Before and after photos of the remediation site/NPS

The National Park Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed an extensive contaminated mine drainage remediation project in the Blue Heron area of Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area in Kentucky earlier this year.

The Big South Fork compliance project illustrates the successful partnering between the NPS and the USACE. Due to Lake Cumberland pool levels being lowered for seven years during repair of the Wolf Creek Dam, USACE and the NPS selected sites at Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area where improvements to aquatic habitat conditions near Blue Heron, Kentucky, would be beneficial for aquatic species and recreational activities.

The project included removal and stabilization of mine spoils that were impacting the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River above the Devil’s Jump rapids in Kentucky. Approximately 3,400 cubic yards of material were removed from the spoil area and hundreds of trees were planted for the reclamation effort. The steep slope of the spoils was graded and stabilized with large limestone boulders that have held strong against the high flows of the river.

Water quality associated with the area has also shown some improvements with previously acidic waters that filter through the spoils now reaching neutral levels. Two smaller areas adjacent to the large spoil pile were also remediated by removing additional spoil material from a settling pond and the stabilization of a stream that diverts that water away from the spoil area. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers provided funding, contracting, and project oversight.

“Contaminated mine drainage affects water quality and visitor experience at Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. This remediation project resulted in improvements to both and was a successful partnership with the USACE. This was the largest remediation project at Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area to date,” said Superintendent Niki Stephanie Nicholas. “We are very hopeful that future funding will allow for the remediation of additional areas in the park impacted by contaminated mine drainage.”