In recent years, Pendleton County officials have continually raised concerns about conditions on the riverbed along major waterways in their jurisdiction.
Speaking to the Pendleton County Commission, Rick Gillespie, emergency services coordinator, noted last year the rise in the riverbed and accumulating obstacles, particularly on the South Branch River. This came after intense storms dumped heavy rains on the area more than a year ago, flooding parts of the Pendleton County Senior and Family Services center by the Town of Franklin Park.
Concerns over the safety and integrity of the nearby community building sparked the move to purchase the old Franklin Elementary School and move both county and state offices. While the Town of Franklin has partnered with Mon Forest Towns to start addressing stormwater issues in its impermeable surfaces, such as parking lots, a rising river itself creates a different flooding scenario.
Mike Alt, Pendleton County Emergency Rescue training officer, has also repeatedly described fallen trees creating dangerous, and potentially deadly, obstacles for rafters, canoers, and kayakers trying to navigate in the Smoke Hole area.
One major area of growing concern lies in a rapidly accumulating obstruction in the South Branch River just south of Franklin and the low water bridge. As rocks piled together over time, the obstruction gathered enough soil to support the growth of grasses and scrub trees. The “significant obstruction,” as Gillespie describes it, could create more danger during times of severe flooding.
A similar obstruction has grown in the South Branch River just upstream of the US 220 bridge at Petersburg Gap between Petersburg and Moorefield. Both the Hardy and Grant County Commissions have reported their fears for that important bridge if large-scale flooding dislodges that obstruction.
Gillespie recently engaged officials from the United States Army Corps of Engineers and the National Weather Service in a Zoom call he shared with the Pendleton County Commission that “I have shared my drone photos of the river . . . and . . . the attached 2003 Google Earth view.” He explained to federal officials that the river had no obstruction in 2003. The problem started in 2011 and has steadily grown worse and potentially more dangerous in the intervening years.
He also “pointed out a concern that Sam Yokum has with the North Fork near their campground (at Seneca Rocks) as well as having mentioned the undermined trees that fall in the Smoke Hole section.”
Gillespie explained that he encouraged them to “conduct a study of all three of our major streams and they concurred that is likely a good first step and a needed step.” He added that the federal government had some grants available to fully fund such a project should Pendleton County be determined to be “economically disadvantaged.”
If the county did not meet that designation, a match from the county or state might be necessary to secure funds for the study. In the past, the federal government has shown resistance to efforts to clean up and/or dredge down the riverbed in problem areas.
Pendleton County has also succeeded in starting a project to help warn communities downstream on the different forks of the South Branch River of rising waters.
Until now, the federal, state, and local officials have relied on two old-fashioned stream gauges at Brandywine on the South Fork and at Franklin on the South Branch. These gauges measure streamflow. One can see their results on different federal government information websites, such as those monitoring for flooding or drought conditions.
With recent years bringing both high-intensity storms and serious drought conditions, Gillespie requested funds for six additional gauges with modern capabilities from the Pendleton County Commission. He stated that it “graciously” provided assistance.
“We are happy to report that the first of those gauges has been installed and is in operation,” stated Gillespie. It opened operation on the North Fork near Seneca Rocks on The gauge registered a drop of just under two-tenths of an inch through the afternoon of Aug. 27.
Appreciation was shared for the “partnership and expert work” by the West Virginia Flood and Integrated Warning System. They operate a public dashboard where anyone online can access stream level information.
“Once complete, the early warnings that we will receive for rapid stream rise will prove invaluable and may one day save lives,” added Gillespie.
