James Wood, professor at West Liberty University's Biology Department, speaks to participants and area officials Thursday during a watershed bus tour to several locations along waterways in Ohio and Marshall counties. The group stopped at this location near Long Run in the Woodsdale neigbhorhood of Wheeling to discuss water quality issues. (Photo by Eric Ayres)

WHEELING – Many older people in the Ohio Valley may likely have fond memories of hot summer days in their youth spent splashing in a local creek or stream. Today, families may yearn to do just that when the temperatures soar. Yet according to area experts, it’s probably not advisable.

Getting local waterways back to a condition that is safe and well managed in terms of pollution levels and flood control should be something for which the community strives, according to area officials who took a deep dive into the conditions of those waterways in Ohio and Marshall counties this week.

On Thursday, the West Virginia University Extension Office in Ohio County hosted an educational tour of the Wheeling area watershed, taking a closer look at water quality, flooding issues and the potential for economic development along the area’s waterways.

Karen Cox of the WVU Extension welcomed several experts to speak at various stops along creeks and tributaries during the day-long tour on Thursday. Mark Fitzsimmons of the Northern Panhandle Conservation District, John Brawner of Resource Environmental Solutions, Martin Christ of the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, and James Wood, professor at West Liberty University’s biology department, were among the schedule of speakers to lead the group at various sites along local creeks and streams.

Cox noted that there has traditionally been a desire to help develop the Wheeling area’s waterways and take advantage of these natural resources for recreation and economic growth.

“We do have to address some of these issues on water quality to go alongside of it,” she said. “We just want to try to raise awareness and put more funding toward these types of projects so that we can build back the quality of Wheeling’s waters and really make this a focus of our city and our community.”

The group toured the Dunkard Fork Dam in Marshall County, as well as areas along Cross Creek, Glenns Run, Long Run, Orchard Creek and Wheeling Creek.

Proper management of storm and sewer waters is key, and can be directly correlated with flood management and water quality in the city of Wheeling and outside the municipality in Ohio County and beyond, officials said, noting that this ties into economic development, as well.

“They’re all connected, and if we better plan for flooding, we can also improve our water quality and improve our economic development potential around water-based recreation,” Cox said. “No one wants to splash around in the creek if it’s not healthy.”

With more economic development and more community growth comes more water issues to manage, she added.

“We’re trying to raise more awareness and get more community agencies to make investments toward bringing about real improvements,” Cox said. “There’s always more than can be done.”

James Wood, professor at West Liberty University’s Biology Department, speaks to participants and area officials Thursday during a watershed bus tour to several locations along waterways in Ohio and Marshall counties. The group stopped at this location near Long Run in the Woodsdale neigbhorhood of Wheeling to discuss water quality issues. (Photo by Eric Ayres)

During a stop in Woodsdale near one of the city’s combined sewer outfalls, Wood noted that the city of Wheeling’s efforts to separate storm water lines from sanitary sewer lines in the old combined sewer system is a good first step toward meeting EPA regulations and helping to keep the waterways cleaner. However, this sends more runoff and drainage of storm water directly into the creeks and streams, which can increase flooding issues in some areas.

In a recent water quality study from 2019 to 2021, weekly measurements of E. coli bacteria from local streams was measured at several different points. Wood said that as soon as waterways get into the city’s jurisdiction where there is a lot of old infrastructure, the levels go up significantly.

“Where does E. coli come from? It’s a gut bacteria of warm-blooded area. It’s a good indicator of poop,” Wood said.

In a number of areas, measurements are well above the levels that the EPA deems to be safe for recreational swimming and kayaking. In certain areas of the city, these levels are routinely above the limits. At times, they are many times above these limits, Wood said.

“It is likely the human-derived sewage that is the biggest threat to the creek in terms of developing it for recreation,” Wood said, noting that in many homes in the city, there are likely terracotta sewer pipes that are broken or leaking underground. Livestock and wildlife can also contribute to E. coli levels, but the human impact is most likely the cause of significant spikes.

Getting people off old septic systems and onto municipal sewer systems with new lines would make a huge difference, Wood said. But that would be a monumental and expensive undertaking if much of the entire watershed would see such an upgrade.

“I see Wheeling Creek as a really untapped economic resource for the city,” Wood said. “We should be promoting kayaking, rafting, tubing and fishing throughout the watershed.”

On Tuesday night during the city of Wheeling’s community meeting on its 10-year Comprehensive Plan update, one of the recommendations to make Wheeling a more “resilient city” was to enhance its waterways with more recreational opportunities.

Kayak launches and other recreational proposals along waterways are part of Wheeling’s plans for the future through projects such as the development of the Robrecht Riverfront Park at the mouth of Wheeling Creek.

While there may be issues within the city that can be fixed to improve flooding issues and water quality, the creeks and streams in Wheeling are waterways that are located at the very end of the watershed that ultimately empties into the Ohio River. Officials noted that improvements are needed in all areas – including those areas far out into the county.

“We here in Wheeling are at the bottom of the hill,” Cox said. “We catch everything, and we all know what runs downhill.”

Area officials on a watershed bus tour Thursday stopped at an area along Long Run in Woodsdale where one of the city’s combined sewer outfall pipes is located. During heavy rains, raw sewage may likely be discharged into local waterways from these pipes. (Photo by Eric Ayres)