A new study by a University of Virginia and Vanderbilt University consultant supports a northern route for Corridor H, the Friends of Blackwater say. Nashville, Tenn., environmental consultant Barry Sulkin, with more than 40 years of experience, conducted the study.
“In my opinion FOB northern route stays completely out of all land that contributes runoff or
stream flows to the Thomas reservoir,” the report states.
The report does disclose that Sulkin worked with the Friends of Blackwater “to evaluate impacts and alternatives for the West Virginia Department of Transportation’s (WVDOT) Corridor H Parsons to Davis project in Tucker County, primarily with regard to antidegradation and other water quality
issues.”
The report’s aim was to encourage a route between Parsons and Davis that would avoid impacts to the sensitive areas of the Blackwater Canyon and the Towns of Thomas and Davis, especially the watershed of Thomas.
“This analysis shows that the proposed Northern Route for Corridor H does not go through
Thomas’s drinking water supply,” said Judy Rodd, FOB Director. “The reservoir is an important
resource that must be protected, but it is not an obstacle to a northern route.”
In the report, Sulkin states that he examined both the unpublished WVDOT northern alternative route in the design phase since 2024 called the Blackwater Avoidance Alternative 2 (BAA2), as well as the Friends of Blackwater’s design that has been developed over the past year. The WVDOT’s version is slated to be publicly released in a draft Environmental Impact Statement on Oct. 5.
“Recently I took a closer look at FOB’s northern route, specifically with regard to protection of
the reservoir used by the town of Thomas for its water supply,” the report states.
The report said that Sulkin used an analytical tool from the U.S. Geological Survey called StreamStats and generated a map of the watershed of the Thomas reservoir north of town. The proposed routes were then overlaid on the watershed.