WVDEP Accepting Comments on Restoration Plans for Upper Elk River Tributaries and Eastern Panhandle Streams

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection's (WVDEP) Division of Water and Waste Management is accepting public comments and will hold a public hearing on draft Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for tributaries in the Upper Elk River watershed upstream of Sutton Lake in Braxton and Webster counties, as well as tributaries of the Potomac and Shenandoah river watersheds in West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle.

A TMDL is a restoration plan required by the federal Clean Water Act for streams that are not meeting applicable water quality standards. The Upper Elk River tributaries included in the project are impaired for bacteria, total iron and/or biological conditions. The Eastern Panhandle tributaries are impaired for bacteria and/or biological conditions.

Detailed information, including the draft TMDL reports and the specific streams included in each project, is available on the WVDEP's TMDL webpage: https://dep.wv.gov/WWE/watershed/TMDL/Pages/default.aspx

Two draft reports are posted near the top of the page: one for the Upper Elk River tributaries and one for the Eastern Panhandle streams.

WVDEP staff will host a virtual public hearing on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, at 6 p.m. The hearing can be accessed using the information below:

Upper Elk River/Eastern Panhandle Watersheds TMDL Public Hearing
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/vpr-xone-vmt
Or dial: 1 716-256-2108‬ PIN: ‪262 424 082‬#

Comments must be submitted no later than Monday, September 28, 2026, and should be emailed or mailed to:

Email: [email protected]

Nick Murray
ATTN: Draft SEEPS TMDL Comments
West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection
601 57th St. S.E.
Charleston, WV 25304

After considering public comments, the WVDEP will make appropriate revisions and submit the final draft TMDLs to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for approval.

The WVDEP's Water Quality Standards & Assessment Section monitors, assesses and reports on the quality of streams, rivers, lakes and wetlands across West Virginia and develops restoration plans for waters that are not supporting their designated uses. To date, the section has developed restoration plans for approximately 15,000 miles of streams in West Virginia, helping guide pollution-reduction efforts and provide a basis for seeking federal funding for nonpoint-source projects.

For more information, visit the WVDEP's Watershed Management webpage.