Fish habitat restoration on the Little Coal River, WV as compensation for mining impacts to headwater streams: benefits and constraints

Large scale surface mining in the Appalachians causes significant alteration of headwater catchments, and these impacts may be offset through implementation of stream restoration projects.  As an example, several habitat enhancement structures (cross-veins and j-hooks) are being constructed along a 15 mile section of the Little Coal River as mitigation for mining impacts in the region.  The objectives of our study were to: 1-quantify the functional benefits of the enhancement structures to the Little Coal River fishery; 2- identify factors constraining benefits; and 3- determine if restoration projects on larger rivers represent acceptable compensation for impacts to headwater streams.  Our results indicate that the benefits of the structures include: increased fish habitat and bed complexity, increased substrate diversity, increased macroinvertebrate biomass and diversity associated with substrate changes, and increased fish biomass and diversity associated with changes in habitat complexity.  Poor water quality in the form of elevated TDS represents a critical factor limiting benefits of habitat restoration actions.  Furthermore, traditional measures of headwater function, such as organic matter decomposition and retention, were not significantly affected by structural enhancement actions.  Consequently, effective management of these systems must couple habitat restoration projects with protection of headwater functions and reduction of TDS concentrations.