Cardinal Reclamation Seeks Permit to Discharge Stormwater Near Jolo

Cardinal Reclamation Company, LLC has filed an application with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection seeking reissuance of WVNPDES permit WV1021303, which would authorize untreated stormwater discharges from the Vansant No. 5A deep mine into unnamed tributaries of Wolfpen Branch of Bradshaw Creek, approximately 2.0 miles southwest of Jolo in Sandy River District. The DEP's public notice, first published March 27, 2026, names the downstream waterway chain that runs from those tributaries through Dry Fork into the Tug Fork River system and asks residents to come forward if their households draw water from those streams.

The permit reissuance is not automatic. Under the Article 11/WVNPDES framework, DEP's technical review will factor in public comments and information gathered about private intakes before deciding whether to approve permit WV1021303 with conditions, require additional controls, or impose discharge restrictions. Untreated stormwater from reclamation operations can carry sediment and dissolved metals, and the agency's intake survey is designed to identify households, small water systems, and livestock facilities that could be exposed to those discharges downstream of the Wolfpen Branch discharge point at coordinates Longitude 81° 50' 54" and Latitude 37° 18' 49".

DEP is specifically requesting names, phone numbers, mailing addresses, stream names, and physical locations of any private surface-water intakes used for human consumption on the receiving streams downstream of the proposed discharge. That information will be used to assess whether monitoring requirements, intake relocation, turbidity limits, or other protective permit conditions are warranted before the Vansant No. 5A mine operation proceeds.

Because the receiving waters feed the broader Tug Fork River system, the potential exposure area extends beyond Jolo to downstream communities throughout McDowell County and the southern coalfields. Residents, civic leaders, and local health officials who believe their water sources fall within the affected drainage should contact DEP's Fayetteville office at 1159 Nick Rahall Greenway, Fayetteville, WV 25840. Statutory timelines govern the public comment period, meaning prompt response is necessary for intake locations to be included in DEP's permit review.

Community input submitted during this period carries real weight: depending on what DEP learns about downstream use, the agency retains authority to condition permit reissuance on stormwater treatment controls or to require baseline sampling before any discharge begins.