U.S. Army Corps of Engineers directs CSX to stop mining Nolichucky River

Last week, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sent a letter to CSX Transportation, ordering the rail company to stop mining the Nolichucky River for rock and fill. The letter comes after the Southern Environmental Law Center, on behalf of American Rivers and American Whitewater, sued the Army Corps and two other federal agencies for approving CSX’s harmful mining practices in the Nolichucky River Gorge.

In the letter, the Army Corps states that the company is prohibited from performing “any excavation or dredging of material from the Nolichucky River or its tributaries in both Tennessee and North Carolina” until the Corps gets new approvals in place. Importantly, the letter does not prevent CSX from rebuilding its rail line in a responsible and less destructive way. 

In October, CSX began mining the Nolichucky’s riverbed in Eastern Tennessee and Western North Carolina while repairing a rail line that was washed away during Hurricane Helene. Mining the river for rock and fill is much more destructive than trucking materials in from upland quarries, which is standard practice. The unnecessary mining was inflicting irreparable damage to the river, threatening local businesses, and impacting flooding risk for communities downstream. 

In the weeks since CSX’s mining practices were discovered, community members, state and local officials, and nearby businesses expressed significant concerns about the impact the company’s mining could have on the river and the communities that rely on it. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation also sent a notice of violation to CSX this week and ordered the company to stop excavation of the river. 

Local paddlers and other Nolichucky River enthusiasts are cautiously optimistic that these agency actions will protect the Nolichucky River from unnecessary harm while the railroad is being rebuilt. With this said, at least some excavation below the high water mark appears to be continuing, and the public will be actively monitoring and reporting any violations of the agency orders. 

The Nolichucky River Gorge is a one-of-a-kind natural wonder, described by the Forest Service as “one of the deepest, most spectacular gorges in the eastern United States.” Its stunning beauty and world-class whitewater rapids attract thousands of visitors from all over the region, making the river a key part of the area’s local economies.