Three rivers begin in Letcher County, Kentucky.
The Kentucky, the Cumberland and the Big Sandy are all born on the
high slopes of Pine Mountain, but before the rivers leave the county
they are too polluted to wade in. Like the water, the people and the
money flow out.
The Head of Three Rivers Project aims to clean up
the water, and stem the tide of people and money.
Read on to find out how you can help.
A study in contrasts
Not all water here is polluted.
Bad Branch Falls is a gorgeous 60-foot waterfall that feeds some
of the highest quality water you'll ever find. The gorge around it
is home to the largest concentration of rare and endangered in
Kentucky. Goodwater Branch was so nice
that when
Consolidation Coal was deciding where to develop their model company
town, Jenkins, they chose the area where Goodwater meets Elkhorn
Creek to be the center of town. The stream still feeds the
city's reservoir.
But
while Bad Branch is so clean is has been named a Wild River, most
other streams are too polluted to support many of the species native
to them.
Dirty water is prevalent and is an impediment
to healthy lives and healthy communities for Letcher County and
everyone else downstream. Little Dry Fork has iron levels so high
that the entire stream bed is bright orange. Allen
Branch is white with aluminum deposits and is so acidic
that even bacteria from the sewer pipes that empty into
it can't live.
The economy is also a study in
contrasts. Coal prices are up, and coal companies are
mining more coal than ever before. But while more coal
is being mined, fewer miners are working. Mechanization
has taken away many coal jobs, leaving families that
relied on coal jobs with little alternative but to leave
the area. Historically, Letcher County has been rich in
raw materials, but its people have been poor.
The Head of Three Rivers Project's
purpose is to address both the adverse environmental
effects and the adverse economic effects of historic
coal mining, while recognizing that coal will continue
to be a major player in Letcher County's and Kentucky's
economy for years to come. We are attempting to address
those issues by cleaning up environmental damage caused
by mining done prior to passage of the Surface Mine
Control and Reclamation Act of 1977, while creating
clean economic development opportunities at the same
time.
Our Goals
To promote
interest in and sound use of Kentucky's water
resources
To build
civic capacity to enable long-term stability and success of
the community and the organization
To cooperate with
any
agencies, public and private, which have an interest in
water resources management, water quality and the
well-being of the state's streams, rivers, lakes and
wetlands
To conduct the watershed research
and water quality monitoring critical to future funding
of cleanup efforts
To foster community
revitalization through environmentally sound economic development projects,
including those that celebrate and increase awareness and
understanding of local history and culture
1.) The exception to
the "no water flows into Letcher County" rule is Wilson Fork of
Lewis Creek on the Letcher/Harlan line.
THIS PAGE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION
But
while Bad Branch is so clean is has been named a Wild River, most
other streams are too polluted to support many of the species native
to them.
