About the 522 Bypass review request:

 Dear Senator Manchin:

The Warm Springs Watershed Association requests your help in urging the Department of Environmental Protection to hold a public hearing in Berkeley Springs so residents can address issues of concern regarding plans for the 522 bypass.

The Association is not opposed to the construction of the 522 bypass; however, the four-lane highway will pass through a long, narrow watershed with an already large amount of impervious surface area that is increasingly prone to flash flooding. The proposed project adds 36 more acres of impervious road and hard shoulder, which will increase the volume and velocity of runoff.

The Association is concerned about apparent inaccuracies included in the permit. Specifically, it states that sediment basins controlling over 500 acres will be installed in the watershed to capture runoff; however, incorrect land cover and soil characteristics are used to calculate sediment basin capacity. About 90% of the area is comprised of very shallow, fragile soils. Not only will increased erosion be a factor, it will be difficult to re-establish vegetation in these soils. As a result, the proposed flood control basins will be inadequate for handling the amount of runoff they are designed to capture. Further, there is no discussion of long-term maintenance of these basins.

Mitigation of stream and wetland impacts is mandated in the permit; however, there is no information what these mitigations might be or where they might be located.

We have already brought our concerns to the following department:

Division of Water and Management, DEP

Sharon Mullins, Permitting Section

Application No. WVR110602

Since there was no response, we have also reached out to the Eastern Panhandle Conservation District and the Morgan County Commission to address these concerns.

Your attention to this matter, and any help you can give is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,

Kate Lehman, President