Big Sandy River Basin Coalition

Contact Information

OSM/VISTA: Patty Baham
Supervisor: Lisa Harris
Sponsoring Organization: Lonesome Pine Soil & Water Conservation District
Address: 130 Clintwood Main Street, Clintwood, VA 24228
Phone: 276.926.6621
E-Mail: lisa-harris@verizon.net (Lisa) pbaham@verizon.net (Patty)
County: Dickenson

Background:

Working from the Lonesome Pine Soil & Water Conservation District Office (LPSWCD) Patty Baham arrived in Virginia from Louisiana around the beginning of June, 2007 as the first OSM/VISTA for the Virginia Big Sandy River Basin Coalition (BSRBC). Patty brings a strong business background needed to organize and establish better business practices needed to assist the merger of local community leaders and citizens to evaluate, clean and restore Virginia rivers and streams to their original non-polluted more productive states. The BSRBC is a tri-state project established in the spring of 1998 to improve the condition of the waters in Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia. and suffers greatly in the Virginia counties of Buchanan, Dickenson, Wise and Tazewell from an over abundance of straight pipe sewage issues as well as gas leaks, acid mine drainage and abandon mines. Recent water quality monitoring by the McClure River Restoration Project for the quarterly Kentucky Water Watch has shown an extremely high content of e-coli. Currently a Citizen Water Quality Monitoring Mini-Grant is being applied for so water monitoring supplies can be purchased to begin the water monitoring process on a more regular basis. One grant has already been awarded to a stream bank restoration project in Dickenson county. The stream bank restoration will begin in the fall of 2007.

Goals and Accomplishments of OSM/VISTA:

As a new project there are no accomplishments to date. Patty is currently attending workshops and getting familiar with the area. Richard Davis of the Department of Mines Minerals and Energy has shown Patty an area consisting of 3 Abandon Mine sites that require attention.

Grants and Donations:

• $70,000 Stream Bank Restoration Grant awarded by DCR
• $1,000 Citizen Water Quality Monitoring Mini-Grant being applied for
• Other grant applications are also being considered to better the BSRBC

Number of volunteers and amount of hours worked:

Ameri Corps OSM/VISTA, Patty Baham works no less than 40 hours a week, but is on call 24 hours a day. Patty’s supervisor, a former OSM/VISTA, Lisa Harris assists, directs and attends meetings with Patty on an average of 8 hours a week.

Partnerships:

* Lonesome Pine Soil and Water Conservation District
* NRCS
* DCR
* McClure River Restoration Project