For decades working and abandon mines spewed heavy metals, acids, and other pollutants into the water. The area became known for the foul smell, murky water, and seemed to cause many ailments.
In there was a major mine blow out that released highly contaminated water into Muddy Creek that ultimately ended up 16 miles away in Cheat Lake. The contamination was so bad that is lowered the pH of the lake and resulted in another mass animal kill off. Then in a second mine blowout occurred that further contaminated the waters. The water quality became so bad that the Cheat River was named one of the top 10 most endangered rivers by the conservation group American Rivers, Inc.
Fortunately for all of us who enjoy Cheat Lake, a concerned group banded together and formed the River Promise task force. Stand-Up Paddleboard Yoga. Kayaking Cheat Lake provides two accessible launches if you want to kayak or canoe.
Eat, Drink, Have Fun. Eat, Drink, Have Fun There are three restaurants and bars located on the lake. Go Exploring. The launch sites at Edgewater Marina are paid but offer additional services such as gasoline refueling, supplies, and first-come-first-served boat-slip rentals.
Free launch sites at Sunset Beach Marina and Cheat Lake Park are open to the public and offer smaller ramps for walk-up or drive-up watercraft. Visitors to Cheat Lake can choose between a lazy day tubing down the backwaters or high-speed adventure being pulled around the headwaters. Jet skiing is permitted in the headwaters of Cheat Lake, with drop-off points and refueling stations available at Sunset Beach Marina and Edgewater Marina.
Jet ski rentals are also available at Sunset Beach Marina, along with water skis, wakeboarding, and other equipment. Whatever your pace, Cheat Lake is the place. The following are the four public access points to Cheat Lake so you can get in on the fun.
This spot along the Cheat Lake Trail is equipped with family-friendly amenities such as a playground, beach, swimming access, and restrooms. Learn More. Sunset Beach Marina is perhaps the largest of the four entry points. Its gravel parking lot offers spots for those interested in ramp access to Cheat Lake.
Nearby is Lakehouse on the Cheat, a popular dockside restaurant spot with sunset views, and a stocked marine shop for all of your boating needs.
The Ices Ferry Bridge access point is the newest addition to this list. It appeared at the east end of the new Ices Ferry Bridge following its construction in The carry-down access ramp opens up to the upper part of Cheat Lake and is perfect for canoes and kayaks while offering a rocky shore for fishermen to enjoy. The Marina offers summer dock rentals, winter storage, refueling, and supplies to help you get out on the water. The Cheat Lake Trail is a 4. The trail is open walkers and cyclists, offering foot wide paved paths that are handicap accessible.
Docks and pavilions along the trail are perfect for picnics and fishing. More than miles of steep and small creeks that are boatable by experienced kayakers exist above the main stem of the Cheat.
Do not be alarmed if you are driving around this beautiful country and what casually resembles a pool toy goes launching off a 15 foot water fall. Below are the primary and accessible to the public sections of whitewater that make up the main stem of the Cheat:.
The watershed is still very sparsely populated due to the rugged character of the mountains that the river carves through. The cutting of the river has established very steep walls pretty much down to the rivers edge. The flood of also contributed greatly to the decline of these towns when homes were destroyed in the river corridor. In the late s, whitewater paddlers on the Cheat River noticed the water quality degrading. Acid mine drainage AMD was discharging from abandoned mine lands and active coal mines into the river.
AMD occurs when water, oxygen, and bacteria come into contact with pyrite, a mineral that is often associated with the Upper Freeport coal seam. Every year, more rocks in the river were stained bright orange. Right now over miles of streams in Appalachia are polluted by AMD from abandoned mine lands. In the spring of , polluted water from an illegally-sealed major underground coal mine blew out the hillside and poured into Muddy Creek.
The huge release of mine water entered the main stem of the Cheat River just upstream of the Cheat Canyon. The the river ran orange for miles. The resulting discharge impacted not only the Cheat Canyon, but also lowered the pH in Cheat Lake to 4.
A second blowout in further made the problem worse.
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