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BDC Development Forum: Th @ 7 pm
by Duane330＠aol.com 17 Apr '06

17 Apr '06

Balanced Development Coalition’s upcoming Development Forum The Balanced Development Coalition (BDC) is hosting a Development Forum in the Mountaineer Mall Community Room on April 20th, 2006, from 7:00 to 8:30 pm, for candidates of the WV County Commission and the WV legislature. The event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be provided. (The Community Room is across from Radio Shack. Enter the Mall between General Glass and Elder Beerman—the Community Room will be on your right) The BDC is an alliance of groups concerned about development, including Farmers And Residents for saving Monongalia County Farms (FARM), Citizens for Responsible Development (CRD), the Mon Valley Clean Air Coalition (MVCAC), and West Virginia for Democracy. FARM advocates the adoption of a USDA Farmland Protection Program for Monongalia County. CRD is a grassroots group dedicated to the promotion of responsible development and land use planning in Morgantown and Monongalia County. MVCAC focuses on improving and preserving the quality of the air we breathe. WV for Democracy is a grassroots political action committee supporting progressive candidates and policies. The BDC Development Forum will be moderated by WCLG News Director Dave McClung. The goal of the BDC Development Forum is to foster a discussion of how best to manage growth and development in Morgantown and Monongalia County. Specific development issues that will be focused on include farmland preservation, storm water runoff, air quality, transportation, land-use planning, and tax increment financing (TIF). With the Morgantown region experiencing a period of particularly rapid growth, decisions made now will have a large impact on the future of the region. Thus, issues related to development are very important for this election. Participants in the Forum include candidates for the County Commission and the state legislature. The county commissioners play a key role in managing growth and setting policies that can ensure a high quality of life for local residents. The State delegates and senators have the power to influence WV state code, which provides the legal framework for county level actions. For example, state code provides for specific regulatory mechanisms for the implementation of planning. In addition, state agencies construct infrastructure, such as roads, and regulate activities that affect the environment, including air and water quality. All candidates for the County Commission and the State legislature have been invited to the Forum. So far the following candidates have indicated they will attend: County Commission candidate Betty Wiley, and WV Legislature candidates Barbara Evans Fleishauer, Steven Fumich, Charlene Marshall, and Alex Shook. To provide a context for the Forum, all candidates for the County Commission and state legislature were asked to complete a questionnaire. Responses were received from the following County Commission candidates Asel Kennedy and Betty Wiley, as well as State legislature candidates Robert Beach, Barbara Evans Fleischauer, Cindy Frich, Steven Fumich, and Jim Manilla. The candidate’s responses to the questionnaire indicate that development is a key issue in this election. Most candidates expressed strong support for managing growth, but opinions regarding how to do so varied greatly. If you would like a copy of the candidates' responses, reply to balanceddevelopment(a)yahoo.com. The forum will be a great opportunity to learn about the candidates’ vision for the Morgantown area, as well as a chance to give feedback to the candidates about development issues that are important to the public. The primary election is on May 9, and early voting begins April 19. Citizens for Responsible Development Morgantown WV 599-2938

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Triennial Review, Wed @ 7 pm
by Duane330＠aol.com 28 Mar '06

28 Mar '06

REMINDER. The Triennial Review of the Recreation Plan for the Cheat Lake Park and Trail will be held tomorrow, Wednesday, March 29th at 7 pm at the Cheat Lake Fire Hall on WV Route 857, north of the Cheat Lake exit of I-68. Allegheny Energy will receive review progress since the last review, and receive comment from the public. The Cheat Lake Environment and Recreation (CLEAR) will present some topics for discussion. A short presentation will be made by Frank Jernejcic, WV-DNR, on the recently completed "fish inventory" for Cheat Lake. Duane Nichols, CLEAR

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Cheat Lake Triennial Review Topics (3/29/06)
by Duane330＠aol.com 24 Mar '06

24 Mar '06

To: CLEAR participants and friends From: Duane Nichols, CLEAR. RE: Triennial Review of the Cheat Lake Park and Trail, March 29th (Wednesday), 7 pm at the Cheat Lake Fire Hall, WV Route 857, North. The following position statements are intended for presentation to Allegheny Energy and to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Do you have any comments on this statements or other input? Do come out to this meeting, as it will be quite informative. Charles Simons of Allegheny Energy will present the draft Triennial Review, discuss plans for the future including new security plans, etc. The WV Department of Natural Resources will provide a report on their recent "Cheat Lake fish survey". NEW STATEMENTS FROM THE CHEAT LAKE ENVIRONMENT AND RECREATION ASSOCIATION: A. Water quality monitoring has shown that the Lake is reasonably clean and sufficiently clear of sediment and bacteria for swimming most of the time. A periodic monitoring and reporting program should be established to inform the public if general or specific warnings are needed. B. Shoreline erosion and sedimentation from storm events has created conditions that should be documented so that an overall remediation plan can be integrated with plans for handling hillside subsidence along the north and south trails. C. An interconnection to the Sheepskin Trail should be feasible along the existing railroad grade as it passes the Dam itself, to eliminate the need for hikers, runners and bikers to ascend and descend the steep steps as well as the steep and winding road around the Dam. [Video monitoring and night gates could be used if necessary.] D. CLEAR and other organizations stand ready to cooperate and assist in the planning and implementation of most of the proposals for continuing the improvement of the recreational and environmental aspects of Cheat Lake and its surroundings. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> TOPICS TO BE DISCUSSED AT A PUBLIC MEETING [from March 1st letter of CLEAR] 1. CLEAR believes that a systematic plan is needed to deal with shoreline erosion and the frequent landslides that have closed one or the other of the two main trail segments. 2. If the landslide problems can be managed, then the possibility of opening the South Trail for a greater number of months per year may become feasible. 3. The safety and security plans for the Park and Trail are worthy of detailed discussion, given that security is to be provided by a private agency as compared with the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department, according to our understanding. 4. The “day use camping area” is not being used hardly at all; and, this area could well serve as an “overnight camp area”. 5. A swimming beach is needed at the Park to provide an opportunity for swimming from the shore, given that substantial swimming takes place throughout the Lake from boats, from boat docks, etc. 6. Given that the usage of the Lake has increased substantially, it is now time to consider whether guidelines are appropriate for a limit to the number of boat slips on the lake, the size and type of boats to be accommodated, and the upper horsepower of these boats; and, further, whether high speed personal water craft (PWC or “jet-skiis”) should be limited to specific hours of the day on weekends, whether the no-wake zone at the Emma Kaufmann Camp should be extended out beyond the shoreline profile, etc. 7. Consideration should be given to the development of a formal communications system protocol with regard to Lake safety and security among EMS - 911, the Fire Department, the Sheriff’s Department, the Department of Natural Resources, the Emma Kaufmann Camp, any relevant private security agent, and Allegheny Energy; and, consideration could be given to including the primary marina operators in this system. 8. An interconnection to the proposed Sheekskin Trail would be a highly desirable feature that could be accomplished without great expense, as plans are finalized for the extension of a trail along the old railroad bed [east side of the Cheat River in Pennsylvania] from Pt. Marion upstream to the Lake Lynn Dam. 9. An opportunity to show appreciation for the hard work and effective management provided to the Park and Trail by Allegheny Energy during the past few year.

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Mt. Chateau Drive---
by Duane330＠aol.com 14 Mar '06

14 Mar '06

Structures are being removed which were destroyed by the landslide near the Edgewater Marina. Procedures of involving inspections for asbestos were followed properly, according to our friends in the WV DEP Division of Air Quality. See below.............

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March 8, 21, and 29
by Duane330＠aol.com 10 Mar '06

10 Mar '06

To: CLEAR participants and friends. RE: Information update as of March 8, 2006. 1. CLEAR is participating with the Sierra Club in a program on "threatened and endangered species" to be held in the Greenbriar Room at the Mountainlair tomorrow, Thursday, March 9th at 7 pm. Speakers from the WV Department of Natural Resources and from the Coopers Rock Foundation are scheduled. This all has relevance to the on-going logging in the Cheat Canyon and the planned logging in the Snake Hill Wildlife Management Area. If you wish to contribute to this effort, please send a contribution to CLEAR Treasurer, 320 Dream Catcher Circle, Morgantown, WV 26508, or to the Friends of the Blackwater in Charleston, or to the State chapter of the Sierra Club. Funds are needed for an expert witness on the Cheat three-tooth snail. 2. CLEAR has been participating as part of the "Intervenors Barbara Born, et al" before the Public Service Commission. The Evidentiary Hearing at the PSC is set to start on Tuesday, March 21st at 9:30 am in Charleston and continue until completed. "Intervenors Barbara Born, et al" has hired as an expert witness a financial consulting firm that specializes in power plants named Synapse Energy. Contributions are needed for this expert witness, as the PSC this week has granted permission for our expert to participate in a review of the "confidential financial data" from Longview Power, LLC. This is a significant breakthrough. Please send a contribution to the MonValley Clean Air Coalition, P. O. Box 4679, Morgantown, WV 26504-4679. 3. CLEAR is now in the planning stage for the Public Hearing on the Triennial "Recreation Plan Update" for the Cheat Lake Park and Trail to be held by Allegheny Energy at the Cheat Lake Fire Hall. This public meeting will be a chance to hear a brief presentation by Allegheny Energy, ask questions and propose solutions any topic relating to the Park and Trail. This meeting is set for March 29th at 7 pm. 4. Annual membership dues of $15 for an individual and $25 for a family can be sent to: CLEAR Treasurer (Donna Weems), 320 Dream Catcher Circle, Morgantown, WV 26508.

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Important March activities
by Duane330＠aol.com 02 Mar '06

02 Mar '06

To: CLEAR Participants and Friends... 1. CLEAR and the Friends of the Cheat will be at Booth 93 of the Outdoor Sports Show, Phar-Mor Building, Upper Level of Morgantown Mall, this coming Saturday from 10 to 8 pm and Sunday from 10 to 4 pm. Stop by, it's quite a show! 2. On March 21st, for three or four days, there will be an Evidentiary Hearing at the Public Service Commission in Charleston. The proposed Longview power plant will be under consideration. Testimony will be limited to representatives of Longview Power, Allegheny Energy, the Building Trades Union, Intervenors Barbara Born et al ("Concerned Citizens") representing the Citizens for Alternatives to Longview Power, Citizens for Responsible Development, CLEAR, and many local citizens. 3. The Triennial "Recreation Plan Update" will be the subject of a Public Meeting set for the Cheat Lake Fire Hall on Wednesday, March 29th at 7 PM. As shown in the letter below, CLEAR requested a 90 day extension of the April 1st deadline for Allegheny Energy to submit a final report to the Federal Energy Regulatory Administration. [The Monongalia County Commission also passed a motion yesterday for a 90 day extension.] I understand that there will be at least a 30 day extension, to May 1st. See the letter below for some of the topics to be discussed; we hope to have some specific recommendations on many of these topics. Let me know what you think, as soon as possible, and at the Public Meeting on March 29th. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> CHEAT LAKE ENVIRONMENT AND RECREATION ASSOCIATION March 1, 2006 Charles L. Simons Allegheny Energy 800 Cabin Hill Drive Greensburg, PA 15601 RE: FERC Project 2459-417, Lake Lynn Hydrostation “Recreation Plan Update”. It is herewith requested that a Public Meeting be held and a Time Extension be granted relative to the Triennnial Review of the Cheat Lake Park and Trail. The original recreation plan was submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in June of 1995. And, the Park and Trail were dedicated in 2000. These are fine facilities; and, substantial progress has been made over the years. There are a number of important issues that need to be publicized, commented upon, discussed, and resolved at the present time. The cover letter on the Recreation Plan Update of February 1, 2006 states “ If you believe that a meeting is necessary upon your review of this plan, please contact me at our Greensburg, PA office, telephone (724) 838-6131.” And, we have done so. A Public Meeting, at the Cheat Lake Fire Hall, for example, is needed to provide an open forum so as to hear a verbal summary of the Update, to permit direct questions to be asked, and to receive comments from the general public. Such a meeting should be announced to the public via newspaper and radio, and via letter to the parties of record. Subsequent to this Public Meeting, a period of at least two weeks should be alloted for interested persons to submit written comments to Allegheny Energy. Then, a period of 30 days would be appropriate for Allegheny Energy to prepare a response for FERC and the public. Therefore, it is appropriate to request a Time Extension to July 1st, to permit the planning for and execution of a Public Meeting, a period for subsequent written comment, and a period of time for the preparation of the response document by Allegheny Energy for the FERC and the public. [The FERC response to the last Triennial Review was dated July 21, 2005 but not distributed to the participants; so, a significant amount of time was lost in this last update process.] The Cheat Lake Environment and Recreation Association (CLEAR) wishes to raise a number of topics at this time. And, we know that other participants in CLEAR may have additional topics to raise; and, the other organizations concerned and affected by the Cheat Lake Park and Trail will undoubtedly have other topics or other comments on these same topics. TOPICS TO BE DISCUSSED AT A PUBLIC MEETING 1. CLEAR believes that a systematic plan is needed to deal with shoreline erosion and the frequent landslides that have closed one or the other of the two main trail segments. 2. If the landslide problems can be managed, then the possibility of opening the South Trail for a greater number of months per year may become feasible. 3. The safety and security plans for the Park and Trail are worthy of detailed discussion, given that security is to be provided by a private agency as compared with the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department, according to our understanding. 4. The “day use camping area” is not being used hardly at all; and, this area could well serve as an “overnight camp area”. 5. A swimming beach is needed at the Park to provide an opportunity for swimming from the shore, given that substantial swimming takes place throughout the Lake from boats, from boat docks, etc. 6. Given that the usage of the Lake has increased substantially, it is now time to consider whether guidelines are appropriate for a limit to the number of boat slips on the lake, the size and type of boats to be accommodated, and the upper horsepower of these boats; and, further, whether high speed personal water craft (PWC or “jet-skiis”) should be limited to specific hours of the day on weekends, whether the no-wake zone at the Emma Kaufmann Camp should be extended out beyond the shoreline profile, etc. 7. Consideration should be given to the development of a formal communications system protocol with regard to Lake safety and security among EMS - 911, the Fire Department, the Sheriff’s Department, the Department of Natural Resources, the Emma Kaufmann Camp, any relevant private security agent, and Allegheny Energy; and, consideration could be given to including the primary marina operators in this system. 8. An interconnection to the proposed Sheekskin Trail would be a highly desirable feature that could be accomplished without great expense, as plans are finalized for the extension of a trail along the old railroad bed [east side of the Cheat River in Pennsylvania] from Pt. Marion upstream to the Lake Lynn Dam. 9. An opportunity to show appreciation for the hard work and effective management provided to the Park and Trail by Allegheny Energy during the past few year. Thank you for your help and consideration at this time. Respectfully submitted, Duane G. Nichols, President of CLEAR 330 Dream Catcher Circle Morgantown, WV 26508 cc: FERC [John Estep, Shana High]

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Re: [CLEAR] Cheat Lake Rec Plan Update
by Duane330＠aol.com 06 Feb '06

06 Feb '06

CLEAR members and friends...... The Cheat Lake Park and Trail "recreation plan" receives a special review every three years; and Allegheny Energy has just released the review document for comment for 2006 this past week. I will find out a.s.a.p. if we can get an electronic version of at least the main text, so we can email it to all our readers. And, we will request a public meeting near the Lake so all interested persons can attend, hear a presentation by each interested group, ask questions of Allegheny Energy, and receive comment from the general public. I am going to submit a protest, that the reply to the last three year review was too late in being issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. And, when it was issued, it was held for months by AE before revealing it to the public. As soon as we get an electronic version out to our readers and the review has been studied, we can circulate some comments and feedback via email. It is important that letters be written to Allegheny Energy reasonably soon, to request a public hearing with presentations and discussion, and that we get the issues out for public awareness. Thank you Peggy for your email; and, I suspect that you will be part of the letter writing and discussion of this "recreation plan". Sincerely, Duane Nichols, CLEAR. NOTE: The Recreation Plan Update dated 2/1/06 is available on the FERC web-site. Type in: _www.ferc.gov_ (http://www.ferc.gov) Then select the "eLibrary". Type in the Project number as: "P-2459". Then choose the PDF option and click on the report title. [The report is about 5 megabytes in size, and contains some 70 pages; so it will be almost unrealistic to read in this form unless you have broadband Internet.]

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Fishing on the Cheat [D-P 1/6/06]
by Duane330＠aol.com 06 Feb '06

06 Feb '06

I wanted to share this excellent article >From the DOMINION-POST 1-06-06 Current and future fishing on the Cheat By Dave Milne WATER QUALITY HAS BEEN checked in the Cheat River since the 1950s. We all know it has greatly improved since that time with the exception of the mine blowout on Muddy Creek in 1994 that effectively killed the river from where Muddy Creek empties into the Cheat clear to Cheat Lake. Since the blowout, millions of dollars in treatment, monitoring, research, and studies has been done by such groups as Friends of Cheat , the National Mine Reclamation Center at WVU, Office of Surface Mining, WVDEP offices of Special Reclamation and Water and Waste Management, the Office of Surface Mining, Abandoned Mine Lands group, and the WVDNR. Without these groups and their funding and access to grants, these improvements would never have occurred. The Cheat River would have remained dead from a fisheries standpoint. Monitoring and other tests can give you relative numbers regarding all kinds of factors dealing with water quality. If you want to know exactly how good or bad the water is, go fish it! That is exactly what Frank Jernejcic, DNR fisheries biologist, does. Numbers of fish will let you know the water quality. In 1997, Jernejcic made one trip from the mouth of Big Sandy Creek at Jenkinsburg to the head of Cheat Lake. This is four miles and has lots of class 2 and 3 whitewater. He caught one 9-inch yellow perch! This past year, 2005, he made four trips and caught 132 fish representing seven species. A hundred of these were smallmouth bass. Other species included yellow perch, spotted bass, and pumpkinseed and green sunfish. Jernejcic said he caught five smallmouth per hour of fishing this past year on the Cheat. To give you some perspective on how good this is, he says that the same rate is good on the South Branch and New Rivers. Compare this to the four smallmouth he caught in two trips to Lake Erie and the three trips to the New River that yielded a grand total of 13. Things are certainly looking up for this portion of the river. In 1999, the DNR sampled the fish population on the Cheat at four locations: Seven Islands, Rowlesburg, the bridge where W.Va. 7 crosses the river, and at Albright. The total weights of all species found at the four locations were 58, 24, 18, and 1 pound, respectively. The numbers of each species found were 24, 17, 20, and twp, respectively. Weights of the smallmouth found at the four locations were 18, 7, 4, and 1 pound, respectively. According to Jernejcic, the decrease from Seven Islands to Rowlesburg is because the quality of the habitat begins to decrease and the nutrients from the Blackwater treatment station are beginning to diminish. The decrease from Rowlesburg to W.Va. 7 is due to the increase in the number of tributaries containing acid mine drainage. However, since 1999, great improvements have been achieved in water quality in the Cheat. Considering that the good range of pH for fish to survive is from 6 to 8.5, it’s important to note that the pH of the river has not been below 6 for the past year and a half at the head of Cheat Lake nor below 6.5 at Albright. The DNR maintains monitors in both locations that check temperature, conductivity, and pH. Muddy Creek is responsible for about 40 percent of the acid mine drainage in the lower Cheat. Friends of Cheat has plans to install three more passive treatment projects in 2006 and two more in 2007. Friends of Cheat and the other groups mentioned above work with each other through a common group known as the River of Promise. Cooperation and coordination on this level allows these groups to put their money where it will do the most good and improve the fishing on the main stem of the Cheat. From watching the news, I think FEMA should pay these people a visit and see what that organization could learn from them. They are obviously doing a lot of things right. As noted before, walleye fingerlings were stocked this past year in June and November from St. George to Rowlesburg. The improved water quality in the upper Cheat as a result of the improvement in water quality in the Blackwater should help the walleye. Jernejcic noted that the physical quality of the river in this area is good for walleye, but the question is whether or not they will have enough to eat. Sampling over the next couple of years will tell the story. Not only have the water quality and fishing improved, but some aesthetic improvements have also been made. The public access point at Jenkinsburg was purchased by one of the owners of Mountain Streams and Trails Outfitters, of Albright. This area had become a real eyesore due to unregulated camping, ATV use, littering, and erosion. The new owner has entered into an access agreement with Friends of Cheat and American Whitewater. This agreement led to fund-raising in the local and boating communities to match funding provided by the DEP/Non-Point Source Program for a total of $30,000. These funds were used for grading and graveling of a parking area, installing ATV barriers, and erosion control. The put-in/take-out ramp was reinforced. Public access to the lower Cheat is by foot only. DAVE MILNE serves on the state Natural Resources Commission and is a well-known expert on hunting and fishing in WV >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Distributed from an email of: Charlie Walbridge Route 1, Box A43B; Bruceton Mills, WV 26525 304-379-9002; ccwalbridge(a)cs.com

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new CLEAR mailing list.........
by Duane330＠aol.com 05 Oct '05

05 Oct '05

>From the Lake Lynn Dam................. Due to low lake inflows, per FERC permit procedures, we have cut back minimum flow at the dam from 212 cfs to 100 cfs. At this point in time lake level is remaining stable at approximately 868.8'. If inflows continue to drop we may see lake level drop since FERC does not permit us to cut back further on our minimum flow being passed at the dam. Hopefully we will see some rain in the watershed that will mitigate this problem. See: _www.cheatlaketoday.com_ (http://www.cheatlaketoday.com)

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Test
by Jonathan Rosenbaum 05 Oct '05

05 Oct '05

Test1

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