WV-DEP Issues Statement After Reports of Orange Rocks in Cheat River in Preston County

The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection has been receiving reports from Cheat River boaters noticing orange rocks at the mouth of Muddy Creek in Preston County.

The DEP issued a statement Monday assuring the public that the situation is under control.

According to the statement, the DEP believes the orange rocks were caused by an occurrence inside an old mine near Valley Point, such as a roof collapse, which created a temporary blockage and allowed iron-laden water to build up inside the mine. Finally, the water began pouring out of the mine quickly into the creek in March.

While the iron levels in the creek were higher than normal, the DEP assures no fish or plant life would have been affected as that section of Muddy Creek is considered "dead."

The DEP had engineers and geologists investigating the rocks and are in the process of developing a plan that should prevent this type of incident from occurring in the future.