Design for Sustainable Water Management and Ecological Restoration

Project Outcomes

The Coalfield Development Highwall Project site, located in Mingo County in southern West Virginia, is a former coal extraction mine land site currently undergoing restoration. It receives intensive rain events and ponding on various areas of the site. The goal of the project was to manage stormwater sustainably while maintaining soil quality, to enable restore the land to its original ecology. Coalfield Development crews are currently on site working to improve the site’s ecology, utilizing permaculture and regenerative agriculture practices to rebuild the natural health of the land.

Assessments including slope analysis, watershed analysis, and a stormwater management model were completed to inform the design of vegetated drains to convey stormwater to a retention basin designed to store the stormwater for re-use of other activities. Key deliverables included 2D drawings of the channels and basin and a report summarizing assessments completed.

The project piloted a sustainable approach to water management on a former mainland site that is undergoing restoration. It identified some sitewide water management practices that will continue to support the organization’s restoration work such as erosion and sediment control measures. It also resulted in the design of vegetated drains to minimize local flooding, especially after heavy rainfall events and also the design of a retention basin to harvest the stormwater for reuse in the site’s farm activities.

Mercy Atukunda / Coalfield