Experts, Advocates Discuss Future of the Mon River

'It can positively or negatively impact the whole region'

Col. Mike Crall may have grinned a little at his bureaucratic-speak Monday morning when he referred to the Monongahela River as "aquatic infrastructure" —but that didn't mean he was kidding when he said it.

"That's what I see." the officer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said as he regarded the river through the windows of the Waterfront Place Hotel inn the Wharf District.

"It's an industrial resource," he said, it provides drinking water and recreational opportunities. It can positively or negatively impact the whole region."

And the acknowledgement of that was the reason for the gathering at the hotel overlooking the Mon 's banks.

Experts and advocates turned out to talk about the politics and particulars of the significant waterway. Running nearly 130 miles, the river begins in Fairmont and links up with the Allegheny in Pittsburgh to form the Ohio River.

Bass fisherman and jet-skiers share space with barges and tug-boats on the river. which is a lot healthier now than it used to be. said Frank Jernejcic, a fisheries biologist with the state Division of Natural Resources.

"For years we were considered the most heavily polluted river in the U.S. because of acid mine drainage." Jernejcic said.

Now the river is getting into the big-time bass tournament business, with two marquee competitions in the works for the summer.

More than $15 million in economic stimulus money is also being stirred into the water to maintain the network of locks and dams that aid in water control and navigation, Crall said.

That's important. the colonel said. since the Mon is a major transportation venue for shipping coal and limestone to power plants from here to Pittsburgh.

Other fonts of commerce are coursing through the river as well, said Ken Busz. president of the Morgantown Area Chamber of Commerce. The Wharf District is a visible byproduct. he said. but he thinks the river still has untapped potential.

"Right now. it's still an under-utilized resource." he said. "but it's still a real focal point for the community."

Dashiell Harms didn't care about any of that Monday — the 9-week-old snoozed in his carriage as his father, WVU English professor Jim Harms. strolled down the Caperton Trail that meanders along the Mon.

Regarding the water that was reflecting an olive green on the gray Monday. Harms said he liked the idea that people were in town talking about the Mon's potential.

`I think they're probably doing as much as they can:' he said, "And it is a nice river, in its own way.