Saving 5 Miles on the Gauley River

Overhead view of the Gauley River and adjacent land that the Arc of Appalachia hopes to conserve. Photo courtesy of Arc of Appalachia

Arc of Appalachia, an Ohio-based nonprofit, launched a campaign to purchase and protect 1,336 acres in Nicholas County, West Virginia. The property includes 5 miles along the Gauley River and 1 mile of Big Beaver Creek.

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American Rivers names Gauley River to America’s Most Endangered Rivers® of 2025, due to toxic coal mining pollution

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEApril 16, 2025 CONTACTHawk Hammer, National Communications and Media Director, Hhammer@americanrivers.org   Andrew Young, staff attorney for the Allegheny Blue Ridge Alliance (ABRA), ayoung@abralliance.org Dan Radmacher, Media Specialist, Appalachian Voices, (276) 289-1018, dan@appvoices.org  WASHINGTON, D.C. — The threat of toxic pollution from coal strip mining in the headwaters of one of the Gauley’s primary tributaries — the…

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Bankrupt coal company cited for releasing ‘sludge’ into West Virginia’s Gauley River watershed

This stretch of the South Fork of Cherry River is surrounded by South Fork Coal Company's surface mining operations. The brown hue to the water is caused by elevated sediment in the river. Photo by Willie Dodson

The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection issued its latest notice of violation against South Fork Coal Company, the bankrupt mining firm operating a 3,600-acre surface mining complex in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, on March 24. The citation was issued for “iron staining and sludge deposits” in Becky Run caused by the company’s Lost Flats #2 Surface Mine.

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