Brushy Fork Mitigation Bank

Location

Harrison County, WV

Resource

Stream, Wetland

Solution

Mitigation Bank

Status

Approved

BRUSHY FORK MITIGATION BANK is located in the West Fork watershed of rural Harrison County, West Virginia. EIP acquired 2,000 acres in 2016, and completed restoration on 8.8 miles of streams and 13.4 acres of wetlands in 2020. The property’s wetlands and streams had been disturbed by legacy mining, logging, and grazing practices that had removed riparian buffers, incised streams, eroded banks, increased sedimentation, and altered wetland hydrology. EIP’s restoration has reconnected streams to their floodplains, enhanced wetlands, increased habitat, decreased sediment loads, and expanded benthic communities — improving functions of downstream waters and the overall hydrologic functions of the watershed.

Credit purchases from Brushy Fork Mitigation Bank support a diverse range of projects in West Virginia, including road construction, mining, and public infrastructure.

CREDITS
Stream or Wetland

SERVICE AREA
Primary HUC 8 Watershed
– West Fork (05020002)
Secondary HUC 8 Watersheds
– Upper Monongahela (05020003)
– Tygart Valley (05020001)
– Middle Ohio North (05030201)
– Little Kanawha (05030203)

Brushy Fork Mitigation Bank

Watershed scale restoration requires in-depth planning, engineering, and dirt movement.

Brushy Fork Mitigation Bank

Just a few months after restoration completed, vegetation dominates the riparian buffer, stabilizing the stream and providing habitat for a diverse range of species.

Brushy Fork Mitigation Bank

Formally a straightened stream channel, our newly completed restoration shows a stabilized and meandering stream.

Brushy Fork Mitigation Bank

In addition to restoring the stream, EIP also restored and rehabilitated wetlands, providing contiguous habitats for a diversity of plant and animal species.

Brushy Fork Mitigation Bank

One of many freshly constructed wetlands, this wetland was planted with diverse tree species tolerant of anerobic conditions and suited for wetland establishment.

Brushy Fork Mitigation Bank

We strategically place structures like this log vane in streams to reduce water velocity and enhance habitat diversity for fish and macroinvertebrates.

Brushy Fork Mitigation Bank

Immediately following construction, we utilize straw and native seeds to stabilize the riparian buffer.

Across Appalachia, restored streams are bringing back flora and fauna

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SRS Stream Restoration Specialists

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.

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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.

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