Oxbow Mitigation Bank
Location
Ritchie County, WV
Resources
Stream, Wetland
Solution
Mitigation Bank
Status
Approved
OXBOW MITIGATION BANK is located in Ritchie County, West Virginia along the North Fork of the Hughes River, a tributary to the Ohio River. The bank encompasses 2,048 acres and three main stem streams — Louthers Run, Left Fork, and MacFarlan Creek — and associated tributaries. In 2020, EIP completed restoration of two of the mainstem streams and is currently relocating a mile of pipeline so we can commence restoration on the last main stem. EIP has reverted the effects of historic oil and gas extractions and timber harvesting by creating, restoring, enhancing, and preserving 33.9 miles of streams and planting 43,000 trees.
EIP teamed with the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources (WVDNR) to provide 2,048-acres for inclusion into the state’s Ritchie Mines Wildlife Management Area (WMA). In the 1800s and early 1900s, this area was mined for its natural asphalt, and is now open to the public for recreational activities like hunting and hiking.
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Credit purchases from Oxbow Mitigation Bank enable large-scale conservation and restoration of West Virginia’s stream corridors for future generations. These credits support a diverse range of projects in West Virginia, including road construction, mining, and public infrastructure.
CREDITS AVAILABLE
Stream or Wetland
SERVICE AREA
Primary HUC 8 Watershed
– Little Kanawha (05030203)
Secondary HUC 8 Watersheds
– Middle Ohio North (05030201)
– West Fork (05020002)
– Tygart Valley (05020001)
– Elk (05050007)
– Lower Kanawha (05050008)
– Middle Ohio South (05030202)
Our Partners
Stream Restoration Specialists, based in Corbin, Kentucky, is one of the best stream builders in the industry. EIP has worked on multiple projects with SRS’s expert construction team. Their team members from a range of backgrounds, including former road builders, coal miners, and self-taught stream contractors, are efficient, self-sufficient, and top-notch with project logistics and scheduling. Working in tandem with both EIP and Beaver Creek Hydrology, SRS’s stream building expertise takes design concepts and turns them into reality.
Civil & Environmental Consultants Inc. partnered with EIP’s national team, applying their regional expertise in stream ecology, design, and permitting to multiple mitigation banks we developed together across West Virginia.