Mill Creek: Restoring a Cultural Landscape

Mill Creek, located in the southeastern part of Berkeley County, is about to get a makeover…and that has quite a few people very excited. Mill Creek lies within the Opequon Creek watershed, the number one priority in West Virginia's Chesapeake Bay cleanup effort. The Mill Creek watershed is situated at a crossroads where agricultural land meets urban and suburban expansion. Both agricultural and development pressures in the watershed introduce water pollutants to nearby streams and rivers and eventually into the Chesapeake Bay. The watershed has a long history of land management practices with direct affects on water resources.

As the first settlers were coming into the northern Shenandoah Valley of (then) Virginia in the second quarter of the 18th century, they found that this creek amply suited their needs for water power for mills. Thus, it became known as Mill Creek. The abundance of mill seats, or topographical areas where it was easy to dam and convey water through mill races to mill wheels, resulted in at least 13 mills present on the creek at one time. Only two mills remain from that time, but several of the dams and mill races still exist (Miller, 1977). These structures have historic, hydrologic, and ecological impacts on the creek, all of which must be considered during planning and restoration efforts.

Planning for Improvements

A partnership between Opequon Creek Project Team (OCPT), West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP), and Canaan Valley Institute (CVI) has received approximately $400,000 through Section 319 of the Clean Water Act to implement practices to reduce nonpoint sources of pollution. The partners have developed a watershed based plan which identifies current sources of pollution and proposes projects to help reduce the pollution from major sources. In May 2008 the plan was accepted by the US Environmental Protection Agency and funding was secured for project implementation. To begin making improvements in water quality, two high priority projects have been identified.

The first project is a natural stream design project that will stop eroding streambanks along approximately 1210 feet of Mill Creek. This project will eliminate cattle waste from entering the stream, will decrease the amount of sediment entering the stream from steep, bare banks, and will increase the vegetation in the area adjacent to the stream. By doing this, ecological habitat both in the stream and on the banks will be restored. The hydrologic and ecologic benefits of the project are enhanced by the historical significance of the project location, the Mountain View Farm. 

Assessing the Issues

CVI conducted the initial stream assessment and survey and developed the natural stream design drawings and cost estimates. Construction is scheduled to begin in August 2009 and will stabilize the banks of the lower reach. Currently the stream has straight, overwidened, deepened sections to accommodate cattle and tight, narrow, bends with vertical banks in other sections. The stream will be reshaped to even out these altered sections and to more naturally flow through the floodplain established by the mill dams. The shape will be stabilized using natural wood and rock structures and a native riparian buffer will be established to protect the restoration. 

CVI's Geologist Ryan Gaujot (left), and Maryland Circuit Rider Kristin Mielcarek (right) and conduct stream assessment on Mill Creek in Berkeley County, West Virginia.

Sustaining the Effort

The second project, scheduled to begin in fall 2009, is intended to reduce the amount of sewage flowing into Mill Creek via failing septic systems. Approximately 50 homeowners in the Mill Creek watershed will receive septic system upgrades and other residents will receive discounts for septic system pumping. Alana Hartman, basin coordinator with WVDEP, knows the importance of these types of projects, not just for water quality, but also for the sustainability of one of the fastest growing counties in the US. “The Berkeley County Commission views our educational and cost-share efforts regarding septic systems in Mill Creek watershed as furthering their long-term goals to better manage septic systems in the county. That is, they view it as a kind of pilot project to see what kind of cooperation is needed between subdivisions, Public Service District, and the county Health Department, for example,” Hartman states.

Residential practices will also be employed to achieve reductions of both pollutants. Two workshops in the watershed regarding septic systems will serve to educate residents and professionals about proper function and maintenance of septic systems. Rain barrel workshops and pet waste outreach efforts will educate residents about stormwater management.

As a result of our successful partnership in Mill Creek, CVI has been invited by WVDEP and OCPT to partner on the development of the watershed based plan for Tuscarora Creek, identified by OCPT as the next priority subwatershed to target for improvement.  

For more information about the Mill Creek project, contact Circuit Rider Kristin Mielcarek by email, or by calling (304) 940-3443