DEP to Restore Coal River

West Virginia officials are kicking off plans to restore the Coal River.

The state Department of Environmental Protection has committed $1 million to plan and begin a stream restoration project targeting the main stem of the river.

Officials with nonprofit watershed association the Coal River Group says the section of the river targeted for restoration has been severely impacted over the past 70 years by coal mining and highway, commercial and residential construction. Bill Currey of the Coal River Group says sedimentation is the primary impediment to water quality by restricting water flow. The group sought the project.

The Charleston Gazette reports that the first step will be to study the full 21 miles of river that make up the lower Coal River.