Clean Water Act discharge permit · NPDES WV1026038

ATWELL BRANCH SURFACE MINE, Bartley, WV: NPDES WV1026038 discharge permit, effluent exceedances, inspections, penalties

Administratively continuedPermit status
MinorDischarger class
13Pollutants under a numeric limit
0Pollutants with an effluent exceedance
3Inspections on file
0Formal enforcement actions

ATWELL BRANCH SURFACE MINE, held by GME MINING & RECLAMATION, INC., holds NPDES permit WV1026038, which discharges to Atwell Br. EPA’s file records it issued November 14, 2019 and expiring November 7, 2024.

ATWELL BRANCH SURFACE MINE, Bartley, West Virginia: Individual permit WV1026038, held by GME MINING & RECLAMATION, INC.; Administratively continued (past its expiration date and still in force until reissued); issued November 14, 2019, term to November 7, 2024; discharges to ATWELL BR.

Manganese, total [as Mn]: 72 limits, 276 violations of any kind, 0 effluent exceedances.
Aluminum, total [as Al]: 66 limits, 276 violations of any kind, 0 effluent exceedances.
Aluminum, dissolved [as Al]: 66 limits, 276 violations of any kind, 0 effluent exceedances.
Iron, total [as Fe]: 64 limits, 270 violations of any kind, 0 effluent exceedances.
Specific conductance: 62 limits, 258 violations of any kind, 0 effluent exceedances.
Sulfate, total [as SO4]: 62 limits, 258 violations of any kind, 0 effluent exceedances.
Solids, total dissolved: 62 limits, 258 violations of any kind, 0 effluent exceedances.
Solids, total suspended: 54 limits, 216 violations of any kind, 0 effluent exceedances.
pH: 44 limits, 180 violations of any kind, 0 effluent exceedances.
Flow rate: 36 limits, 144 violations of any kind, 0 effluent exceedances.
Solids, settleable: 18 limits, 96 violations of any kind, 0 effluent exceedances.
Hardness, total [as CaCO3]: 10 limits, 90 violations of any kind, 0 effluent exceedances.
Stream flow, instantaneous: 8 limits, 36 violations of any kind, 0 effluent exceedances.
Alkalinity, total [as CaCO3]: 0 limits, 36 violations of any kind, 0 effluent exceedances.
Calcium, total [as Ca]: 0 limits, 36 violations of any kind, 0 effluent exceedances.
Magnesium, total [as Mg]: 0 limits, 36 violations of any kind, 0 effluent exceedances.
Sodium, total [as Na]: 0 limits, 36 violations of any kind, 0 effluent exceedances.
Potassium, total [as K]: 0 limits, 36 violations of any kind, 0 effluent exceedances.
Toxicity [chronic], Ceriodaphnia dubia: 0 limits, 12 violations of any kind, 0 effluent exceedances.

September 22, 2026: Reconnaissance without Sampling (S).
April 21, 2026: Reconnaissance without Sampling (S).
February 19, 2026: Sampling (S).

ATWELL BRANCH SURFACE MINE among its neighbors

EPA’s permit file holds 16 discharge permits in the Middle Dry Fork subwatershed (HUC 050702010104), WV1026038 among them. Its county holds 171, 1 of them major permits; WV1026038 is a minor permit.

Other permits in the Middle Dry Fork subwatershed (HUC 050702010104)

AMBUSH MINE NO. 2, Oceana: WV0048810, minor permit, discharging to TUG FK, permit term to July 27, 2023
AMBUSH MINE NO. 3 AND HARMON BRANCH MINE NO. 2, Caretta: WV1021257, minor permit, discharging to DRY FK/TUG FK/BIG SANDY RV, permit term to January 13, 2024
BAKERS BRANCH COAL REFUSE DISPOSAL FACILITY, Welch: WV1028995, minor permit, discharging to BARRENSHA CK, permit term to June 12, 2022
BARRENSHE COAL CO, Caretta: WV1027549, minor permit, discharging to CLEAR FK BR, permit term to March 22, 2023
CARETTA MINE NO. 3, Caretta: WV1016369, minor permit, discharging to BARRENSHA CK, permit term to December 26, 2023
CARETTA MINING NO COST RECLAMATION, Caretta: WVR112655, minor permit, permit term to April 5, 2029
CARETTA PREPARATION PLANT AND REFUSE SITES, Coalwood: WV0003018, minor permit, discharging to BARRENSHA CK, permit term to July 23, 2023
DEEP MINE NO. 32, Caretta: WV1016270, minor permit, discharging to BARRENSHA CK, permit term to July 20, 2023
HARMON BRANCH HAULROAD, War: WV1030582, minor permit, discharging to HARMON BR/BARRENSHA CK, permit term to December 16, 2030
HARMON BRANCH SEWELL MINE NO. 2 & NO. 3, Caretta: WV1030566, minor permit, discharging to HARMON BR/BARRENSHA CK, permit term to December 11, 2030

Identity

Facility as filed	ATWELL BRANCH SURFACE MINE
Permittee as filed	GME MINING & RECLAMATION, INC.
NPDES ID	WV1026038
Permit status	Administratively continued (past its expiration date and still in force until reissued)
Permit type	Individual permit
Discharger class	Minor discharger
Facility type	Not a publicly owned treatment works
Issued	November 14, 2019
Expiration date	November 7, 2024
Address	Bartley, WV 24813
Receiving water	ATWELL BR
Receiving water impaired	303(D) Listed
Subwatershed	Middle Dry Fork (HUC 050702010104)
SIC	1221 – Bituminous Coal And Lignite - Surface

Effluent limits and exceedances

19Pollutants on file
13Under a numeric limit
19With a violation of any kind
0With an effluent exceedance

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 measure	Limits	Violations, any kind
Manganese, total [as Mn]	72	276
Aluminum, total [as Al]	66	276
Aluminum, dissolved [as Al]	66	276
Iron, total [as Fe]	64	270
Specific conductance	62	258
Sulfate, total [as SO4]	62	258
Solids, total dissolved	62	258
Solids, total suspended	54	216
pH	44	180
Flow rate	36	144
Solids, settleable	18	96
Hardness, total [as CaCO3]	10	90
Stream flow, instantaneous	8	36
Alkalinity, total [as CaCO3]	0	36
Calcium, total [as Ca]	0	36
Magnesium, total [as Mg]	0	36
Sodium, total [as Na]	0	36
Potassium, total [as K]	0	36
Toxicity [chronic], Ceriodaphnia dubia	0	12

EPA’s effluent violation file records no exceedance of a numeric limit for NPDES WV1026038.

Inspections, violations and enforcement

0Single-event violations

EPA’s single-event violation file, as loaded, holds no violation for NPDES WV1026038.

Inspections

Date	What EPA recorded	Agency
September 22, 2026	Reconnaissance without Sampling	S
April 21, 2026	Reconnaissance without Sampling	S
February 19, 2026	Sampling	S

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 WV1026038.

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

This public-records page covers NPDES permit WV1026038 for the ATWELL BRANCH SURFACE MINE in Bartley, WV, held by GME MINING & RECLAMATION, INC., which discharges to Atwell Br and is classed as a Minor Discharger. The permit is listed as administratively continued, with the EPA file recording issuance on November 14, 2019 and expiration on November 7, 2024, and the page reports 13 for the discharger class figure, 0 pollutants under a numeric limit, and 0 pollutants with an effluent exceedance.