2006 NPS Monitoring Project

The NPS Monitoring Project was created by the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs at Ohio University in partnership with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Mineral Resources Management (ODNR-MRM). This project was developed to address the targets set forth for Abandoned Mine Drainage (AMD) in the State of Ohio’s Non Point Source (NPS) Management Plan 2005-2010. www.epa.state.oh.us/dsw/nps/NPSMP/ET/amdjumppage.html

Abandoned Mine Drainage is one of the six NPS pollutants listed as a key issue to address to improve water quality in Ohio streams.

The #1 existing target in Ohio’s NPS management plan for AMD is, “By 2010, 30% of known acid mine impaired streams are in attainment with Warm Water Habitat (WWH) aquatic life uses through increasing pH, decreasing metals and sediment loading, and minimizing degradation of primary headwater habitat.” Three targets have been developed to aid in addressing the overarching existing target:

1. By 2010, 20 completed and federally approved Abandoned Mine Drainage Abatement and Treatment (AMDAT) Plans for AMD impaired watersheds.

2. By 2010, 10 AMD impaired watersheds have implemented some or all of the reclamation actions recommended in the endorsed AMDAT.

3. By 2006, report annually on a comparison between acidity and pH concentrations upstream and downstream of AMD project sites and long-term monitoring stations, as compared to acidity and pH reference sites within the Western Allegheny Plateau Eco-region.

As a result of the NPS Monitoring Project, an on-line reporting system has been created to track environmental changes in four watersheds: Raccoon Creek, Monday Creek, Sunday Creek, and Huff Run. These four watersheds represent where active AMD reclamation is occurring. Chemical water quality and biological data trends have been evaluated at the AMD project level, watershed level, and collectively to address the targets described above for the State’s NPS management plan.

This web site provides a center repository of information relating to the AMD targets listed in the State’s NPS Management Plan 2005-2010, entry forms for AMD project information, downloadable reports, and ArcIMS data entry systems; where water quality and biology data can be viewed, entered, edited, mapped and downloaded for four watersheds: Raccoon Creek, Monday Creek, Sunday Creek, and Huff Run.

For information or inquiries into this project, please contact Jennifer Bowman at Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs bowmanj2@ohio.edu.