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Clean Water Act discharge permit · NPDES WV1020153

LAUREL BRANCH SURFACE MINE, Dunlow, WV: NPDES WV1020153 discharge permit, effluent exceedances, inspections, penalties

LAUREL BRANCH SURFACE MINE, held by ARGUS ENERGY WV, LLC, holds NPDES permit WV1020153, which discharges to Twelvepole Ck. EPA’s file records it issued March 2, 2016 and expiring August 17, 2020.

LAUREL BRANCH SURFACE MINE, Dunlow, West Virginia: Individual permit WV1020153, held by ARGUS ENERGY WV, LLC; Administratively continued (past its expiration date and still in force until reissued); issued March 2, 2016, term to August 17, 2020; discharges to TWELVEPOLE CK.

  • pH: 54 limits, 1,293 violations of any kind, 1 effluent exceedance, latest October 31, 2021.
  • Selenium, total recoverable: 57 limits, 1,659 violations of any kind, 0 effluent exceedances.
  • Iron, total [as Fe]: 57 limits, 1,566 violations of any kind, 0 effluent exceedances.
  • Aluminum, dissolved [as Al]: 57 limits, 1,566 violations of any kind, 0 effluent exceedances.
  • Aluminum, total [as Al]: 57 limits, 1,558 violations of any kind, 0 effluent exceedances.
  • Specific conductance: 47 limits, 1,254 violations of any kind, 0 effluent exceedances.
  • Sulfate, total [as SO4]: 47 limits, 1,254 violations of any kind, 0 effluent exceedances.
  • Solids, total dissolved: 47 limits, 1,254 violations of any kind, 0 effluent exceedances.
  • Solids, total suspended: 36 limits, 1,036 violations of any kind, 0 effluent exceedances.
  • Flow rate: 36 limits, 944 violations of any kind, 0 effluent exceedances.
  • Solids, settleable: 18 limits, 664 violations of any kind, 0 effluent exceedances.
  • Manganese, total [as Mn]: 25 limits, 586 violations of any kind, 0 effluent exceedances.
  • Stream flow, instantaneous: 8 limits, 160 violations of any kind, 0 effluent exceedances.
  • October 15, 2026: Reconnaissance without Sampling (S).
  • September 11, 2026: Reconnaissance without Sampling (S).
  • May 6, 2026: Sampling (S).
  • January 16, 2026: Reconnaissance without Sampling (S).

Other permits held by ARGUS ENERGY WV, LLC

LAUREL BRANCH SURFACE MINE among its neighbors

EPA’s permit file holds 9 discharge permits in the Upper East Fork Twelvepole Creek subwatershed (HUC 050901020202), WV1020153 among them. Its county holds 70, 2 of them major permits; WV1020153 is a minor permit.

Other permits in the Upper East Fork Twelvepole Creek subwatershed (HUC 050901020202)

Identity

Facility as filedLAUREL BRANCH SURFACE MINE
Permittee as filedARGUS ENERGY WV, LLC
NPDES IDWV1020153
Permit statusAdministratively continued (past its expiration date and still in force until reissued)
Permit typeIndividual permit
Discharger classMinor discharger
Facility typeNot a publicly owned treatment works
IssuedMarch 2, 2016
Expiration dateAugust 17, 2020
AddressDunlow, WV 25511
Receiving waterTWELVEPOLE CK
Receiving water impaired303(D) Listed
SubwatershedUpper East Fork Twelvepole Creek (HUC 050901020202)
SIC1221 – Bituminous Coal And Lignite - Surface
Other EPA IDs (FRS)RCRA handler WVR000519157

Effluent limits and exceedances

An effluent exceedance is a discharge monitoring report value over the permit’s numeric limit (EPA’s violation code E90). A violation of any kind also counts a report not filed. Each row is EPA’s own count for that pollutant.

Pollutant or measureLimitsViolations, any kindEffluent exceedancesLatest exceedanceLargest exceedance, as filed
pH541,2931October 31, 2021
Selenium, total recoverable571,6590
Iron, total [as Fe]571,5660
Aluminum, dissolved [as Al]571,5660
Aluminum, total [as Al]571,5580
Specific conductance471,2540
Sulfate, total [as SO4]471,2540
Solids, total dissolved471,2540
Solids, total suspended361,0360
Flow rate369440
Solids, settleable186640
Manganese, total [as Mn]255860
Stream flow, instantaneous81600

Inspections, violations and enforcement

EPA’s single-event violation file, as loaded, holds no violation for NPDES WV1020153.

Inspections

DateWhat EPA recordedAgency
October 15, 2026Reconnaissance without SamplingS
September 11, 2026Reconnaissance without SamplingS
May 6, 2026SamplingS
January 16, 2026Reconnaissance without SamplingS

Formal enforcement and penalties

0 formal actions, 0 of them with a penalty assessed. Federal and state penalties are separate figures from separate authorities and are shown as each was filed, never added together.

Informal enforcement

EPA’s informal enforcement file holds no action for NPDES WV1020153.

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Nearby on the register

Figures from EPA’s ICIS-NPDES download, loaded October 14, 2026.

What this page shows

This public-records page covers Clean Water Act NPDES permit WV1020153 for the Laurel Branch Surface Mine in Dunlow, WV, held by Argus Energy WV, LLC, which discharges to Twelvepole Ck and is administratively continued. The page lists a discharger class of 13, 1 pollutant under a numeric limit, and 1 pollutant with an effluent exceedance.