State of the Run

Bullskin Run Water Management Plan

In order to prioritize restoration, protection and enhancement of the Bullskin, objectives will be to:

• Identify potential stream restoration sites that are impacted by Stormwater Runoff and engage landowners willing to utilize best management practices and low impact development (either in original design or retrofit) to restore stream buffers and prevent future degradation of stream banks and to improve local and downstream water quality; and
• Identify areas subject to flooding hazards and prioritize and educate stakeholders and landowners in mitigating same;
• Identify the habitat: benthic and macroinverterbrate health including tree canopy, wetlands and riparian buffers that contribute to habitat health and water quality.
• Identify areas where Water Quality can be improved; including a focus on the headwaters of the Bullskin.
• Identify resources, grants and local stakeholders to serve as “Friends of The Bullskin” committee to voluntarily work to identify projects and funding, volunteers and collaborative landowner and stakeholder involvement.

Short Term Goals

Our group’s short term goals is to form a “Friends of the Bullskin Watershed” to assess the historical water quality on the Bullskin, picking up on Jefferson County Water Advisory Committee’s (“WAC”) coordination of Dr. Vila’s monitoring sites and sites monitored by others (including sites monitored in the past by WAC members), utilizing that information to solicit interest and launch an educational website and promotional materials and non-profit dedicated to encourage voluntary efforts at non-point sources to protect water quality throughout the Bullskin watershed.

Long Term Goals

The long-term goal is to monitor the water quality of the Bullskin watershed in accordance with state and federally accepted protocols, particularly proximate to where the Bullskin enters the Shenandoah River (a site which is directly opposite to a monitoring site of the Blue Ridge Watershed Coalition in order to obtain two good data points there – on both sides of the Shenandoah river).

Another long-term goal is to involve the Washington High School and South Jefferson Elementary Schools science programs to research the possibility of brook trout viability on the Bullskin Watershed.

Through assessing and creating a knowledge base of information, and forming a voluntary non-profit “Friends of the Bullskin Watershed”, will empower Bullskin residents to join in voluntary best management practices to control non-point sources to reduce TMDL. Working towards a state and federally approved water quality monitoring program, the Friends of the Bullskin can measure their success and assist the County and the WVDEP in meeting mandated TMDL reductions.