Introduction

The Mon River QUEST is a comprehensive water quality monitoring and reporting project for the Monongahela River being undertaken by the West Virginia Water Research Institute (WVWRI). Bi-weekly samples are collected and lab-analyzed with the resultant data presented on this website utilizing a Geographic Information System database and map.

Monongahela River

Known locally as "The Mon," the Monongahela River originates in north-central West Virginia and flows northward through south-western Pennsylvania to Pittsburgh where it meets the Allegheny River to form the Ohio River. It is 128 miles long and has a drainage basin of 7,340 square miles. The Native American word "Monongahela," means "falling banks," in reference to the geologic instability of the river's banks.

Formed by the confluence of the West Fork River and the Tygart Valley River at Fairmont, WV, the Mon is navigable for its entire length. A series of locks and dams maintain a minimum depth of 9 feet to accommodate barge and tow boat traffic. In Pennsylvania the Mon is met by two major tributaries: the Cheat River which joins in Pt. Marion, and the Youghiogheny River which joins in McKeesport.

Water Quality Study

A strategic monitoring program for the Monongahela River watershed was developed and implemented in July, 2009. The program includes water quality monitoring and sampling on a bi-weekly basis. Initial monitoring locations were established at 12 locations in the watershed including 4 sites on the Monongahela River and at 8 locations at the mouths of its major tributaries.

Changes for year two of the project, beginning in May 2010, included the incorporation of monitoring locations on four additional significant tributaries. Continuous data loggers have been installed at several locations to better calculate stream flow. The project website continues to be updated regularly and improvements in data depiction and usefulness are being incorporated.

Soon after the monitoring program was implemented, a fish kill in September 2009 on Dunkard Creek, a tributary of the Mon River, gained much media attention. The WV DEP and PA DEP determined that the fish kill was caused by a toxic bloom of golden algae, P. parvum, which flourishes in salty water. Not typically found in the freshwater streams of the Appalachians, it has not been determined how the algae were introduced into Dunkard Creek.  Testing done by the WV and PA DEPs has since determined that the algae has also been introduced into other streams in the watershed and elsewhere in the states.  The water quality data collected by this study has been very helpful in determining sources and concentrations of the pollutants that allowed these exotic algae to flourish.

As coal mining continues in the Mon River watershed, and gas well drilling is on the upswing, the water quality of the Mon is a topic of much concern. Increases in the demand for water, including nearly one million people who get their drinking water from the Mon River, has further intensified the debate. The fishery in the River has improved over the years and there is a considerable increase in the amount of sport fishing on the Mon. Several large fishing tournaments are now taking place on the River increasing the economic impacts from this recreational use demonstrating the importance of a clean river for our state's natural resource based tourism economy.

Increases in water usage, recreational usage, and industrial impacts to the river have caused considerable debate about the adequacy of existing water quality regulations. The data generated from this study has provided crucial information to inform many of these concerns. It has provided the accurate and current water quality information necessary to inform the public and to aid regulatory personnel in making sound policy decisions. For example, information provided by this watershed monitoring program was important in drafting the newly proposed water quality regulations by the WV Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP). The recent managed discharge agreement amongst coal producers to reduce TDS loading in Dunkard Creek also had its origins with the data provided by this program. Competitors in fishing tournaments on the Mon River can use this current information about the water quality to gain a competitive edge.