Huntington District

   Good news!

   The Corps of Engineers has reopened the Lick Creek Boat Ramp at Fishtrap Lake in Kentucky.

   The boat ramp was closed July 23, 2010, after flash flooding damaged the roadway.

   It’s now back in service and available for public use.

   The  U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has determined that conditions exist in the outlet works area at Piedmont Lake in Belmont County, Ohio, that could result in the presence and possible release of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gases.

    Hydrogen sulfide is a colorless gas that can be easily recognized by its “rotten egg” odor. Symptoms of exposure to high levels of H2S include fatigue, dizziness, nausea and headaches. Young children are at particular risk.

    This problem is confined to the area adjacent to the outlet works only and the condition does not pose a problem to recreational users of the lakes. There is no indication that fish taken from these lakes pose a health risk if consumed.

    The Corps has developed a plan of action to monitor H2S levels. Project employees will take readings to detect any presence of H2S gases around the outlet works and surrounding areas.

    In the event that H2S gases at any public access site reaches levels that could pose a health risk to the public, those areas will be closed. Due to public safety, the area immediately adjacent to the discharges at Piedmont Lake have been closed and will remain closed until the problem naturally corrects itself in the fall.

    Hydrogen sulfide forms when the concentrations of sulfates in the watershed immediately behind these dams are higher than normal. During the summer months, the sulfates are converted to hydrogen sulfide gas through microbial activity occurring in the bottom layers of the lake. As the water leaves the lake, the hydrogen sulfide gas is released into the air, creating an unhealthy situation in the tailwater areas.

    Corps personnel will continue to monitor the situation for the presence of H2S and will notify appropriate agencies as well as the public if H2S concentration levels are determined to pose a threat to public safety.

    For more information, please contact the Piedmont Lake Office at 740-968-4440, the Muskingum Area Office at 330-343-3613, or the Public Affairs Office at 304-399- 5353.

   West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin has announced his nominee to fill Robert Byrd’s Senate seat until an election can be held: it’s Carte Goodwin, an attorney and a former aide to the governor.

   Here’s an excerpt from the story in today’s Charleston Daily Mail:

 Goodwin will serve until the state can hold an election, likely in November, to fill the seat vacated last month by the death of Robert Byrd, age 92.

 Manchin’s selection makes Goodwin, 36, the youngest member of the U.S. Senate and gives his potential political career a boost.

 Manchin announced Goodwin’s appointment today during a news conference at the West Virginia Capitol.

 Goodwin is expected to be sworn in as a senator on Tuesday.

   Here at the Corps of Engineers we get phone calls from people looking for work.

   Our Human Resources office is glad to answer questions, and there’s also a great Internet site that lists government jobs available in the Huntington District – or anywhere else in the country, for that matter.

   The website is http://www.usajobs.gov/.

   Among the jobs listed at that site (at this writing) are Maintenance Mechanic positions in Pound, VA and in Grayson, KY. But the District has more than 900 employees, so there are lots of different jobs available.

   The Huntington District alone cover most of Ohio and West Virginia, eastern Kentucky, and a small area in Virginia and North Carolina.

   The site will also explain how to apply for those jobs, the qualifications required and much more! Check it out!

   There’s a story in today’s Charleston Daily Mail (you can read it right here) that talks about a call to increase taxes on the navigation industry. The funds will be used to help pay for infrastructure along the nation’s rivers, such as the locks and dams operated by the Corps of Engineers.

   Here’s an excerpt from the story:

 The businesses that depend on the nation’s rivers to move coal and other commodities want to raise the tax they pay to help finance waterways projects.

You read that right. The Waterways Council Inc., which represents more than 250 waterways carriers, shippers, port authorities, shipping associations and waterways advocacy groups, wants the tax they pay on diesel fuel to increase by 30 percent to 45 percent, from the current 20 cents a gallon.

The tax goes into the Waterways Trust Fund and provides 50 percent of the money used for waterways transportation projects.

Charles Jones, president of Amherst Madison Inc., Charleston, said the existing tax raises about $100 million a year.

   Here’s the information from today’s press release:

           The Huntington District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has authorized two Clean Water Act Permits for Oxford Mining Company in Ohio.

            Oxford Mining’s Halls Knob Surface Mine is located in Coshocton, Muskingum and Guernsey Counties, Ohio. The project will have temporary and permanent impacts to 5,445 feet of stream, 0.173 acre of wetlands, and 0.923 acre of stream impoundments. Oxford Mining will conduct compensatory mitigation including on-site re-establishment of 4,139 feet of stream and 0.32 acre of wetland, and an additional 750 feet of stream protection in perpetuity. 

            The project was advertised by Public Notice on March 20, 2009. The public notices for the permits can be viewed online at http://www.lrh.usace.army.mil/permits/publicnotices/.

            This project was also included on the Enhanced Coordination Process list resulting from the June 11, 2009 Interagency MOU.  The Corps worked in conjunction with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the applicant to ensure environmental impacts are reduced to the maximum extent practicable.

Oxford Mining’s New Lexington North Area III Surface Mine located in Perry County, OH.  The project will have temporary and permanent impacts totaling 464 feet of stream and .53 acre of wetland.  Compensatory mitigation will include 800 feet of on-site stream re-establishment and 1.1 acre of on-site wetland establishment. 

The project was verified using Nationwide Permit 49 (Coal Remining Activities).

The discharge of fill material must be authorized by the Corps in accordance with Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (CWA) and the Corps implementing regulations.

            For more information, call the Public Affairs Office at 304-399-5353.

   An unusual race is being help Sept. 11 around and across the Sutton Dam in Sutton, W.Va.

   You can read more about it right here.

   Here’s an excerpt from the story in the Braxton Citizens’ News:

The Braxton County Visitors’ Bureau is sponsoring a 5K Run/Walk on September 11, appropriately called ‘That Dam Race’ due to the beginning and ending points.

The event is part of the Mountain Lakes Festival which runs September 10-11. Tammy Dickens of the Braxton County Visitors’ and Convention Bureau is overseeing registration for the event. Thomas Nicholson, Army Corps of Engineers Park Ranger, is the race coordinator.

“The 5K race is a positive feature for the 2010 Mountain Lakes festival, as well as Braxton County. Last year, we were pleased to see so many local residents come out and join in this event as well as folks from around the state. We are excited about the start of a new tradition in our area that will showcase the county’s natural beauty and encourage residents and visitors to get moving” said Dickens.

‘That Dam Race’ starts at 9 a.m. below the dam at shelter #2 in the shadow of the towering Sutton Dam.