Raccoon Creek Watershed

The Raccoon Creek Watershed Project is a local partnership working towards conservation, stewardship, and restoration of the watershed for a healthier stream and community. The partnership consists of multiple agencies and individuals working to restore and promote the waters of Raccoon Creek. Encompassing over 683 square miles, the watershed lies in portions of six southeast Ohio Counties (Athens, Hocking, Meigs, Vinton, Jackson and Gallia). Raccoon Creek is one of Ohio’s longest streams, measuring 112 miles and discharges into the Ohio River in Gallia County. Major sources of impairments to the stream include acid mine drainage (AMD), drainage from wastewater treatment facilities, and industrial discharges. By and large, AMD contributes to the vast majority of pollution issues in the watershed.

The watershed currently has over 25,610 acres of underground coal mines and 21,550 acres of surface coal mines within its boundaries. About 110 acres of abandoned coal refuse piles also lie in the watershed. These abandoned mines and refuse piles leach thousands of pounds of sulfuric acid and metals into the creek daily, significantly degrading the water quality of streams. In the late 1990’s representatives from several partnering agencies, including the Institute for Local Government and Rural Development (ILGARD), Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Mineral Resource Management, and Ohio EPA prioritized sites that contributed the most AMD pollution to Raccoon Creek and began to implement restoration strategies on these sites. Because the watershed is so large, 3 major sub-shed divisions are used to break up the region into more manageable sections. These consist of the Headwaters, Little Raccoon, and the Middle Basin sub-sheds. Each of these sections has priority AMD projects- some of which have been completed, some are in progress, and some are anticipated future projects.

Headwaters

The major priority sites in the headwaters sub-shed include East Branch, where several impacted tributaries contribute to significant acid and metal loadings in Raccoon Creek. Brushy Creek and the Mainstem of Raccoon Creek above Brushy Creek are also priority AMD abatement sites.

Little Raccoon

Flint Run is the largest contributor of AMD in the Little Raccoon Creek watershed. A majority of this (90%) is attributed to a 240-acre site in the headwaters. This site, called Broken Aro, previously housed a coal preparation facility and mine tailings dump.
Other major AMD contributors in this basin include Mulga Run, Buffer Run, and Goose Run.

Middle Basin

Major acid contributors in the middle basin include Rock Camp and Pierce Run. Rock Camp is the most consistent contributor of AMD, and has net acidic water regardless of flow. Pierce Run has experienced some net alkaline flows: it is thought that this might be the result of current mining operations in the area.

Watershed Outreach

In addition to the technical work of AMD remediation, other activities in the watershed are geared toward meeting goals of stewardship and conservation in the region. Annual litter pick-ups, tree plantings, and canoe floats all encourage residents to become stewards of our watershed. School programs for youth help educate students about water quality, acid mine drainage, and the value of clean water. In addition, a new community group has formed to address access issues for canoers and kayakers who wish to paddle on the creek.

For further updates on the progress in Raccoon Creek, please visit our webpage at:

www.raccooncreek.org

Amy Mackey
Raccoon Creek Watershed Coordinator
Ohio University's Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs
740-597-1473
mackey@ohio.edu