Dominion has been involved in a wide range of projects and
programs to conserve important elements of the environment. These projects
have resulted in more than 1,000 acres protected in conservation easements,
46,000 acres of reservoirs and lakes created and protected, and 600 acres of
wetlands created or restored. Two thousand acres of land are managed for wildlife
habitat enhancement. Select a topic to learn more:
The Mt. Storm Power
Station in West Virginia has been a state environmental leader
for its long commitment to improving water quality for game fish, tagging
black bears, improving wildlife habitat, creating wetlands and preserving
pristine wilderness areas. Some key activities include:
Improvements to the power station's 10,000-acre
property, which is home to rich populations of game and non-game species.
Volunteers improve wetlands at Mt. Storm.
To enhance wildlife resources, company biologists
installed 15 mallard duck nests, 20 wood duck boxes and 15 blue bird
nest boxes.A 22-acre wetland was created to compensate for the eight
acres of wetlands taken in the expansion of the station's ash management
facility.
A long-term black bear research program, initiated
in cooperation with the state. This program involves the radio tracking
of scores of wild bear trapped on the property. This cooperative program
continues today and has become a model for other areas.
Nesting Sites
Dominion has erected nesting
platforms for ospreys to avoid nests around operating equipment that could
interfere with operations and nesting schedules.
We have also partnered with Virginia Game and Inland
Fisheries and Virginia Department of Transportation on nesting platforms.
At Surry Power Station, many species of birds frequent
our facilities and, through employee initiatives, we have placed nesting
structures for bluebirds, purple martins, barn owls, wood ducks and ospreys.
Our environmental program is equally comprehensive at
Millstone Power Station. We have erected numerous safe and accessible
nesting sites for osprey, enabling more fledgling birds to survive in
the wild.
Dominion helps ospreys survive in the wild
by building nesting sites.
Protecting Plants
Dominion collaborated with the Virginia Department of Conservation
and Recreation, Natural Heritage Department, to identify and protect colonies
of rare plants on its various rights-of-way.
To date some 129 sites all containing extremely rare plants
have been noted and specific management plans adopted to protect those sites.
Dominion is a member of the Cove
Point Natural Heritage Trust, a unique partnership with the Sierra Club
and the Maryland Conservation Council. The trust ensures the environmental preservation
of a significant portion of the Dominion Cove Point property. The site includes
one of the premier freshwater wetlands on the East Coast and is designed to
preserve the natural beauty of the Chesapeake Bay.
Dominion has been a member of the River Star Program
of the Elizabeth River Project from 2000 to the present. The overall
goal of the program is water quality improvement and habitat enhancement of
the Elizabeth River. Dominion entered into a land conservation agreement
including about 52 acres of wetlands located at the southwest of the power
station. Biologists have performed a delineation of plant species and are
assisting with development of projects to improve the area’s benefit to the river. The Elizabeth
River Project recognized CEC as an achievement level “River Star”
for its efforts with this project.
In addition, Dominion donated 477 acres of extraordinary ecological
habitat called Bear Rocks, to The Nature Conservancy
of West Virginia. The land, located adjacent to the Dolly Sods Wilderness
Area, will be used in perpetuity for conservation purposes.
The Nature Conservancy is creating interpretive materials to make the
area accessible for hiking and wildlife-watching, in a manner compatible
with the protection of the area's natural resources.
Dominion also has made contributions in land and services
to help establish the 800-acre conservation area known as Dutch Gap,
which is adjacent to the Chesterfield Power Station.
As part of Dominion’s landmark agreement with the EPA
and five states in 2003, Dominion committed to funding a series of mitigation
projects intended to improve the air resources and related values in the mid-Atlantic
and Northeast. As of July 2004, all mitigation projects, totaling $13.9 million,
had been funded by Dominion. Mitigation projects funded by Dominion included:
Clean Diesel, Idle Reduction and School Bus Retrofit Projects
in Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Maryland.
Acquisition, restoration, and management of resource lands
to effectively mitigate the impacts of abandoned mined lands in southwest
Virginia.
Installation of solar photovoltaics on municipal buildings
in New York.
Installation of particulate emission controls on late-model
conventional diesel buses used to transport commuters from various locations
in the State of New Jersey into New York City.
Application of lime to acidic streams and lakes in West
Virginia.
Purchase of hybrid vehicles and EPA 2004 compliant Heavy-Duty
Diesel vehicles for use by National Park Service staff in Shenandoah National
Park.
Dominion Pledges $250,000 to Maryland Artificial Reef Initiative
The Dominion
Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Dominion contributed $250,000 to Coastal
Conservation Association Maryland (CCA Md) to support construction of artificial
reefs in the Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay.
The contribution makes Dominion
the largest single supporter of the Maryland Artificial Reef Initiative [MARI],
which will utilize concrete rubble from the old Woodrow Wilson Bridge in Washington,
D.C., to build new reefs in the Chesapeake Bay. Funds provided by Dominion
and other contributors will pay for transporting the material and depositing
it in select areas of the bay.
The reefs will enhance marine ecosystems and
pave the way for widespread restoration efforts throughout the Chesapeake Bay
to the benefit of seagrasses, oysters, crabs, sea ducks, and many other forms
of marine life. The reefs will provide critical habitat that is desperately
needed throughout the Chesapeake Bay.
Brayton Point Station Water Conservation - Use
of Recycled Water
At Dominion's Brayton Point power plant in Massachusetts,
a project is currently underway to re-use treated sanitary wastewater as process
water for new emissions control equipment. Rather than using drinking water-quality
resources, treated water from a nearby wastewater treatment facility will provide
approximately 0.61 million gallons per day of water for two sulfur dioxide emission
control "scrubbers" being constructed at the power plant.
A 1.8-mile pipeline will convey the reclaimed water from the
Municipal Water Pollution Control facility to the power plant. Ultimately, a
total of 1.28 million gallons per day of water from the wastewater treatment
facility will be re-used at the power plant for emission control and other processes
within the plant.
Corporate Wetlands Partnership
Dominion
has joined with other companies and government agencies to collaborate on wetland
restoration projects in Massachusetts and Virginia. The Corporate Wetlands
Restoration Partnership works to bring together private companies and federal
and state agencies on environmental projects. Such projects include restoration
of a wide variety of aquatic habitats — from salt marshes and fish runs along
the coast to rivers, lake and freshwater wetlands.
Little Back Creek Initiative
As a key goal of the Bath
County Pumped Storage Station's environmental stewardship commitment, biologists
from Dominion and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries are jointly
monitoring the health of Little Back Creek and the native brook trout population.
Little Back Creek flows through the station's property from its upper reservoir.
Each fall, the biologists evaluate the stream and the size of the brook trout
population, and also gather information on the availability of insects and minnows
that make up a trout's diet.
Dominion and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
have partnered with the national conservation organization Trout
Unlimited (TU) to launch a new watershed restoration initiative in
the headwaters of the Potomac River in West Virginia. The Dominion Foundation
and the Wildlife Foundation each provided $100,000 grants.
The Potomac Headwaters Home
Rivers Initiative will initially focus on the headwaters of the South
Branch of the Potomac in Hardy, Pendleton, and Grant Counties, West Virginia.
The initiative will work closely with local communities, landowners, and
state and federal agencies to improve fish habitat and water quality through
a combination of voluntary measures, including on-the-ground restoration
projects.
An important emphasis of the project will be expanding
habitat for brook trout, the only trout native to the region.
Dominion and TU have engaged in a series of projects
over the last several years, including several stream restoration projects
in Virginia and West Virginia; construction of an access dock for disabled
anglers on Lake Sherando in Augusta County, Virginia; and production of
an educational video on the effects of acid rain on Virginia’s mountains.
TU Project Director Bryan Moore
beside a muddied stream
on the project site.
Click on the image below to view a detailed map of the project location.
The Three Rivers Habitat Partnership initiative
involved work along Beaver Run stream at
Dominion Transmission's Oakford Station.
Wildlife Habitat Council's
Three Rivers Habitat Partnership
Over the past several years, Dominion
has supported a backyard buffer project initiative by the Three Rivers
Habitat Partnership.
TRHP and Dominion employees worked together
to stabilize the banks of the Beaver Run stream which meandors through
Dominion Transmission's Oakford Station. They planted more than 300
native trees and shrubs.
Employees also constructed and erected
bluebird nest boxes and bat boxes to support a balanced wildlife habitat
at the site.
The site has been used for several workshops
sponsored by the Partnership and students from a local high school visited
the site to conduct a stream study.
