Monday Creek
Restoration Project

Mission Statement: A partnership committed to improving watershed health for the benefit of the community

Watershed Statistics

Length	27 miles
Area	116 square miles
Location	Athens, Perry, and Hocking counties. Monday Creek flows 27 miles and drains into the Hocking River south of Nelsonville.
Pollutants	Acid mine drainage, sedimentation, erosion
Results	23 of 38 affected stream miles meet the pH target of 6.5.

Summary

Pollutants

Over 85% of the watershed’s land area is forested. There are 3,172 acres of surface mines and 14,797 acres of underground mines within the watershed. Besides severe acid mine drainage, the stream also suffers pollution from erosion and sedimentation.

History

In 1985, the US Department of Agriculture ranked Monday Creek as the third most severely acid mine drainage polluted stream in Ohio. Since 1994, the Monday Creek restoration partnership has worked together to identify water quality problems, conduct field research and site characterization, as well as prioritize and plan on-going restoration activities. MCRP has completed numerous reclamation projects ranging from capping gob piles to installing lime dosers.

Funding

The Watershed Coordinator position is funded by Rural Action, a local non-profit organization that sponsors the restoration activity at the watershed. The Monday Creek Restoration Project is funded by the Office of Surface Mining, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. www.ruralaction.org

Goals

MCRP has an extensive list of long-term goals they hope to achieve. Some of the highlights include:

• To reduce acid mine drainage pollution and Non-Point Source pollution in the Monday Creek Watershed in order to attain the highest possible aquatic use designation.
• To promote the sustainability of communities in the Monday Creek Watershed.
• To preserve and enhance a healthy, functioning riparian corridor throughout the Monday Creek Watershed.
• To increase the species diversity and abundance of fish and other aquatic organisms in the streams of the Monday Creek Watershed by improving stream habitat quality.
• To encourage and promote sustainable forestry and logging practices in the Monday Creek Watershed.
• To increase the availability, quality, and quantity of recreational opportunities within the Monday Creek Watershed.