Piney Creek Watershed Association

Contact Information

Background

As one of the largest tributaries in the New River Gorge National River Area, Piney Creek and its watershed are important features in the Southern West Virginia landscape. The watershed encompasses 138 square miles in Raleigh County, including the city of Beckley. The Piney Creek Watershed Association, founded in 2004, is dedicated to the protection and restoration of Piney Creek and its tributaries. PCWA’s goal of promoting sustainable use of the land and waters for community development is derived from a long history of natural resource use in the region. Rich in resources such as coal and timber, this area has historically been the industrial and economic center of Southern West Virginia. When coal industries left the area they took with them economic stability, leaving behind abandoned structures and communities with high levels of poverty. This took its toll on the natural environment as well. Many local tributaries continue to suffer from legacy acid mine drainage and inadequate waste water treatment facilities, in addition to urban run-off from Beckley.

PCWA works today to provide public education about water quality issues and develop new resources to promote cleaner communities, tourism, and recreational activities within the watershed. By promoting existing water resources and stream-side trails, PCWA hopes to encourage fishing, hiking, rock-climbing, and other recreation in the area.

Goals and Accomplishments:

PCWA has promotes several ongoing public education projects.  In 2007, the organization received a Learn and Serve grant from the West Virginia Commission for National and Community Service, allowing PCWA to conduct the Watershed Academy, a two-day camp for area high school students. The students learned about water quality issues facing the area and had the opportunity to use some technology common in field work to do some sampling themselves. The OSM/VISTA volunteer will help PCWA continue to provide educational events for students and the community through future activities such as the rain barrel workshops, stream sweeps, and rain garden construction. Goals for the coming year include:

• Expansion of the stream monitoring program to include more sampling sites throughout the watershed and more tested parameters
• Increased publicity for PCWA and its community activities
• Recruitment of new members and new volunteers to broaden volunteer base
• Establishment of a youth council for PCWA to help actively interest this population of the watershed in water quality protection

Grants and Donations

Project FLOW Learn and Serve grant, from West Virginia Commission for National and Community Service

Partners

• Beckley Area Foundation
• Beckley Chamber of Commerce
• Beckley Sanitary Board
• Concord University
• Human Resources Development Foundation
• Raleigh County Solid Waste Authority
• Region 1 Work Force West Virginia
• WV Department of Environmental Protection
• WV Department of Natural Resources