OSM NEWS
U. S. Department of the Interior        
Office of Surface Mining
For Release: October 13, 2000    Jerry Childress (202) 208-2719
                                                 jchildre@osmre.gov 

            OSM FUNDS VIRGINIA APPALACHIAN CLEAN STREAMS PROJECT
                UNDER WATERSHED COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT PROGRAM 

Kathrine L. Henry, Acting Director of the Interior Department’s Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and
Enforcement (OSM), has approved $80,000 in funding for an Appalachian Clean Streams Initiative project in
Virginia. The project is funded under OSM’s Watershed Cooperative Agreement Program. 

Henry announced that the Waste Policy Institute, of Blacksburg, Virginia, will receive $80,000 in funding for
the Merrimac Mine project in the Price Mountain area of Montgomery County.  

"Funding for local watershed groups like the Waste Policy Institute, through the Appalachian Clean Streams
Initiative, is a top priority for OSM," Henry said. "Local groups are doing tremendous work to clean up acid mine drainage problems in their own communities. This year Congress provided us increased funding to assist local clean water initiatives like these projects."  

Acid mine drainage (AMD) and mine shaft subsidence have been observed in the Merrimac Mine vicinity in
the proposed location for the Montgomery County Merrimac Coal Mining Heritage Park. The AMD flows from
several areas of the property into Lick Creek, which ultimately drains into the New River, an American Heritage River.  

The goal of the Merrimac Mine project is to eliminate AMD into Lick Creek using a passive treatment
system consisting of a series of man-made wetlands and an anoxic drain. This will satisfy the county’s concern regarding any risks posed to those individuals using the park as well as the aquatic environment, create an educational opportunity for Virginia Polytechnic Institute students and the public, and improve water quality in the New River watershed. 

As part of OSM’s fiscal year 2000 Appalachian Clean Streams Initiative, $1,750,000 is available to fund
cooperative agreements between OSM and not-for-profit groups, especially small watershed organizations, for local acid mine drainage projects. Eligible applicants are not-for-profit, established organizations with IRS
501(c)(3) status. Applicants must have other partners, contributing either funding or in-kind services. The partners must provide a substantial portion of the total resources needed to complete the project. 

For this year, proposed projects from the following Appalachian Clean Streams states are eligible:
Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee,
Virginia and West Virginia.