communities for yourself, either by�shing, catching bugs, or merely sitting and watching.

FODC also assesses the creek by studying the chemistryof the water. Based on these data, FODC, along with stateand federal agencies, have brought about many projectsto decrease the damage from AMD. However, much workon AMD and other forms of pollution remains to be done.Read about the water quality issues that impact the Deck-ers Creek watershed below (Water Quality Issues in theWatershed). Contact FODC for more information, and tosee how you can help!

Acid Mine Drainage is frequently treated with lime-stone channels and settling ponds. This NaturalResources Conservation Service project treats anAMD discharge just upstream from Masontown.

Aquatic earthworms

The Deckers Creek watershed is part of the Mo-nongahela watershed, which flows into the Ohio

and then Mississippi watersheds. Water fromDeckers Creek and its tributaries ultimately

drains into the Gulf of Mexico at New Orleans

ACCESS A family graciously allows us toaccess the creek via their driveway. Deck-ers Creek here and upstream has no publicaccess.

WATER QUALITY The water is very diluteand only slightly acidic. Acid rain, ratherthan AMD, may be responsible for the alu-minum in the water.

Deckers Creekat Zinn Chapel1

Route 92

Dogtown Road

thewatershed

Source to Reedsville Farm Pond:In the headwaters, Deckers Creek is small and so mildly acid-ic it is di�cult to distinguish e�ects of acid rain and AMD. The �sh-ery is poor: usually only a few creek chubs are found in this area.Farm Pond to Kanes Creek: Deckers Creek receives acid neutral-izing chemicals and nutrients from the Reedsville Farm, housesand lawns, or some other source. The �sh are larger and more di-verse: there are suckers and bullhead cat�sh along with creekchubs, and a few, small bass.

Time and human e�ort are slow- ly reducing the damage AMD has done to the aquatic communities in Deckers Creekand there are many more �sh now than there have been indecades. Additional improvements in Deckers Creek will re-quire careful assessments of many di�erent kinds of pollut-ants, and a broad array of experts and resources to addressthose problems. Here is a list of the most damaging waterpollutants in the Deckers Creek watershed.

AMD: Pyrite is a mineral which can befound in some coal seams. When expos-ed to air and water, it generates dissolv-ed iron and sulfuric acid. The acid candissolve additional metals from the soil.The polluted water that contains thesechemicals is acid mine drainage. Fishand invertebrates cannot survive instreams containing too much AMD.

Stormwater: In undevelopedareas, rain seeps into theground and slowly dischargesthrough the soil to the stream.In developed, especially paved,areas, rain runs into a streamimmediately, carrying every-thing from motor oil to cigar-ette butts. Clean water seepingout of the soil slowly and stead-ily makes better stream habitatthan �ashy pulses of watercoming from storm drains androadways.

AMD can be identi�ed by low pH (see meter, above), high iron concentrations (iron colorimeter at right) and/or red sediments (yellow-boy) which coat streambeds.

Sediment: Solid materials, including grains of sand, rocks,logs and leaves move down stream channels just as waterdoes. Changes to streams and their banks will change howall those objects—the sediment—moves. Straightening thechannel in one place can make the stream eat away at astream bank in another place. The sediment from the bank can make the stream shallower, and increase �ooding in athird location.

Litter: Streams have enoughwork to do without having toclean up trash. Trash is ugly, andshould not be in a stream or in aplace where it might be washedinto a stream! Litter in a streamindicates that watershed resi-dents do not value streams andthe life they contain.

FODC has conducted trash cleanups in thewatershed since 1996.

Water Quality Issues in the Watershed

A Trip Down Deckers Creek

When Morgantown was built, pipes were laidso heavy rain caused sewage to overflow intoDeckers. The Morgantown Utility Board, state,and federal partners are now working to sep-arate sewer water and stormwater.

Kanes Creek to Masontown:Kanes Creek is the �rst large AMD source. Until the last few years,Kanes dramatically decreased water quality, and mines in the nextthree miles added even more. Dillan Creek diluted the aciditysomewhat. For many years, no �sh were caught at Masontown.The trip continues on the reverse side

Left: An aerial view of channelizedDeckers Creek. Right: Acid minedrainage can be treated in manyways. The WV DEP built this SAPS(successive alkalinity producingsystem) to treat a small flow ofAMD in the upper watershed.

Sewage: The water from drains and toilets in homes andbusinesses contains bacteria that can sicken aquatic crea-tures and humans who come in contact with it. Wastewa-ter also contains chemicals that consume so much oxygenthat there is not enough to support �sh.

The Deckers Creek watershed covers roughly 64 square miles in Monongalia and Preston Counties, West Virginia. In Monon-galia County, part of the city of Morgantown drains to Deckers Creek. In Preston County, part of Masontown and all of Reeds-ville drain to Deckers Creek. The unincorporated towns of Brookhaven, Richard, Dellslow, Rock Forge, Sturgisson, Greer and Mountain Heights in Monongalia County, and Bretz and Arthurdale in Preston County also lie within the watershed.

Deckers Creek rises on Chestnut Ridge, which approximately follows the line between Preston and Monongalia Counties, flows east and then north through a valley that parallels the ridge. This area is the Valley District of Preston County. It then cuts a gorge through that ridge as it flows northwest. Deckers Creek flows into the Monongahela River in Morgantown. The Monongahela flows north to Pittsburgh, where it joins the Allegheny River to form the Ohio River.

About Deckers Creek

Page 4: Deckers Creek Final

Area Attractions

Watershed Connections

Historic ArthurdaleCheat Lake

Class V. WhitewaterBretz Coke OvensMorgantown, WV

Monongahela National ForestHorseshoe Run/FishingAppalachian Mountains

Coopers Rock State ForestWVU Equestrian Center

AmenitiesPositioned between major population

center and outdoor recreation sites

19-mile Deckers Creek Rail-Trail Prime birding habitat

Whitewater raftingKayakingFishingSkiingHiking

Zip-Line

Deckers Creek Bridge at the mouth of Deckers Creek, Morgantown

The long line of coke ovens along Decker's Creek Trail is still nearly intact

Watching birds on the Deckers Trail

Prickett's Fort State Park along the Mon River Trail

Administration building of the Arthur-dale planned community, built during

the Great Depression of the 1930s

Coopers Rock

Whitewater KayakingFishing

Morgantown, WV

Page 5: Deckers Creek Final

CLEAN CREEK PROGRAM

SAMPLING SITES AND SPONSORS, 2007

Valley Crossing Sabraton

County Line

Masontown

Dillan Creek

Reedsville Airstrip

Aarons Creek

Morgantown Printing & Binding

Zinn Chapel

Kanes Creek

Kingwood Pike

Dellslow

Tibbs Run

The Gorge Heather Christiansen, LLC.- Birth to Three

Provider

Larry Verbosky, Agent

The Atkinson Family

WVU National Research Center for Coal & Energy

Friends of Deckers Creek (FODC) is a local non-profit watershed group dedicated to improvinf the natural qualities of, increasing public concern for, and promoting the enjoyment of the Deck-ers Creek watershed. The Friends of Deckers Creek have been studying the watershed since 1995, and has sampled fish communities in various places annually since 2002. Fish can now be found in al-most every part of Deckers, and some of those spots contain enough fish to support enjoyable fishing.

Friends of Decker Creek

Land-use in the Deckers Creek watershedState of the Creek, 2007 Page 39

Creek South Site 3, and Morgan Mine Road. We will be seeking conceptual designs from engineering firms for these remediation projects in the fall of 2008.

NRCS has also completed two projects. The Dillan Diversion project consists mainly of an OLC that prevents unpolluted water from entering unconsolidated mining spoil, where it would become acidic. The Goat #2 project consists of OLCs and a limestone-lined settling pond. NRCS expects to construct the Goat #1 site, which will be similar to the Goat #2 site, in 2009.

Figure 44. AMD projects in the Deckers Creek watershed.

AMD projects in the Deckers Creek Watershed

Forested land makes up the majority of the watershed. The watershed is most heavily settled in and near Morgantown. There are smaller population centers and some agricultural land in the Pres-ton County portion of the watershed. Unsettled and forested land dominates the portion of the wa-tershed taken up by Chestnut Ridge. In the 1970s, the West Virginia Soil Conservation Agency and the United States Soil Conservation Service implemented measures to protect land in the Preston Coun-ty portion of the watershed from flooding. The measures included seven impoundments, five for flood control and two for waterfowl habitat, and channelization of approximately six miles of streams.

1. WATERSHED DESCRIPTION The Deckers Creek watershed covers roughly 64 square miles in Monongalia and Preston Counties, West Virginia. In Monongalia County, part of the city of Morgantown drains to Deckers Creek. In Preston County, part of Masontown and all of Reedsville drain to Deckers Creek (Figure 1). The unincorporated towns of Brookhaven, Richard, Dellslow, Rock Forge, Sturgisson, Greer and Mountain Heights in Monongalia County, and Bretz and Arthurdale in Preston County also lie within the watershed.

Deckers Creek rises on Chestnut Ridge, which approximately follows the line between Preston and Monongalia Counties, flows east and then north through a valley that parallels the ridge. This area is the Valley District of Preston County. It then cuts a gorge through that ridge as it flows northwest. Deckers Creek flows into the Monongahela River in Morgantown. The Monongahela flows north to Pittsburgh, where it joins the Allegheny River to form the Ohio River.

Forested land makes up the majority of the watershed (Table 1). The watershed is most heavily settled in and near Morgantown. There are smaller population centers and some agricultural land in the Preston County portion of the watershed. Unsettled and forested land dominates the portion of the watershed taken up by Chestnut Ridge. In the 1970s, the West Virginia Soil Conservation Agency and the United States Soil Conservation Service implemented measures to protect land in the Preston County portion of the watershed from flooding. The measures included seven impoundments, five for flood control and two for waterfowl habitat, and channelization of approximately six miles of streams.

In this document, streams and subwatersheds (SWSs) within the Deckers Creek watershed are identified in three ways: by name, where one exists, by stream codes (WVDEP, 2005a), and by the SWS numbers used by the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) document for the Monongahela River watershed (USEPA, 2002). For example, the stream that flows into Deckers Creek from the north in Sabraton, two miles from its mouth, is Hartman Run or M-8-0.5A, or the stream of SWS149. Impoundments built for flood protection are referred to as Upper Deckers Creek Impoundments (UDCIs) #1 through #7. The most important of these is UDCI #1 (See section 5.1), which serves as a public water supply, distributed by Preston County Public Service District #1.

Table 1: Land use classes in the Deckers Creek watershed

Land use Acres PercentForest 28,681 71.3

Farmland 6,270 15.6

Urban land 2,937 7.4

Mined land 1,621 4.0

Other (water, barren, roads)

706 1.7

Total 40,251 100.0Source: NRCS, 2000

7

Page 6: Deckers Creek Final

INTRODUCTION

Purpose This is the final report of the fifth year (January through December, 2007) of Friends of Deckers Creek’s Clean Creek Program. This report illustrates the most recent water quality and biological survey results and compares them to earlier data from the Clean Creek Program and other sources.

This report also provides context for these data, including information about the geography and geology of Deckers Creek and its watershed and about the groups that are working to solve its pollution problems.

At the first sight of the steep sections of Deckers Creek, many people assume that this rugged, rocky stream represents the clean, wild whitewater of West Virginia. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Deckers Creek reflects the impact of extraction of natural resources. In particular, coal mining through most of the 20th century has left Deckers Creek with a legacy of acid mine drainage (AMD) that can be read in its turbid waters, its red rocks, and its impoverished insect and fish communities.

About Deckers Creek

Geography

Deckers Creek flows into the Monongahela River at Morgantown, West Virginia (Figure 1). The features of the creek are becoming more well-known through the popular Deckers Creek Rail-Trail, which runs beside the creek.

Deckers Creek, however, is not in a city for its entire 23 miles (Figure 2). It begins on the southeast facing slope of a ridge as a small woodland brook. It sweeps to the north and flows through a long flat valley as a straightened ditch among pastures and fields. It then turns to the northwest and cuts a steep gorge down to Morgantown, plunging over falls and rapids on the way. It also runs strong and fast through Morgantown, but is often constrained by steep walls of either creek-cut bedrock or human-built stone.

Its watershed includes most of Valley District in Preston County, including Arthurdale, Reedsville and Masontown, and most of Morgan District in

Figure 1: Location of the Deckers Creek watershed.

Figure 2: Land-use in the Deckers Creek watershed.

Deckers Creek Watershed Natural Resources

Farming - WVU farm in the Reedsville Area

Urban - Sabraton Suburban - DellslowIndustrial Areas - Dellslow along

Route 7

Limestone Mining - Greer Limestone Mining Operation

Forestry - Along Deckers Creek Trail in Dellslow

Green Space - Areas along trail and sports fields

Farmland - food

Rivers - recreation, transportation (Monongahela River)

Timber - building, heat

Underdeveloped land - recreation, wildlife habitat

Land UseUrbanIndustrial and RoadsResidentialForestPasture and Agriculture

Coverage (acres) in Deckers Creek650

1,2601,330

27,6009,640

Infiltration Rate5%5%

20%75%60%

Runoff per acre from 1 inch rain event(gallons)25,69125,69121,6356,761

10,817

Coal - energy

Page 7: Deckers Creek Final

Deckers Creek Discharge

Page 8: Deckers Creek Final

Water Quality Issues in the Watershed

Sediment: Solid materials, including grains of sand, rocks, logs and leaves move down stream channels just as water does. Changes to streams and their banks will change how all those objects—the sediment—moves. Straightening the channel in one place can make the stream eat away at a stream bank in another place. The sediment from the bank can make the stream shallower, and increase flooding in a third location.Litter: Streams have enough work to do without having to clean up

trash. Trash is ugly, and should not be in a stream or in a place where it might be washed into a stream! Litter in a stream indicates that watershed residents do not value streams and the life they contain.

Stormwater: In underdeveloped areas, rain seeps into the ground and slowly discharges through the soil to the stream. In developed, especially paved, areas, rain runs into the stream immediately, carrying everything from motor oil to cigarette butts. Clean water seeping out of the soil slow-ly and steadily makes for better stream habitats than flashy pulses of water coming from storm drains and roadways.

Sewage: The water from drains and toilets in homes and business-es contains bacteria that can sicken aquatic creatures and humans who come in contact with it. Wastewater also contains chemicals that consume so much oxygen that there is not enough to support fish.

AMD: Pyrite is a mineral, which can be found in many coal seams. When exposed to air and wa-ter, it generates dissolved iron and sulfuric acid. The acid can dissolve additional metals from the soil. The polluted water that contains these chemicals is acid mine drainage. Fish and invertebrates can-not survive in streams contacting too much AMD

12

3

5

4

5

2

1

3

4

Page 9: Deckers Creek Final

Deckers Creek Focus Area

4 Mile Section of Deckers Creek

Area of 2 Sq mile out of the 64 sq mile watershed

Roughly 3%

This section of the Creek is heavily con-taminated by various pollutants including

AMD, Storm water runoff, sewage, and litter.

Sabraton Site

I-68 Interchange Site

Richard Mine Site

Page 10: Deckers Creek Final

Aerial perspective showing areas of interest

Page 11: Deckers Creek Final

Sabraton Site

Deckers Creek TrailDeckers CreekCirculationPervious SurfacesImpervious Surfaces

Flood Plain KEY:Areas of Interest

Composite

I-68 Interchange Site

Richard Mine Acid Mine Drainage Site• 30 -acre previously developed mine site• Largest Acid Mine left untreated• Heavily contaminates last 5 miles of Deckers Creek• Stationed between two Residential developments• Opportunity to create an Out Door Learning Office Park

• 34 -acre Open space • Key Threshold to Deckers Creek along I-68 corridor• Provides a linkage for Sabraton and Richard Mine• Opportunity to aesthetically draw people into the region and experience the history of Deckers Creek

• 90 -acres of developed commercial land• Impervious Surfaces• Parallel to Deckers Creek and Trail • Office of FODC is located in Sabraton• Out Door Learning Park is located here• Trail Transitions across Decker Creek • Opportunity to demonstrate green infrastructure

Page 12: Deckers Creek Final

An open limestone channel is a passive treatment measure to increase the pH of the mine drainage and aerate it as it flows through the limestone. These processes cause the metals in solution to precipitate from the water.

Water flows into a settling pond to collect sediment and precipitates before entering Deckers Creek. The pond above is partially complete but functional.

Treated discharge of Beulah Chapel 2 is conveyed without recontamination by this Bentonite-sealed open limestone channel on Beulah Chapel Site 1.

Rock Sediment Dam at Laurel Run Site 2

Beulah Chapel 1, Settling Pond in background

Open Limestone Channel treats AMD while convey-ing it from a limestone pond to a rock sediment dam,

Goat Site 1

Current Reclamation Projects

Page 13: Deckers Creek Final

PROJECT INFO: Mountaineer Contractors

Location: Preston County, WVApprox. Value: $1,400,000Client: United States Department of AgricultureStatus: Fall 2010Description:This project covered the closure of two separate abandoned mine sites in the Deckers Creek watershed. There was an extensive amount of rip rap ditches installed (over 30,000 tons) on the project site along with large ponds for the capture and containment of acid mine runoff for treatment. Mines were also sealed, and the entire project site area was reclaimed to the highest govern-ment standards. The project was completed ahead of schedule.

Current Reclamation Projects

Project Description

• Location: Preston and Monongalia Counties, West Virginia, First Congressional District• Federal Funding: $4,885,000• Sponsor Funding: $0• Size: 40,251 acres (watershed)• Start Date: Obligate Phase 1 construction funds: July 2009; Obligate Phase 2 construction funds: November 2009

The Deckers Creek Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) Remediation Project will treat acid mine drainage from four mining sites which will include installation of passive treatment measures such as open limestone channels, limestone ponds, and settlement ponds. Erosion and sediment control measures will be applied to all four sites.

Partners• Monongahela Conservation District• West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection – office of Abandoned Mine Lands and Reclamation• West Virginia Conservation Agency

Benefits Because of the acidic nature of the Upper Freeport coal seam that runs through the area, most of the abandoned deep mines along Deckers Creek produce acid drainage. Water seeps into the abandoned mine workings until the mine pool rises above the level of the creek. Much coal was mined in the watershed and their associated workings abandoned long before the passage of the Clean Water Act and Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act. Water from most of these deep mines flows into Deckers Creek untreated.

Inlet Channel

Pond Spillway Channel through woods

Page 14: Deckers Creek Final

Wingfield Pines has one of eight untreated Abandoned Mine Drainage (AMD) sites along Chartiers Creek. Allegheny Land Trust is working in partnership with other local conservation organizations (PA Department of Environmental Protection, and Hedin En-vironmental Engineering) to build a passive AMD treatment system at Wingfield Pines. This passive treatment system filters metals out of the mine drainage before it enters the creek using natural and sustainable technol-ogy. This project is the first of many AMD remediation projects being considered in the Chartiers Creek Watershed.

Solutions to a Cleaner Chartiers Creek

There is a large amount of ferrous iron dis-solved in the mine drainage at Wingfield Pines. When the ferrous iron comes in contact with the air, it turns to rust (ferric/iron oxide). Each year, 43 tons of iron ox-ide are deposited into Chartiers Creek from the AMD discharge at Wingfield Pines. Our plan is to capture these deposits in a series of settling ponds and wetlands before they reach the creek.

The Wingfield Pines AMD remediation plan (designed with assistance from Hedin Envi-ronmental) uses passive treatment methods to remove this metal from the water. The drain-age flows freely through a series of four pie-shaped settling ponds that capture the iron sediment. An existing wetland filters out the last of this sediment using native plants. The design also features observation paths that give students, scientists, and visitors a close-up view of how this system treats AMD...with-out getting their feet wet!

How the Passive Treatment System

Works

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In 1994, Comp, working with Jeanne Gleason and others, brought together what the team scientist humorously named Team SPLASH (Sustainable Partnership of Landscape Architects, Scientists, and Historians). Realizing AMD is more than a purely scientific problem; Comp assembled the team of thinkers — artists, scientists, humanists — to ex-plore with the community the opportunities for innovative AMD treatment.

The Sciences + The Arts + The Humanities = The SolutionThe AMD&ART Park is situated on thirty-five acres of mine-scarred land, once the Vinton Colliery, but abandoned and unused when AMD&ART first looked at the site in 1994.

Today, the eastern section is the Acid Mine Drainage Treatment system and Litmus Garden, easily distinguished by the series of treatment cells or ponds. The western portion of the site is the History Wetlands, once the colliery site whose foundations still remain, now a rich wetlands habitat. The lower section of the site, nearest the town, is the active Rec-reation Area still under development by the Borough of Vintondale. AMD&ART complet-ed the access road, the fields and a pavilion, but the Borough Council hopes to bring elec-tricity and much more to this new community asset. Our Education Center, the old Hungar-ian Reformed Church, is the building closest to the western entry of the AMD&ART Park.

The entire site, including this site plan, is a work of collaboration between the arts and the sciences. The site also includes three individual installations, again created by collaborative effort.

The goal for AMD&ART was to not only treat AMD through our treatment system but to re-create a town center for this small commu-nity, a focal point of energy and hope. With strong ongoing community involvement to create a recreation area and public art pieces that explore and honor community history, Vintondale has a place to celebrate its future.

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Material Palette

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Site Amenities

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Planting Palette

Common Oat

Temporary annuals

Annual Rye

Rushes

Switch Grass

Fox Sedge

Brown-Eyed Susan

Swamp Milk Weed Tall Meadow Rue

New England Aster

Blazing Star

Sneezeweed

Red Osier Dogwood

Viburnums

Buttonbush

American Beech

Sugar Maple

Shagbark Hickory

Black Walnut

Sycamore

Lavender

Sage

Thyme Sunflower

Smartweed

White Willow

Soy Bean

Tall Fescue

English Ivy

Staghorn Sumac

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Deckers Creek

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Deckers Creek

Conceptual Sketches - Sabraton

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Deckers Creek

I:68 Conceptual Sketches 1

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Highway Interchange Inspiration

Deckers Creek

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Richard Mine Conceptual Sketches 1

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Deckers Creek

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Sabraton Support Drawings

Deckers Creek

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Sabraton- Master Plan

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Deckers Creek

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Deckers Creek

Existing Conditions

Perspective ( Deckers Creek Trail Entrance)

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Deckers Creek

Existing Conditions Perspective ( Deckers Creek Trail Entrance)

This perspective is located at the intersection of Deckers Creek Road and the Deckers Creek Trail. It was chosen to be a main defined trail entrance that incorporates a trail theme that links to the I: 68 In-terchange and Richard Mine Outdoor Environmental Learning Center. The overhead form is con-ceptualized from the arched entry of a coalmine, similar to that of the Richard Mine. These over-head structures integrate materials and textures that can be found through out the region. These trail markers are meant to act as digital interactive informational archways. Providing travelers with historical in-formation about the region and invoking the feeling of entering into a coal mine as they trek along the trail.

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SubgradeStone Base Deckers Creek trail

10’

Concrete Footer

#4 Re-Bars

Deckers Creek Trail Arch Section Solar Power

LED Lighting

Over Head Lattice

Stone Columns

Rustic Metal Texture

Interactive Information Display

18’

Deckers Creek

The overhead form is conceptualized from the arched entry of a coal-mine, similar to that of the Richard Mine.

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An engineer and an artist at Ohio University team up to create paints made of sludge extracted from streams near abandoned coal mines.

To tackle this problem, Riefler, an associate professor of environmental engineering, and his students started to flesh out an idea: they would take this slimy, metal-laden runoff from coal mines and turn it into paint.

Toxic runoff from coal mines and commercial red and yellow paints, you see, have a common ingredient—ferric oxyhydroxides. Once the acidic ground water hits the air, the metals in it oxidize and the once-clear water turns yellow, orange, red or brown. To make paints of these colors, international companies basically mimic this reaction, adding chemicals to water tanks containing scrap metals.

“Our latest estimate is that one highly productive AMD seep near us would produce over 1 ton of dry pigment per day that could generate sales of $1,100 per day,” says Riefler

Mine Runoff Turned Into Paint-case study

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Deckers Creek

Perspectives ( Deckers Creek Trail along commercial buildings)

Existing Conditions

Problems Addressed:Parking Lot Runoff Water Contamination Aesthetics

Proposed Solutions:Filter Storm-waterContain RunoffEnhance Visual appeal

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Deckers Creek

Existing Conditions Perspective ( Med - Express Parking Lot Bio - Cell)

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Deckers Creek

Distribution pipe

Gravel storage

Geotextile or impermeable liner

5’

Planting soil

Continuous permeable pavement tree trench

Subgrade

Curb Cut

Bio-Cell Section

0 10

5

This view is showing the Med-Express parking lot located on the North side of the building. It is focused on the current storm drains that capture runoff in a rain event. The perspective is illustrating a method of retrofitting the exist-ing storm water collection system into a more natural approach of treating and maintaining the storm water runoff from the lot. This green infrastructure in-tegration allows the water to infiltrate into the constructed Bio-cells and lim-its the amount of water that would be conveyed straight into Deckers Creek without filtration. This application could also be applied to various other loca-tions through out Sabraton to reduce direct untreated runoff into Decker Creek.

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Deckers Creek

Existing Conditions

Under-drain and Outlet

Ponding and Storage Area

Planting Soil

Gravel Blanket

Geo-textile Fabric

Perspective ( Med- Express Parking Lot Bio-Cell Buffer)

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BIO-CELL BUFFER

Med x parking lot

KNOCKING RUN STREAM

Subgrade

Live Cuttings

2 ft Minimum LayerHeavy-Loose Riprap

1 ft Layer of 1/4-3” ofRiver stone

Boulders 3-5 ft MinimumDiameter Rock

6”-8” Freeboard Ponding Area

3”-4” River Stone To Minimize Edge Erosion 3”-4” Shredded Hardwood Mulch

24”-72” Deep-Engineered Soil Mix: Compost, Loam, And Sand

6” Aggregate Storage Layer

Sheet Flow 3% Slope

Curb CutDomed Overflow

10’

Minimum 1 ft Layer - Loose Riprap

Log Root diameter 1.5-2 ft minimum

Deckers Creek

Problems Addressed:Bank ErosionChannel Constrictions Flow ObstructionsStorm-water runoff

Proposed Solutions:Reduce Channel VelocityReduce Stream Bank ErosionMaintain Channel CapacityImproved Aquatic HabitatMitigate Storm-water Concentration

1000

Knocking Run Stream & Med- Express Parking Lot Bio-Cell Buffer -Section

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Deckers Creek

Existing Conditions

Problems Addressed:Stream Bank Erosion Stream AccessSeating

Proposed Solutions:Stabilize Stream EdgeProvide Stream Access

Perspective ( Deckers Creek Seating)

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Deckers Creek

Existing Conditions

Perspective ( Deckers Creek Access)

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Deckers Creek

Trail

Creek Access Nature Trail Outdoor Seating Deckers CreekOpen SpaceSculptural

installation

Deckers Creek

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Deckers Creek Access & Open Space Section

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Perspective ( Deckers Creek Trail along commercial buildings)

Existing Conditions

Deckers Creek

Problems Addressed:RunoffViewsAesthetics

Proposed Solutions:Contain and Convey RunoffEnhance Visual appeal Screen Commercial Buildings

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Perspective ( Deckers Creek Trail along commercial buildings)

Deckers Creek

Existing Conditions This scene is along the Deckers Creek Trail and is a continuation of the Kroger Bio-Swale. This per-spective integrates storm water management and focuses on aesthetics. The green wall runs parallel to the trail and provides an appealing screen form the commercial buildings to the left. The paint graphic on the trail is meant to symbolize acid mine water becoming clearer and turning into cleaner water. The paint can be made by collecting the contaminated water and transforming it into an orange dye.

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Night Perspective ( Deckers Creek Trail along commercial buildings)

Deckers Creek

Existing Conditions

This perspective gives an idea of how the LED lights on the archway might appear to us-ers on the trail. Each arch would become acti-vated and light up as they are passed through.

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Deckers Creek

Existing Conditions

Problems Addressed:Storm-water Runoff Water Contamination Aesthetics

Proposed Solutions:Filter Storm-waterContain and Convey RunoffEnhance Visual appeal

Perspective ( Kroger Bio-Swale )

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Deckers Creek

Existing Conditions

Under-drain and Outlet

Ponding and Storage AreaPlanting Soil

Gravel BlanketGeo-textile Fabric

Perspective ( Kroger Bio-Swale )

This perspective is showing the proposed solution for the Kroger culvert outlet that directs storm water form the parking lot. This large Bio retention cell will help trap sediment and heavy metals that may be picked up during a storm event. This is located direct-ly across for the Outdoor Learning Park and will complement the space by providing a functional green in-frastructure system that can intro-duce users of the trail to a more sustainable development practice. This will also help expand the ed-ucational program of the park.

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Deckers Creek

Existing Conditions

Problems Addressed:Parking Lot Runoff Water Contamination Aesthetics

Proposed Solutions:Filter Storm-waterContain and Convey RunoffEnhance Visual AppealHighlight Threshold

Perspective ( Kroger Storm Drains )

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Deckers Creek

Perspective ( Kroger Storm Drains )

The perspective of the Kroger storm drains demonstrate a method of mitigating the input of direct storm wa-ter into Deckers Creek by diverting the flow of runoff into the Bio – Swale of the previous illustrations.

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Deckers Creek

Existing Conditions

Problems Addressed:Parking Lot Runoff Water Contamination Aesthetics

Proposed Solutions:Filter Storm-waterContain RunoffEnhance Visual appeal

Perspective ( Kroger Parking Lot Drain)

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Deckers Creek

Existing Conditions

Perspective ( Kroger Parking Lot Drain)

This perspective of the Kroger parking lot drain demon-strates how existing storm drains might be retrofitted to better manage runoff. These applications enhance these ar-eas by providing an aesthetically pleasing habitat. They also allow for sediment to be trapped and a buffer of filtration to take place before the water travels into Deckers Creek.

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Deckers Creek

Existing Conditions

Perspective ( Vacant Lot Beside Kroger)

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Deckers Creek

Existing Conditions

Perspective ( Vacant Lot Beside Kroger)

This scene shows how the vacant lot beside Kroger can be transformed into a more functional environment that will foster community recreation and leisure space. This could turn the empty lot into a main attraction located in the heart of Sabraton.

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Deckers Creek

Existing Conditions

Perspective (Open Space Vacant Lot)

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Deckers Creek

Perspective (Open Space Vacant Lot)

This view shows another vacant lot that runs along Deck-ers Creek that could increase habitat and biodiversity for the area. This space could also provide an area for sculptural installations.

Existing Conditions

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I:68 Interchange Support Drawings

Deckers Creek

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Deckers Creek

I : 68 Interchange - Master Plan

1”= 100’

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In support of its educational and developmental mission at West Virginia University, Adventure WV has recently collaborated with the WVU Division of Forestry & Natural Resources to create a canopy tour facility. Believed to be the first university-owned and operated canopy tour in the United States, the Adventure WV Canopy Tour will be used to train practitioners, host research, and to provide fun educational experiences for the WVU community! The canopy tour is comprised of four zip-lines, an aerial bridge, and a tandem rappel station to exit the course. After exiting the course, participants will hike from the base of the final tree back to the starting point on an interpretive nature trail.

Throughout the canopy tour experience, participants will learn about the University Research Forest. The canopy tour guides will provide information about the forest, what it is used for, how it’s managed and what kinds of plants and animals call it home. The canopy tour provides a unique perspective on the forest as well as the individual trees that support the canopy tour itself.

Zip-lining is one of the fastest-growing segments of the adventure-tourism market because it’s accessible to everyone

Deckers Creek

Adventure WV Canopy Tour- case study

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Deckers Creek

Perspectives ( I:68 Under Pass Deckers Creek Trail)

Existing Conditions

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Deckers Creek

Here is the threshold as you walk into the Interstate 68 site. It is connect-ed to the Sabraton and Richard mine sites through the overhead arch form. This arch represents passing into a coal mine tunnel, using materials and tex-tures found in the region. Under the bridge is a rock wall and zip-line sta-tion that can be used to hold events.

Perspectives ( I:68 Under Pass Deckers Creek Trail)

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Deckers Creek

Aerial Perspectives ( I:68 Under Pass Overview)

Deckers Creek Trail Deckers Creek Trail Access

I:68

Earl L Core Rd

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Deckers Creek

Perspectives ( I:68 Under Pass Zip-Line) Existing Conditions

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Deckers Creek

Perspectives ( I:68 Under Pass Zip-Line)

This perspective is from the trail side un-der the I 68 bridge. Viewing from the zip line platform, you can see the trail, creek, green infrastructure and rock wall stations.

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Deckers Creek

Existing Conditions

Perspectives ( I:68 Under Pass Green Infrastructure, Rock Wall and Zip Line)

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Deckers Creek

Perspectives ( I:68 Under Pass Green Infrastructure, Rock Wall and Zip Line)

VegetationRiver CobbleSandy SoilSoilGeo-textile FabricSustain TanksClean SoilNative Soils

Problems Addressed:Highway runoff Water Contamination Aesthetics

Proposed Solutions:Filter Storm-waterContain RunoffEnhance Visual appeal

This view is from under the I 68 bridge, from the Earl L Core road side. Here we created the spiral-ing green rain gutters that have bio-retention plant-ers on them. At the base is a rain garden with an un-derground filter system that releases water directly into Deckers Creek. Also you can experience the rock wall here and watch as people zip line across the creek

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Perspective ( Earl L Core Road Bioswale )

Existing Conditions

Deckers Creek

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Perspective ( Earl L Core Road Bioswale )

Existing Conditions

From Earl L Core road you are right next to the bioswale and green downspouts here which helps people realize they have entered the I 68 threshold. The art forms on the bridge also help tie this site to Richard Mine and Sabraton. This bioswale helps clean water as it moves downhill to the main drain in the lower swale.

Deckers Creek

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Perspective ( I 68 Bridge Barriers)

Existing Conditions

Deckers Creek

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Perspective ( I 68 Bridge Barriers)

Existing ConditionsImplementing these wind powered road barriers has multiple purposes for the site. First they generate electricity from the passing traffic that creates the winds to move the turbines. Then that electricity can be used on the Deckers Creek Trail to help with lighting and the inter-active boards on the overhead arches. Last the look of the barriers, along with some of the artwork will help drivers understand they are in a special crossing area of the new green infrastructure cleaning the stormwater from this site before it enters into Deckers Creek.

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Deckers Creek

Perspectives ( I:68 Under Pass Green Down Spouts)Existing Conditions

Problems Addressed:Highway runoff Water Contamination Aesthetics

Proposed Solutions:Filter Storm-waterContain RunoffEnhance Visual appeal

These custom downspouts use vegeta-tion to slow and clean the highway runoff as it drains from the above I 68 bridge. These systems clean water before it hits the ground and then before it is released into soils below. Visually these help peo-ple understand that runoff water is being cleaned, and also that the site as a whole is trying to clean the highway runoff water.

VegetationRiver CobbleSandy SoilSoilGeo-textile FabricSustain TanksClean SoilNative Soils

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Perspective ( Bioswales)

Existing Conditions

Deckers Creek

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Perspective ( Bioswales)

Existing ConditionsThese constructed bioswales serve many purposes and are the most visual part of the I 68 site. They are constructed to slow and hold water trying to let it penetrate into the ground instead of getting it into Deckers Creek as fast as possible. They use the re-cycled material bottle walls to hold back the earth to create small holding areas until the water either overflows the front or seeps into the ground. They have art work on them to connect to the other sites, and also to let maintenance know they are there so it won't get damaged while mowing the fields.

Deckers Creek

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Perspective ( Bank Stabilization )

Existing Conditions

Deckers Creek

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Perspective ( Bank Stabilization)

Existing ConditionsShown here are the banks along one of the onramps that have been severely eroded from rain. Not only is it an eye sore but it also wash-es a lot of sediment into Deckers Creek. Using spreading and deep rooted plants the bank can be built back up again. Holding back the sediment and also slowing down the water coming off of the hills.

Deckers Creek

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Perspective ( Tributary Stream )

Existing Conditions

Deckers Creek

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Perspective ( Tributary Stream )

Existing Conditions

More than half of the water on the site eventually drains out into this tributary creek. Which is why it is important to have proper vegetation here for slowing and cleaning the water, and also to create a functioning habitat.

Deckers Creek

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Perspective ( Parking Lot Bioswales )

Existing Conditions

Deckers Creek

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Perspective ( Parking Lot Bioswales )

Existing ConditionsHere is where water naturally collected so we created a swale system with a boardwalk for people to explore and see how the systems worked. The boardwalk helps you get close and see the plants, with signage and interpretations explaining important information about the I 68 site. The boardwalk leads you to a observation deck that is elevated to see across the road to the site.

Deckers Creek

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Recycled Bioretention Retaining Walls

Existing Conditions

For the design of the Interstate 68 interchange we needed to come up with a ma-terial that would be long lasting and relatively cheap. The solution is constructing retaining walls out of plastic bottles filled with sand, and molding them together with mud or cement. Creating a solid wall that has been proven to be bullet and fire proof. "The United States uses 129.6 million plastic bottles per day which is 47.3 Billion plastic bottles a year. About 80% of those plastic bottles end up in a landfill." The materials can all be gathered locally and can help clean up some of the trash pollution in the area. Also the walls will help create a visual experience to the site.

Deckers Creek

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Soil Amendment- Limestone

OverviewTurf grasses and other ground covers usually do not grow well in highly acid soils, and most soils in West Virginia are acid by nature, so the I68 interchange site will need some soil amendments in order to keep the vegetation alive. The acid conditions can be caused from the leaching of calcium and magnesium, application of fertilizers, use of compost or peat moss and the washing of sulfur from the rain. Acid soils are referred to "sour", measured by the amount of hydrogen ions in the soil ranging from 1 to 14, 7 being neutral. In West Virginia soils range from pH 4.0 and 7.0, soils less than 7 are acid and soils above 7 are alkaline. The target area is between pH 6.5 and 7.0. An acid soil is not infertile but it tells us calcium and magnesium levels are low and need raised. Low pH levels also cause other nutrients to be unavailable to plants, so with a higher acidity in the soil, the more need to add lime.

Calcium or calcium and magnesium make up lime, which is referred to as "agricultural lime" or "ground limestone."

Three types of lime1. Ground limestone and calcic limestone- Calcium Carbonate (CaCO3) which is finely ground, pure calcium carbonate. Almost all lime used in the United States is calcium carbonate because it is so abundant and cheapest. It is not caustic or disagreeable to handle like the other two kinds of lime. It can contain magnesium carbonate, then it is called dolomitic lime-stone. 2. Burnt lime (CaO) quick lime, caustic lime, breaks down faster than calcium carbonate entering the soils quicker. Gloves have to be used when handling this type. Because it works faster you don't need as much to neutralize.3. Hydrated lime [Ca(OH)2] or slaked lime, is similar to ground limestone but is twice as effective, with a higher price to buy.

Functions of Lime1. Corrects soil acidity.2. Furnished important plant nutrients- calcium and magnesium.3. Lowers the solubility and toxicity of aluminum, manganese and iron. Which can reduce plant growth.4. Promotes other available nutrients, the calcium aids in bringing many plant nutrients. Including zinc, copper and mostly phosphorus. 5. Increases bacterial activity and promotes ideal soil structure. The soil becomes more porous, allowing better air circulation and helps absorb moisture.

Time of ApplicatoinThe best time to add lime to the lawn is when the soils are being prepared for planting. Adding lime is important in the sub-soil and not just the top soil because it slowly leaches through the ground. It can be added to already growing lawns, working best in the fall, then the winter and last the spring. If you apply to a wet soil then it won't be an even distribution. It has to be spread in an even layer because lime will not spread across the surface on its own.

Rate of ApplicationIt is best to get a soil test to determine the type, amount of pH and what type of lime to use. Soils with lots of silt and clay need more lime than light sandy soils. Lime application should be around every three to five years. Over liming can be just as bad as not having it in the first place, and using other favorable conditions for soil and plant growth should be used to aid in having good soil.

Deckers Creek

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Wind Powered Highway Barrier

Existing Conditions

Using the energy of wind created from the moving traffic Deckers Creek Rail Trail can have site amentities that use electricity. We already have some solar powered arches that provide light, the electricity from the bridge can be used through those or to light up other areas within the corridor. The double stacked wind turbines spin from the cars driving by at speeds around 70 mph, creating on site energy from the traffic moving through the site. This will also help create a distinction of entering the site, raising the awareness of what is going on and helping people connect with the interchange.

Deckers Creek

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Section- Under I 68 Bridge

Rail Trail

Green DownSpout

Bank Stabalizing Plants

DeckersCreek

Highway RunoffInfiltration

Seed Mix

The viewpoint of this section is that of someone floating down Deckers Creek in the water. You can view the trail on the left, to the road on the right. Also seeing the rock wall and zip line area. And the green infrastructure of the green downspouts and spiraling vegetation gutters.

Not to Scale

Deckers Creek

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Section- Full Site

Bioswale

CascadingSwale

Bank Stabalizing Plants

Swale RetentionWall

Detention Pond

BioremediationPlants

Wind EnergyBarriers

Green Down Spout

GreenOutflow Pipe

DetentionPond

ObservationDeck

OutflowCreek

Rain Garden

Not to Scale

Here is a full site section for the Interstate 68 interchange. On the left side starts with the residential area where a bio-swale retention area was created. Moving to the right are some of the green infrastructure techniques used throughout the site. And all the way to the right is the park and ride area that again finishes with more rain gardens and bio-swales. Deckers Creek

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Section- Park and Ride

UtilityShed

OutflowPipe

ElevatedBoardwalk

Multi Functional Restroom Facility

Bioswale ObservationDeck

Swale RetentionWall

Scale 1”= 20’

Here is a view of the park and ride area, located to the south east side of the site. It consists of a park-ing lot, multi-functional bathroom and storage building, and green infrastructure. More than half the site drains through this location where the outflow pipe is. Which is why there is multiple wet-lands and bio-swales in this area. The elevated boardwalk takes the user through these area to see and learn from the systems, with an elevated viewing platform to take a look out to the rest of the site.

Deckers Creek

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I:68 -Plan View

Deckers Creek

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Plan View ( Existing and Proposed Contours )

Deckers Creek

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I: 68 - Full Site Perspective

Deckers Creek

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Richard Mine Support Drawings

Deckers Creek

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Richard Mine- Master Plan

Deckers Creek

The Richard Mine Master Plan is based upon acid mine drainage remediation and creating a fun, educational park for the Friends of Deck-ers Creek program. We acheived our goal by creating active and passive treatments to cleanse the polluted water of the underground Richard Mine pool. The treatments are not only effec-tive but also visual to educate the population about the importance of clean streams. The plan also draws upon recreational activity that will improve the over lifestyle of the community, and brings an artistic, innovative approach to enhance the Deckers Creek Trail.

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Deckers Creek

Perspective ( Deckers Creek Trail Zipline To Richard Mine)

The zipline offers a fun, unique way to enter the site from the Deckers Creek trail. The zipline has an automatic lift that will bring you back up to the trail after riding.

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Richard Mine Site Section- S1

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Perspective ( Richard Mine Threshold)

Deckers Creek

Problems Addressed:Undefined Entrance Habitat LossAesthetics

Proposed Solutions:Highlight Thresholds Foster New HabitatEnhance Visual Appeal Educational Opportunities

Existing Conditions

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Perspective ( Richard Mine Threshold)

Deckers CreekThe entrance to the Richard Mine Site is defined by a large steel pipe arch way that sets a tone of industrial engineering throughout the green space. Treated water leaves the plant and enters a series of settling ponds before being release back into Deckers Creek.

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Deckers Creek

Perspective ( Richard Mine Treatment Facility)

Existing Conditions

Problems Addressed:Habitat LossAesthetics

Proposed Solutions:Foster New HabitatEnhance Visual Appeal Educational Opportunities

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Perspective ( Richard Mine Treatment Facility)

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Deckers Creek

Aerobic Oxidation Pond

Aerobic WetlandWater up to 2 ft deep

Influent

Effluent to next pond

Organic Matter

Organic Matter

Limestone Gravel

Water Flows Across Organic Matter

Water FlowsDown Through Orgainic Matter, Then Through Limestone

Water < 1 ft deep

Water < 1 ft deep

Terraced Settling Pond Detail

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Deckers Creek

Perspective ( Richard Mine Stream Overlook)

Problems Addressed:Habitat LossAesthetics

Proposed Solutions:Foster New HabitatEnhance Visual Appeal Educational Opportunities

Existing Conditions

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Deckers Creek

Perspective ( Richard Mine Stream Overlook)

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Richard Mine Site Section-S2

Deckers Creek

S2

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Richard Mine Site Section (Steam Overlook) - S2

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Deckers Creek

Friends of Deckers Creek now has a new office located on this site equipped with a multi-use facility, edible food planting beds, collapsable tent, and playground. Having a new, larger building will give the program the chance to increase its operations and develop more goals for improving the quality of Deckers Creek.

Richard Mine Site Section (Friends of Deckers Creek Learning Center) - S2

Richard Mine Site Section(Overlook & Creek Access) - S1

S1

S1

S2

S2

0

20

10

Page 95: Deckers Creek Final

Deckers Creek

Perspective ( Richard Mine Settling Pond)

Existing Conditions

Problems Addressed:Bare land Aesthetics

Proposed Solutions:Enhance Biodiversity Enhance Visual Appeal Implement Functions

Page 96: Deckers Creek Final

Deckers Creek

Perspective ( Richard Mine Settling Pond)

Existing Conditions

Page 97: Deckers Creek Final

Deckers Creek

Perspective ( Richard Mine Discharge)

Existing Conditions

Problems Addressed:Acid Mine DrainageWater Contamination Aesthetics

Proposed Solutions:Filter Acid Mine DrainageContain and Convey DischargeEnhance Visual Appeal Educational Opportunities

Page 98: Deckers Creek Final

Deckers Creek

Perspective ( Richard Mine Discharge)

The Richard Mine extraction pump is visual and effective. Drawing water from nearly 600ft below the surface and sending it down an open lime stone channel be-fore entering the treatment plant. The treated water then leaves the plant and flows through a se-ries of settling ponds before be-ing released back into the creek.