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CHARLESTON -- Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced Monday the allocation of $939,500 from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Fish Passage Program for the Upper Greenbrier River Watershed in Pocahontas County.
The funding is made possible through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and will support restoring the river and protecting its fish habitats.
"West Virginia is blessed with beautiful public lands and incredible wildlife," Manchin said. "The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law continues to deliver for West Virginia, and I am pleased the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is investing more than $939K to support fish and river conservation efforts in Pocahontas County, which will promote outdoor recreation and boost tourism across the Mountain State."
This project will remove seven culvert barriers throughout the Upper Greenbrier Watershed in West Virginia. The improvements will open habitat in the tributaries as well as provide connectivity along the main river, and improve climate resiliency by providing a network of high elevation, cold-water habitats.
Species benefiting from this project include brook trout, green floater, eastern hellbender and federally endangered candy darter. This project is part of a larger ten-year effort to remove all barriers into the West Fork and East Fork Greenbrier to create a network of 105 miles of connected cold-water habitat.
The surrounding area has a high risk of severe flooding and undersized culverts pose a significant hazard to those who rely on these roads. Some of these sites are within the Monongahela National Forest, a tourism destination that boasts 3 million visitors annually. Replacing the road stream crossings with fish-friendly structures that can withstand higher flow events will provide both public safety and recreational benefits.
"As Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, I will continue advocating for resources to ensure West Virginia's public lands and wildlife habitats are protected for generations to come," Manchin said Monday.
Clean free-flowing waterways are vital to wildlife, people, and ecosystems. But across the country, millions of barriers fragment rivers, block fish migration, and put communities at higher risk to flooding.
The FWS National Fish Passage Program is providing $200 million over five years for projects across the country to restore free-flowing waters; address outdated dams, culverts, levees and other barriers blocking rivers and streams; and protect fish habitats.