Environmental Assessment - Shenandoah National Park Meadow Run Watershed Restoration Project

National Park Service

Meadow Run is a stream located in the South District of Shenandoah National Park (the park) in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Like other watersheds in the park, decades of acidic deposition (acid rain) from regional air pollution have negatively affected soil and water quality in Meadow Run’s watershed. Acidic soils have altered the water chemistry, impacting species richness and abundance of macroinvertebrates (mostly aquatic insects) and fish such as brook trout. Meadow Run, located in congressionally designated wilderness, is listed as impaired under Section 303d of the Clean Water Act by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VADEQ) because of its elevated acidity (low pH). Acidic deposition has been found to negatively affect songbirds, plants, and forest health in forests similar to the forest in the watershed. These degraded conditions affect ecosystem health and visitor experience. Because of Meadow Run’s underlying bedrock geology, the soil and stream cannot recover naturally to pre-pollution conditions for well over 100 years. Meadow Run specifically has a history of scientific research on acid rain effects and is the ideal size for a restoration effort. Therefore, the park proposes to improve and restore the long-term health of the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem and mitigate the harmful effects of acidic deposition in the Meadow Run watershed.