MORGANTOWN — Northeast Natural Energy has donated $10,000 to Friends of Deckers Creek. FODC will use the funds to purchase stream water quality monitoring equipment that will record water quality data used to gauge the health of Deckers Creek.
“FODC wants to thank Northeast Natural Energy for their generous contribution,” said Brian Hurley, executive director of FODC. “This stream monitoring equipment will play a vital role in building one of the most advanced monitoring systems in the region.”
In 2021, Northeast announced a partnership with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of Abandoned Mine Lands to fund annual operations and maintenance for an acid mine drainage active treatment system, now under construction, for discharge from the Richard Mine — discharge that has severely degraded Deckers Creek for almost 100 years.
Richard Mine discharges water with an extremely low pH and elevated metals, which significantly impair the stream’s water quality and its ability to support aquatic life. Once the acid mine drainage treatment system is operational, it should allow for year-long biological connectivity between the Monongahela River and the upper sections of Deckers Creek.
“Northeast Natural Energy is proud to support Friends of Deckers Creek in their vital efforts to protect and clean up this watershed,” said Diane Corwin, vice president of operations for Northeast Natural Energy. “Community engagement efforts like these are important to us at Northeast, because we live and work in this community.”
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