August 2021 Report to Virginia Department of Environmental Quality – Montgomery County
This report includes photo observations from aerial flights of the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP). The flyover of the MVP occurred during July 2021 under sunny weather conditions and light winds. This report includes photos from Montgomery County, VA.
July 2021 Report to West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection – Summers and Monroe Counties
This report includes photo observations from aerial flights of the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP). The flyover of the MVP occurred during July 2021 under sunny weather conditions and light winds. This report includes photos from Summers and Monroe Counties, WV.
June 2021 Comments to West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection on Section 401 Water Quality Certification for Mountain Valley Pipeline
This comment details how the cumulative impacts of the proposed stream crossings are detrimental to the welfare of the public. Reasonably foreseeable detriments outweigh any
possible benefits that may accrue from this project. Issuance of a permit is contrary
to the public interest. Primary concerns include economics, wetlands preservation,
fish and aquatic life endangerment, and water quality degradation.
February 2021 Report to West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection – Mountain Valley Pipeline Slip Report Miles 57.2-57.3
This report discusses how a combination of highly erodible soils, above average annual precipitation rates, and steep mountain slopes produced an ideal situation for landslides to occur. Despite efforts to stabilize the slide areas, there is an increased risk of continuing slips at this location and others in Lewis County, WV. The dominant soil type combined with steep
slopes on the sides of mountains creates unstable site conditions. The probability of slides occurring in the future in this area is high.
January 2021 Report to West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection – Webster County
Photo review of construction of the MVP revealed numerous areas of exposed
soils with inadequate ground cover and stabilization measures to protect the
bare soil from erosive forces. The report includes photos with milepost
locations of areas with slips or landslides, or lack of vegetative cover in the
pipeline right-of-way in Webster County, WV.
January 2021 Report to West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection – Greenbrier County
Photo review of construction of the MVP revealed numerous areas of exposed soils with
inadequate ground cover and stabilization measures to protect the bare soil from erosive forces.
The report includes photos with milepost locations of areas with slips or landslides, or lack of
vegetative cover in the pipeline right-of-way in Greenbrier County, WV.
January 2021 Report to West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection – Braxton and Lewis Counties
Photo review of construction of the MVP revealed numerous areas of exposed soils with
inadequate ground cover and stabilization measures to protect the bare soil from erosive forces.
The report includes photos with mile post location of areas with slips or landslides, or lack of
vegetative cover in the pipeline right-of-way in Braxton and Lewis Counties, WV.
December 2020 Report to Virginia Water Control Board
Photos included in this report indicate that vegetative stabilization of disturbed areas in the MVP right-of-way has not met minimum cover requirements. Areas along the right-of-way have remained bare or without adequate cover for long periods of time. Additionally, photos show evidence of sediment muddying a pond, of sediment overflowing silt fences and filter socks, and of an MVP bridge crossing collecting debris and obstructing the flow of stream.
Vegetation Cover Reports — August and September 2020
This series of reports highlights MVP’s failure to meet standards to establish vegetation during pauses in construction in seven counties in West Virginia and three counties in Virginia, as documented by a July 7, 2020, aerial flight. Analysis by MVWatch volunteers shows inadequate vegetation of 71.1 acres in Pittsylvania Co VA and 127.5 acres in Franklin Co VA. In WV, some areas have less than 70% vegetative cover and the majority of photos show 0% vegetative cover at the photo location.
MVW Cave Report — May 2020
This report highlights MVP’s failure to implement measures outlined in the Final Environmental Impact Statement and the consequences of blasting in 67 miles of unstable karst topography–including the potential for pipeline rupture and contamination of groundwater. This report focuses on Giles County, Virginia, and Monroe County, West Virginia. Since Spring 2019, nine sinkholes have appeared in a span of 500 feet on top of a ridge line.
December 2019 Report to Virginia Water Control Board
This report alerts the SWCB of a DCR analysis of a landslide on Sinking Creek Mountain and two earthquakes along the route. It features volunteer-reported pollution incidents on Bradshaw Creek in Montgomery County and Blackwater River in Franklin County that occurred in October even though construction was halted at the time. The report notes that the approved E&S control plans are clearly inadequate, and calls on the SWCB to rescind its 401 certificate in light of the recent ruling by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals that MVP has not accurately assessed damage to endangered species.
September 2019 Report to Virginia Water Control Board
The September 2019 report clarifies that MVW is meant to be supplemental to DEQ inspections rather than supplanting DEQ’s duty to have inspectors on the ground, especially after storm events, and invites the public to view all MWV visual assessments and erosion surveys. The report notes recent problem areas on Bradshaw Creek in Montgomery County, VA, at Green Creek Crossing in Franklin County, VA, and in the Roanoke River, in addition to recurrent problem areas in Franklin County. (One pollution incident documented here became evidence in a successful lawsuit to protect the Roanoke Logperch, an endangered species.) This report also calls attention to issues with slope stability due to historic landslides in Montgomery County, informs the Board of the climate implications of Mountain Valley Pipeline, and requests revocation of MVP’s 401 certification.
April 2019 Report to Virginia Water Control Board
The April 2019 report includes concerns raised by 32 citizen reports filed between the December 2018 report and April 1, 2019, and by images from a piloted flight on March 28, 2019. The report documents the inadequacy of construction plans as well as failures in meeting standards and specifications, including Minimum Standard 1, which requires that soil stabilization to be applied within seven days to denuded areas that will remain dormant for longer than 14 days. Notable ongoing issues in Franklin County, VA, include properties on Cahas Mountain Road, Grassy Hill Road, and the Iron Ridge Road (all draining into the Blackwater River). The report also details the use of helicopters to spread erosion control pellets called EarthGuard (which contains acrylamide, known to cause cancer, birth defects, and other reproductive harm according to the GHS Safety Data Sheet). Seeding by helicopter does not meet Standard and Specification 3.31, Temporary Seeding; reports indicate that that pellets are being dropped into streams and waterways.
December 2018 Report to Virginia Water Control Board
This report reviews information from 165 citizen submissions received between August 7, 2018, and December 5, 2018, as well as images taken from piloted flights on September 18th, October 12th, and November 11th.
August 2018 Report to Virginia Water Control Board
This report covers 277 volunteer submissions to Mountain Valley Watch from the start of construction in February 2018 through August 7, 2018. Of these, MVW referred 58 potential violations violations to DEQ.
Reports by Partners in the POWHR Coalition
- Hydrogeological Assessment of Watershed Impacts Caused by Constructing the Mountain Valley Gas Pipeline through Summers and Monroe Counties, West Virginia (opens in a new tab). MVP “will cause environmental degradation and destruction which will adversely impact landowners and communities.” -Geologist Pamela C. Dodds, Ph.D.
- Kastning Report on the Geo-Hazards of the Proposed MVP (opens in a new tab). The conclusion of this report is that the karst and associated hazards constitute a serious incompatibility with the proposed pipeline. The effect of these threats on the emplacement and maintenance of the line, as well as the potential hazards of the line on the natural environment, renders this region as a ‘no-build’ zone for the project.
- Analysis of 2018 Precipitation In Virginia along the MVP Right-of-Way (opens in a new tab). This report by Thomas E. Adams III, PhD, demonstrates that with the exception of a single rainfall event in Franklin County, VA, only slightly higher than normal monthly rainfall totals occurred along the MVP route in 2018 (despite record annual precipitation for some areas in the Southwest Virginia region). Failures of MVP’s erosion and sedimentation control measures were dominantly the result of poor design, construction, and maintenance, NOT record rainfall.