Ohio River Story Archives - Page 2 of 9 - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

New Wellsburg Bridge Opens With Celebration

The 1,875-foot Wellsburg Bridge now connects Wellsburg, West Virginia in the Northern Panhandle to Brilliant, Ohio.

Getting from Wellsburg, West Virginia in the Northern Panhandle to Brilliant, Ohio used to be a chore. For decades, people in both communities have been asking for a bridge across the river.

And on Wednesday, that wish became a reality.

The 1,875-foot Wellsburg Bridge now connects the communities. It was built as part of the 2017 Roads to Prosperity program.

The local community celebrated the opening with a car show, food trucks, bands and fireworks. It is also featured on the West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT) podcast “WV on the DOT.”

The episode, which is now available on most podcast providers, was recorded on the Wellsburg Bridge during the bridge’s grand opening celebration. The podcast hosts captured local voices about what the bridge will mean to them.

Local resident Barbara Miller.

*Courtesy West Virginia Department of Transportation*

“This is a tremendous opportunity for the Northern Panhandle,” Barbara Miller, a resident of Windsor Heights in Brooke County, said. “We’ll use this bridge to go to the malls more easily. My granddaughter recently got a job in Steubenville, Ohio so I am really happy she’ll be able to use this bridge every day and shorten her route.”

“There are a lot of people here supporting their community and ready for this new connection,” Rowdy Workman, of Shadyside, Ohio, said.

Workman grew up in Moundsville, West Virginia. He participated in the grand opening ceremony, presenting the colors when Gov. Jim Justice arrived.

The 830-foot main span of the bridge was built off-site on the bank of the Ohio River just upstream from the bridge site by Flatiron Construction of Broomfield, Colorado. Flatiron won the $131 million contract to build the new bridge.

“The bridge is here because of the community on both sides of the river,” Mike Swinson, of Flatiron Construction, said on the podcast. “These folks have been wanting this bridge, this connection, for decades. They are the genesis of this. Working with West Virginia DOT and Ohio DOT, this bridge got the funding and Flatiron was selected to deliver the bridge.”

On April 26, 2021, the 830-foot main span was lifted onto two pairs of barges and moved into position in a massive, 13-and-a-half-hour operation. It was the largest bridge floating project ever attempted in North America.

The bridge was supported on the barges by eight sets of sectional pilings. Once in place, it was slowly jacked up and additional pylons were set underneath until it was high enough to rest on its support piers.

New Cumberland Manufacturer To Pay Millions In Environmental Violations

A manufacturer in Hancock County will have to pay close to $2 million for environmental violations.

Messer, LLC, an industrial gas manufacturing facility located in New Cumberland, West Virginia, will pay a $1.9 million civil penalty for violations of its Clean Water Act permit and the West Virginia Water Pollution Control Act.

According to court documents, Messer exceeded permit limits when it discharged pollutants into the Ohio River on at least 186 occasions since February 2016.

The company’s EPA permit imposed limits for the discharge of specific pollutants, including copper, aluminum, iron, residual chlorine and phenolics.

In addition to the civil penalty, Messer, LLC must take steps to prevent future violations including the construction of a new treatment system at its New Cumberland facility, implementation of a response plan in the instance of future violations, mandatory internal inspections, and quarterly reporting requirements to federal and state agencies.

A consent decree was entered by the United States District Court on Sept. 11, 2023. Messer, LLC did not admit any liability to the United States or the State of West Virginia arising out of the transactions or occurrences alleged in the complaint.

U.S. Proposes To List Freshwater Mussel Native To State As Endangered

The agency’s review found that the salamander mussel is under threat from changes in water flow, landscape alterations, invasive species and risk to its host species, the mudpuppy.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to list a freshwater mussel that lives in West Virginia rivers as endangered.

The salamander mussel is a small, thin-shelled mussel that inhabits fast flowing rivers and streams. It can be found in 14 states and the Canadian province of Ontario.

According to the agency, freshwater mussels are both an indication of stream health and help clean the water. About 65 percent of North American freshwater mussel species are at risk.

The agency’s review found that the salamander mussel is under threat from changes in water flow, landscape alterations, invasive species and risk to its host species, the mudpuppy.

The mudpuppy is an aquatic salamander that lives in the same habitat. The mussel’s larvae develop in the salamander’s gills.

The agency will propose more than 2,000 miles of river as critical habitat for the mussel. In West Virginia, those include the Little Kanawha River and several other streams that feed the Ohio River.

The agency will accept public comment on the proposed designation through Oct. 28.

Ohio Valley’s Severe Flood Risk Among The Highest, Report Shows

The Ohio River Basin could expect to see a flood every five to 10 years that once happened only once every century, according to the nonprofit First Street Foundation’s National Risk Assessment.

New data shows the Ohio Valley is one of the regions at greatest risk for severe flooding.

The Ohio River Basin could expect to see a flood every five to 10 years that once happened only once every century, according to the nonprofit First Street Foundation’s National Risk Assessment.

The report attributes the increased risk to warmer air that traps more moisture because of climate change.

A similar series of assessments by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration do not take climate change into account and may underestimate the risk for more frequent and severe floods.

According to First Street, flood risk has changed from what it was and will continue to change because of the effects of climate change.

It also shows that much of the mid-Atlantic, New England and Gulf Coasts face the highest level of risk.

Orphaned Wells To Be Plugged In Ohio River Islands Wildlife Refuge

The nearly $64 million from the U.S. Department of the Interior will clean up about 300 sites nationwide, including nine in West Virginia.

West Virginia is one of 14 states to receive a new round of funding to plug orphaned wells on federal lands.

The nearly $64 million from the U.S. Department of the Interior will clean up about 300 sites nationwide, including nine in West Virginia.

“Decades of drilling have left behind thousands of non-producing wells that now threaten the health and wellbeing of our communities, our lands, and our waters,” said Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. “This funding will put Americans to work in good-paying jobs, while also fueling collaboration across a broad coalition of stakeholders and engaging communities to work toward sustainable stewardship of the nation’s treasured lands and waters.”

The West Virginia sites are part of the Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge consists of 22 islands and four mainland areas along 362 miles of the river, most of it in West Virginia.

Migratory birds and endangered mussels are a priority for protection in the refuge, which is also part of one of the nation’s busiest inland waterways.

The remediation work helps stop fugitive methane from entering the atmosphere. The greenhouse gas is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

Some pre- and post- plugging work will also be done in the Monongahela National Forest.

Honeywell, Olin To Pay To Clean Up Superfund Site Near Moundsville

The EPA and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection reached a settlement with the two companies.

Two chemical companies will pay for the cleanup of a Superfund site along the Ohio River.

Honeywell and Olin will pay at least $8 million to clean up a contaminated site south of Moundsville, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Tuesday.

The EPA and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection reached a settlement with the two companies. The actual cleanup cost could be more, the EPA said.

Mercury and chloromethane are the primary contaminants in the soil and groundwater at the site, and the cleanup will contain and remove it.

The Hanlin-Allied-Olin Superfund site is named for the various companies that operated there for the past 70 years. Allied is now part of Honeywell.

The site was added to the Superfund program’s National Priorities list in July 1999. Superfund sites are federally designated abandoned or uncontrolled hazardous waste sites.