SHENANDOAH JUNCTION – The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection is seeking information from Eastern Panhandle residents to improve water quality in the Elks Run watershed.

The agency is prioritizing pollution reduction projects and is interested in local knowledge of situations like eroding streambanks, failing septic systems and un-sewered areas.

The Elk Branch and Elks Run area includes Shenandoah Junction, Bardane, Duffields, Reedson, Sam Michaels Park, and other communities. It spans the part of Jefferson County between, but not including, Kearneysville and Bolivar. Residents of this area are invited to attend a workshop on Jan. 27 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Academy building at Elks Branch Presbyterian Church, 4229 Flowing Springs Road in Shenandoah Junction.

The workshop is sponsored by the DEP, Elks Run Study Committee, The Conservation Fund Freshwater Institute, and other community partners.

The information gathered will be used in a watershed-based plan for the Elks Run watershed, which is all the area that drains to Elks Run and Elk Branch. The resulting watershed-based plan will be submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and will set the stage for future funding opportunities under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act.