Permitting Guidance for Surface Coal Mining Operations to Protect West Virginia's Narrative Water Quality Standards

Overview

On August 12, 2010 the WVDEP released the Permitting Guidance for Surface Coal Mining Operations to Protect West Virginia’s Narrative Water Quality Standards (revised May 11, 2012). This guidance document assists WVDEP permit writers in developing site-specific NPDES permit conditions for surface coal mining operations using a holistic watershed monitoring approach through the use of biological and chemical monitoring, whole effluent toxicity (WET) testing, and the development of Aquatic Ecosystem Protection Plans (AEPP) and, where necessary, Adaptive Management Plans (AMP) to protect the state’s narrative water quality standards.

Resources

• Narrative Guidance, Justification Documents, and Comments
• Standard Instructions to Address Narrative Water Quality Standards for New (NPD) or Modified (NPM) NPDES Applications
• Standard Instructions to Address Narrative Water Quality Standards for a Reissuance (NPR) of an Issued NPDES Application
• List of WET Certified Labs in West Virginia
• 2012 Narrative Water Quality Standard Benthic Sampling & Reporting Requirements Meeting Presentation
• Benthic Macroinvertebrates and Fish
• Watershed Assessment Branch SOPs
• WVDEP-DNR Scientific Collection Permit Database (Version 4.03)
• 2013 Coal Symposium Presentation on Addressing the Narrative Water Quality Standards in an NPDES Application