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River basin group wants public input on updating plan

By ERIC LONG - elong@sungazette.com POSTED: June 4, 2008 It’s time to update the plan for water. After more than 20 years, the Susquehanna River Basin Commission released a draft of its “Comprehensive Plan for the Water Resources of the Susquehanna River Basin.” The 2008 plan is called a “substantial revision” of the previous guidelines, which were crafted in 1987, according to commission officials. The commission is seeking input from the public about the draft of the new plan, which won’t be finalized until late this year, officials said. Public comment meetings will be held at three sites in the state, including one at 2 p.m. July 9 at the Days Inn and Conference Center in Danville. Other meetings will be held at 2 p.m. July 8 at the Owego Treadway Inn and Suites in Owego, N.Y.; and at 10 a.m. July 10 at the Best Western Eden Resort in Lancaster According to Susan Obleski, director of communications for the commission, it took about a year just to create the draft for the updated plan. “We knew it would take a lot of staff time to do and we wanted to do it justice, to update it,” she said. “Last year, the commissioners and staff made a commitment that we would get it done. It is an impressive document and it is supposed to be a guiding framework for all the work we do.” But the commission isn’t the only group affected by the plan, according to Paul Swartz, executive director for the commission. “This planning project is an extremely important undertaking not only for the commission, but also for its member jurisdictions, water resource manager and other governmental and nongovernmental interests that will benefit from this resource,” he said. “In addition to addressing the more traditional priority water management issues, the draft plan also features numerous current and emerging special-interest topics such as climate change, energy production and emerging contaminants.” Obleski said the commission is involved in water resource issues from flood mitigation, drought management, regulation water use and withdrawals and monitoring water quality in the watershed of the Susquehanna River, which includes the river and its entire drainage basin, from Cooperstown, N.Y., to the Chesapeake Bay and all the land areas to drain into it. “We have a watershed that is 27,510 square miles in size and that is bigger than Vermont, Massachusetts, Delaware and New Jersey put together,” she said. “A lot of it (the plan) is related to water quality and how we regulate water usage and withdrawals. Much of it is a complete overhaul (of the previous plan).” According to commission officials, the plan will include an assessment of water resource needs in the basin, principles, guidance and standards for use of the resource. Six priority management areas that include goals and actions needed for water supply, quality, flooding, ecosystems and even public information are also included. In the draft plan also identifies 12 areas of special interest, including issues that impact the West Branch of the Susquehanna River, such as abandoned mine drainage, consumptive use mitigation, drought coordination, invasive species and migratory fish restoration. “In your area, we looked specifically at abandoned mine drainage and we will look at the gas drilling and the effect that has,” Obleski said At the public comment sessions the commission will give an overview of the draft of the new plan, then accept formal public testimony, followed by an informal question and answer session. The draft plan can be viewed online at www.srbc.net/planning/compplanfiles.asp. Written public comment about the plan will be accepted by the commission until Aug. 18 and may be submitted by mail by writing to: Ava Stoops, administrative specialist, Susquehanna River Basin Commission, 1721 N. Front St., Harrisburg, PA 17102. Written comment may also be submitted via email at astoops@srbc.net.

Middle school students study watersheds

By DAVID KAGAN dbkagan@comcast.net POSTED: May 25, 2008 RAUCHTOWN — What do the seventh graders at Jersey Shore Area Middle School know about streams, watersheds, freshwater aquatic life and fly-fishing? Quite a bit, after studying the environment in class for a month and then recently spending a day at Ravensburg State Park. Science teachers William Ferguson and Tracy Silvis established the school’s watershed education unit four years ago. It was the result of a revamping of the science curriculum to become more aligned with the then newly adopted Pennsylvania State standards in science/technology and environment-ecology. The Ravensburg State Park trip has been the culminating activity the past two years. Outside environmental experts assisted Ferguson and Silvis in leading the students in interesting experiments along Rauchtown Creek at the park. John Kaercher, the Environmental Education Specialist at Little Pine State Park, led the students in doing physical testing along and in the creek. They calculated the volume flow of the stream from measurements of depth, width and velocity. They also checked the slope and the temperature of the creek. Student Nick Caputo, after dipping a thermometer into the waters, reported it as “nine degrees Celsius.” Kaercher, who has conducted numerous programs for northcentral Pennsylvania area students through the years, didn’t seem to be bothered by the fairly steady, rather cold rain that fell during the day May 9.“I’ve been out giving demonstrations when it’s been sleeting,” he said. Half the Jersey Shore Area seventh-grade students came the day before for the all-day program — when it didn’t rain. Three of the lucky May 9 “ducks” were friends Nicole Murray, Libby Hill and Kayla Allen. “It was fun but it was really cold. I got to wear hip boots, which I had never done before, but I fell in anyway because the current was strong,” Murray said. “It was sort of miserable, but it was a great learning experience. We’re learning how to stop pollution,” Hill said. “We learned a lot of stuff. My favorite was macro-invertebrates,” Allen said. Watershed Specialists Carey Entz (Lycoming County) and Erin Dunleavy (Clinton County) led the study of macro-invertebrates (“bugs”). Students actually collected insects from the cold waters of Rauchtown Creek and brought them to a nearby pavilion table to be identified. Among the large diversity of creatures found were stone, caddis, may and black flies, crayfish, an aquatic worm and a tiny salamander. The students clearly very much enjoyed gathering and identifying the stream wildlife, and looking at them under magnifying glasses — with some even letting them crawl around in their hands. Water Specialists Entz and Dunleavy helped lead the students to the happy conclusion that Rauchtown Creek has very little pollution. “We got excellent bugs!” all shouted together. At a third station, students did chemical testing of the waters under the direction of Maryann Haladay-Bierly, the environmental education specialist for Raymond B. Winter and Ravensburg State parks. They determined the hardness of the water, its dissolved oxygen, Ph and the level of nitrates. A fourth activity involved the tie-dying of T-shirts using iron oxide obtained from abandoned mine drainage recovered near Shamokin, Pennsylvania. Silvis pointed out an interesting side-point to the students that watershed restoration people have been raising money to clean up more streams by selling the iron oxide to paint companies to use for their pigments. Finally, students got to learn about and to try their hands at fly-tying and fly-casting. Volunteer members of the Lloyd Wilson Chapter of Trout Unlimited (Ray Rathmell, Richard Rogers, Bill Bailey and Skip Frye) assisted Jersey Shore High School teachers James Smith and Jeffrey Miller instructing and demonstrating. Students enjoyed practicing “over your head and back down” fly-casting into Rauchtown Creek just above the dam. Other adults helping out at the two daylong sessions included student teachers Mark Niedermeyer and Kelly Bradley, from Lock Haven University, and a number of parents of the seventh-graders. Mark Leitch, Jacob Leitch’s father, said that he appreciated the “chance to hang out with” his son. As a result of the educational outing and preparatory, month-long, in-class science program, Jersey Shore Area Middle School’s seventh-graders certainly are more aware of their local Susquehanna Basin Watershed — its valuable features and the dangers that imperil it and the larger natural world. Perhaps some of these students will be inspired by this experience early in their lives to eventually become environmentalists, ecologists or other types of nature scientists.

River commission: Mine drainage needs to be fixed

BY HEIDI RUCKNO STAFF WRITER 05/26/2008 The Susquehanna River Basin Commission thinks it is time to address abandoned mine drainage in Northeastern Pennsylvania. In a recently released draft of its 2008 comprehensive plan, the basin commission called for more active involvement in reclaiming old mine lands that discharge contaminated water into the river. Water quality has long been an issue in the anthracite region, due in large part to the fact that deep mining went largely unregulated until the 1940s, the commission said. Water filled with contaminants, such as coal dust and iron, frequently flowed into the river untreated. When all the coal was excavated, mine operators moved on to the next seam without restoring the earth. As a result, massive amounts of pollutants still flow into the river, said Bob Hughes of the Luzerne Conservation District. Newport and Solomon creeks on the East Side carry much of that contaminated water, said Hughes. Another source of the pollution is the Lackawanna River, near Old Forge and Duryea. The basin commission wants local watershed groups to initiate projects to treat the mine water before it flows into the river, a move Hughes supports. He said that water could be a viable resource for power or wastewater treatment. “It doesn’t even have to meet drinking water standards,” said Hughes. While there are no major projects proposed in the anthracite region, the basin commission has been involved with reclamation projects on the West Branch of the Susquehanna, in the bituminous coal fields. They partnered with Trout Unlimited to secure the funding, said Susan Obleski, a spokeswoman for the basin commission. Money for reclamation, however, is always an issue. Hughes supports a proposal that would raise the fees for consumptive use in the basin. “Maybe as an offset to that fee being increased for consumptive use or water storage, more money could be put into investments for capital improvement projects or maintenance,” Hughes said. Water from the Susquehanna River basin is a source for drinking water for millions of people, inside and out of the basin. Hydroelectric power from the river is also a valuable source of energy. In the Wilkes-Barre area and on the West Side, the majority of public drinking water comes from Huntsville Dam in the Back Mountain, said Susan Turcmanovich, a spokeswoman for Pennsylvania American Water. The reservoir is constructed along Toby Creek, which flows directly into the Susquehanna River. Most of Luzerne and Lackawanna counties lie within the Susquehanna River basin, except for a small portion of eastern municipalities, Turcmanovich said. hruckno@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2109

West Branch of the Susquehanna Restoration Symposium IV

Date: Jul 18th & 19th, 2008 (Fri & Sat) Location: Nittany Lion Inn, State College, PA This event serves as a forum for the exchange of ideas regarding AMD abatement in the region and provides an excellent opportunity for networking among volunteers, policy-makers, technical experts, students, and others interested in restoring land and water impacted by AMD - the largest source of pollution to the Commonwealth’s waterways. View the Registration Brochure. Contact Amy Wolfe at Trout Unlimited with any questions you may have regarding the Symposium or the West Branch Susquehanna Restoration Initiative. Amy can be reached at (570)726-3118 or awolfe@tu.org.

PA man survives 500-foot fall into strip mine

Apr 25, 09:10 PM EDT By MICHAEL RUBINKAM - Associated Press Writer ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) -- A man survived a 500-foot fall into a strip mine Friday, astounding rescuers who spent hours on a risky descent into the abyss to bring him back out. Police said Nathan Bowman was trespassing on coal company property around 1 a.m. Friday when he slipped and fell into the Springdale Pit, an inactive mine about 700 feet deep, 3,000 feet long and 1,500 feet wide. Bowman tumbled down a jagged slope and then free-fell several hundred feet, his descent broken by a rock ledge not far from the bottom of the pit, said Coaldale Police Chief Timothy Delaney, who helped direct the rescue effort. "If you look at that drop, there was no way somebody could survive that," Delaney said. Bowman, 23, of Tamaqua, was in serious condition Friday night at St. Luke's Hospital in Bethlehem. The extent and nature of his injuries was not clear, although rescuer John Fowler said it appeared he suffered a number of fractures. Bowman and a friend were walking around the pit when he went over the side. The friend called 911, and Coaldale police and firefighters began a frantic search, according to Delaney. State police got into the act several hours later, using a helicopter, floodlights and thermal imaging to try to pinpoint Bowman's location in the pit, about 90 miles northwest of Philadelphia. "It got really, really dangerous," Delaney said. "My guys were fantastic; they were heroes, risking their lives in total darkness." The search was called off at daybreak. Shortly thereafter, Delaney went to the offices of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Co., which owns the Springdale Pit, to notify officials of the situation. "I said, 'Let's take a ride over there and show me where it occurred,'" said Fowler, 40, a project manager at the company. Their luck was better this time. "Within about three minutes, we found him," Fowler said. "I thought I could hear a muffled call for help. We yelled to him and asked him where he was, and he said he thought he was on a ledge." Fowler, who moonlights as a state firefighter instructor, and a Coaldale police sergeant scouted a relatively safe route to Bowman and stayed with him until more help arrived. Two firefighters rappelled down to the ledge, loaded Bowman onto a basket and tied themselves to it. Then all three were painstakingly hoisted up. Bowman was lucid when he arrived at the top of the pit late Friday morning, wanting his harness loosened, asking that someone call his brother and expressing fear about riding in a medical helicopter, said Sarah Curran Smith, a vice president at Lehigh Coal. Bowman's survival is "pretty unbelievable," she said. "I think the universe has bigger plans for Nathan. I hope he realizes that." Bowman faces charges including defiant trespass, according to Delaney.

Stream Improvement Information Sought

by Andy McAllister, Watershed Coordinator updated by Michael Hewitt, Outreach Coordinator Do you have a stream that you think has improved due to a pollution abatement project ? If you do, we need your help. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's Non-point Source Program has enlisted the aid of EPCAMR and WPCAMR to help find those improved streams across Pennsylvania. The information you provide will assist PA DEP biologists in their efforts to target specific streams for a biological reassessment. If the stream or a segment of the stream has indeed improved, PA DEP could consider it for removal from the list of impaired waterways in the Commonwealth. The list of impaired waters (formerly known as the 303(d) list) is now part of what is called the "Integrated List". Impaired waters are those waterways that are not meeting their "designated use", in other words, the biological community in those streams is adversely affected by AMD, sediment, or any number of other pollutants. Designated uses are those uses specified in the state's water quality standards for each water body or segment whether or not they are being attained. An example of a designated use in Pennsylvania is "CWF", meaning a Cold Water Fishery, capable of sustaining a healthy cold water biological community (eg. a stream where trout live and reproduce). Removal of a stream or stream segment from the impaired waters list is a concrete way of showing that pollution reduction projects are having a positive impact on our streams. If you are in the EPCAMR Region and think you have a stream or a segment of a stream that was impaired and is now not, we invite you to share what you know by filing out the information form at the "Cantidate Stream for Reassessment" page. Water quality information showing the improvement is a plus, please forward this to Michael Hewitt, hardcoal@epcamr.org. By sharing your information, you can help direct state efforts to locate recovered streams and remove them from the list.

2007 Growing Greener Grant Announcement

Governor Rendell Says Pennsylvania Building on its Environmental Commitment through Latest Growing Greener Grants HARRISBURG (March 7) -- Governor Edward G. Rendell today continued Pennsylvania’s commitment to the environment by announcing a $22 million investment in more than 120 projects that will help restore the state’s polluted streams, provide clean water, and help prevent devastating floods in communities across the commonwealth The Governor said Pennsylvania’s long mining history and extensive farm industry have created challenges that affect the state’s natural water resources. Additionally, regular floods throughout the state have diminished the effectiveness of natural and man-made measures designed to protect people, businesses and communities. With the $22.3 million in grants announced today, however, Pennsylvania will expand its efforts to address these challenges. “Pennsylvania has been blessed with incredible natural resources,” said Governor Rendell. “Unfortunately our streams have been tainted by agricultural run-off and acid mine drainage from the unregulated activity of the past. Furthermore, recurring floods in many places have eroded stream banks and rendered many flood measures ineffective, which can exacerbate the damage caused to our communities. “The $22.3 million in grants we’re announcing today will help undo this damage with effective treatment systems, agricultural best management practices, stabilization work, stormwater management strategies, and flood protection projects. Together, these measures will help restore the health and natural functions of our streams.” Of the $22.3 million awarded today by the Department of Environmental Protection, $9 million comes from the Growing Greener program in the form of watershed grants and $10.1 million comes from the Growing Greener II initiative. The remaining $3.2 million was awarded by DEP in nonpoint source implementation program grants, which are funded by the federal government through Section 319(h) of the Clean Water Act. The grants support acid mine drainage treatment facilities, stream bank stabilization efforts to reduce erosion and protect against flooding, added riparian buffers to filter pollutants before reaching streams, aquatic habitat improvements, and comprehensive watershed protection planning. The grants will also be used to implement innovative agricultural and stormwater management techniques that reduce nonpoint source pollution in streams. This year, DEP is allocating up to $2 million to begin addressing the unmet operation and maintenance costs of acid mine drainage remediation projects. The grant funds also will support the first Watershed Renaissance Initiative, awarding $381,000 to treat acid mind discharges in Indiana County’s Bear Run watershed. The new initiative is intended to fund the complete or substantial implementation of an existing watershed restoration plan by encouraging public-private partnerships, long-term coordinated stewardship of the water resources, and educational outreach to promote environmental protection. Smaller, impaired watersheds that have existing comprehensive plans to restore water quality are targeted through the Watershed Renaissance Initiative, which will again be available in next year’s grant round. Since 1999, DEP has invested more than $190 million in watershed grants for 1,657 projects in all 67 counties of Pennsylvania through the traditional Growing Greener program. The grants are used to create or restore wetlands, restore stream buffer zones, eliminate causes of nonpoint source pollution, plug oil and gas wells, reclaim abandoned mine lands and restore aquatic life to streams that were lifeless due to acid mine drainage. Voters overwhelmingly approved the $625 million Growing Greener II initiative in May 2005 to clean up rivers and streams; protect natural areas, open spaces and working farms; and shore up key programs to improve quality of life and revitalize communities across the commonwealth. Since then, DEP has awarded $38.5 million for watershed projects to make Pennsylvania healthier, a better place to live, and more competitive in attracting and supporting business investment. DEP is now accepting grant applications for the next Growing Greener grant round. Applications will be accepted until May 16. For more information or to download a grant application form, visit www.depweb.state.pa.us, keyword: Growing Greener. EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a list by county of the 124 watershed restoration and protection grants: ADAMS COUNTY Watershed Alliance of Adams County - $15,300 for operation and maintenance of the East Berlin Stream Gauge on the Conewago Creek. ALLEGHENY COUNTY Bridgeville - $50,000 for streambank stabilization on McLaughlin Run. Township of Upper St. Clair - $140,000 for water quality and habitat improvement on Chartiers Creek. Trout Unlimited, Penn’s Woods West Chapter - $133,055 for stream restoration on Little Pine Creek. Jefferson Hills - $60,000 to stabilize a portion of Peters Creek that experiences severe erosion. ARMSTRONG COUNTY Parks Township - $24,950 for streambank stabilization and erosion control on Carnahan Run. Armstrong Conservation District - $78,375 to remediate erosion issues along a 5.5 mile length of Plum Creek through utilization of natural stream design techniques and restoration of riparian buffers. Armstrong Conservation District - $8,229 to restore and protect a portion of Buffalo Creek. Armstrong Conservation District - $24,850 to assess 46 square miles of watersheds in Armstrong County that flow directly into the Allegheny River. The assessment would identify and prioritize problems including acid mine discharge, flooding, combined sewer overflows, sedimentation/erosion, and agricultural problems. Armstrong Conservation District - $35,000 to reclaim five acres of abandoned mine land and convert the land into productive pastureland utilizing an intensive rotational grazing system. BEAVER COUNTY Independence Conservancy - $330,000 to continue stream restoration/stabilization at four sites on Raredon Run. BEDFORD COUNTY Broad Top Township - $375,000 for the design and construction of a passive treatment system in the headwaters of Sandy Run. Broad Top Township - $15,600 for the design and construction of a passive treatment system in the headwaters of Sandy Run. Juniata Clean Water Partnership - $100,000 for retrofitting the Tussey Mountain High School parking lot with a porous surface, leading to an interceptor water garden to protect an impaired stream. BERKS COUNTY Berks County Conservation Association - $171,660 to install innovative stormwater management techniques on the county agricultural campus to improve water quality and for educational purposes. BLAIR COUNTY City of Altoona - $100,000 for the final phase of stream improvements on Mill Run. BRADFORD COUNTY Schrader Creek Watershed Association - $129,985 to build a passive acid mine discharge treatment system on Coal Run, a tributary to Schrader Creek. Canton Township - $135,000 for streambank stabilization, dirt and gravel road improvement and agricultural best management practices on eight farms in the North Branch Towanda Creek watershed. Sylvania - $7,500 for a natural stream channel design for Wallace Run, a tributary to Sugar Creek. BUCKS COUNTY American Littoral Society - $145,000 for stream stabilization and restoration for a portion of Swamp Creek. Warrington Township - $100,000 to install stormwater best management practices, including rain gardens, rain barrels, retrofitting basins, and to provide public education and outreach in the Little Neshaminy Creek watershed. Bucks County Conservation District - $6,408 for organizing a new watershed advocacy organization, the Aquetong Watershed Association, in Solebury Township and New Hope. Heritage Conservancy - $52,170 for education, outreach and streambank stabilization along an unnamed tributary to the Little Neshaminy Creek on the Lindsay Farm Preserve. BUTLER COUNTY Wild Waterways Conservancy - $42,800 for removal of concrete dam and submerged wooden dam at Harmony Junction in Jackson Township. CAMBRIA COUNTY Clearfield Creek Watershed Association - $40,828 for design of a passive treatment system to treat 3 acid mine drainage discharges in the headwaters of Little Laurel Run. Cambria County Conservation District – $172,180 for acid mine discharge treatment on Trout Run, including an innovative limestone bed treatment system. Cambria County Conservation District – $105,000 for four limestone bed treatment systems to treat abandoned mine discharge flowing to an active brook trout fishery on the South Fork Little Conemaugh River. Dunlo Rod and Gun Club - $27,678 to raise alkalinity in the main stem of the South Fork Little Conemaugh River to restore brook trout to lower stream reaches. CENTRE COUNTY ClearWater Conservancy of Central Pennsylvania - $34,150 to remove the remains of Dayton Dam, restore stream channel and install fish habitat structures to enhance the existing wild trout fishery. Milesburg - $5,000 to establish the Bald Eagle Watershed Association. Centre Region Council of Governments - $10,000 for education and outreach on stream buffer protection. CHESTER COUNTY Tredyffrin Township - $64,415 for the construction of rock infiltration trenches at two storm sewer outfalls. Brandywine Valley Association - $54,500 for stream and floodplain restoration on an unnamed tributary to Doe Run. CLEARFIELD COUNTY Emigh Run/Lakeside Watershed Association Inc. - $170,646 for acid mine drainage treatment on Emigh Run. Pike Township - $400,082 for design and reclamation of acid mine discharges on Anderson Creek. Lawrence Township Supervisors - $47,063 for the design, permitting and engineering design costs of a passive treatment system for unnamed tributary of Montgomery Creek. Emigh Run/Lakeside Watershed Association - $17,292 for an acid mine treatment system study for the upper most reaches of Hubler Run. Clearfield Creek Watershed Association - $49,000 to assess acid mine drainage to Muddy Run and its tributaries and develop a restoration and sampling plan. CLINTON COUNTY Trout Unlimited - $595,000 for a passive treatment system for discharges to Two Mile Run, a tributary to lower Kettle Creek. Trout Unlimited - $99,363 for mine pool stabilization at the Kettle Creek Coal Co. mine No. 1. Keystone Central School District - $40,000 to convert a former agricultural field adjacent to the school into a wetland and convert five acres of adjoining upland native grasses for use as a wetlands educational tool. CRAWFORD COUNTY Crawford County Conservation District - $210,000 for installation of agricultural best management practices on eight farms. Allegheny College - $25,000 for an environmental assessment of the Mill Run watershed. CUMBERLAND COUNTY Trout Unlimited, Cumberland County Chapter - $6,863 to remove floodplain and channel obstructions associated with the Piper Mill and Thomas Hatchery operations on Big Spring Creek. DAUPHIN COUNTY Dauphin County Conservation District - $256,790 for construction of a passive treatment system for discharges polluting Bear Creek and Wiconisco Creek. DELAWARE COUNTY Villanova University - $185,000 for stormwater wetland best management practice reconfiguration. Swarthmore - $21,759 to address stormwater management at a playground and pocket park in an urban area. ELK COUNTY Elk County Freshwater Association - $250,000 for two treatment systems on Big Mill Creek to abate the persistent acidic conditions. ERIE COUNTY Mercyhurst College - $106,500 for a two-year E. coli bacteria monitoring study of the Walnut Creek and Elk Creek watersheds that will identify sources of the bacteria and lead to an action plan that will assist in resolving the bacteria pollution issues in the Lake Erie tributaries. Erie County Conservation District - $300,000 for 40 agricultural best management practices projects to reduce nonpoint source pollution from farms. City of Erie - $65,180 for installation of a litter/debris trap on the lower Mill Creek channel at the city’s wastewater treatment facility. FAYETTE COUNTY Jacob’s Creek Watershed - $54,195 to apply best management practices to eliminate shore erosion, and improve water quality and fish habitat in Greenlick Lake. Fayette County Conservation District – $131,828 to design and implement agricultural nutrient and sediment reduction best management practices in headwater streams. FRANKLIN COUNTY Falling Spring Greenway - $200,000 to restore degraded reaches of the Falling Spring Branch for the benefit of aquatic species and upland wildlife. FULTON COUNTY Fulton County Conservation District - $283,750 for restoration of Spring Run. Fulton County Conservation District - $160,500 for a publicly accessible greenway with a stable stream channel and a walking trail along Big Cove Creek. Fulton County Conservation District - $113,770 for providing incentives for 2,000 acres of cover crops on corn silage fields, a no-till farming strategy. INDIANA COUNTY Indiana County Conservation District - $160,000 for agricultural best management practices on 10 farms in various watersheds throughout Indiana County. Indiana County Conservation District - $380,709 for a Watershed Renaissance Initiative to abate acid mine discharges to Bear Run, a tributary of the West Branch Susquehanna. Stream Restoration Inc. - $14,000 to develop a conceptual plan to treat acid mine discharges at the McIntyre refuse pile, including use of an innovative pre-treatment technology. LACKAWANNA COUNTY Taylor - $704,127 for channel restoration and culvert construction on the Colliery Property. LANCASTER COUNTY Trout Unlimited, Donegal Chapter - $129,487 for streambank stabilization, fencing and riparian buffer planting along Conowingo Creek. Columbia - $325,000 to implement a variety of stormwater best management practices, including porous asphalt and concrete surfaces, vegetated swales, and rain gardens, at the new Riverfront Park. Franklin & Marshall College - $516,650 for sediment and nutrient monitoring relating to legacy sediments. Enterprising Environmental Solutions - $387,500 to restore a portion of Big Stream Run and remove legacy sediments, reconnect stream to floodplain, restore and create wetlands and riparian buffer. The project will also generate nutrient trading credits and develop some economic value projections for legacy sediments mixed with manure compost. LEBANON COUNTY Lebanon Valley Conservancy - $250,000 to implement best management practices on the Quittapahilla Creek. LUZERNE COUNTY Luzerne County Conservation District - $102,362 to repair damage to Toby Creek caused by flooding. Luzerne County Conservation District - $86,689 for a watershed assessment for use in flood-mitigation planning. LYCOMING COUNTY Rose Valley/Mill Creek Watershed Association - $3,030 for steambank stabilization on Mill Creek. MONTGOMERY COUNTY Whitpain Township - $60,000 to convert two stormwater detention basins to naturalized basins and to increase infiltration and reduce nonpoint source pollution. Upper Dublin Township - $42,283 to restore a portion of Little Pine Run and to restore 25,000 square feet of riparian buffer area. Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association - $40,611 to expand a created wetland area along Bethlehem Pike in Fort Washington to mitigate flood waters, reduce nonpoint source pollution, and provide additional habitat for birds and wildlife. Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust - $50,085 for a large infiltration trench to capture and infiltrate stormwater runoff from approximately 18 acres of suburban residential area and roadway. MONTOUR COUNTY Montour County Conservation District - $63,354 for installation of manure storage on the Seven Springs Farm. NORTHAMPTON COUNTY Northampton County Conservation District - $115,261 to install agriculture best management practices at four agricultural sites determined to be nonpoint sources of nutrients and sediment pollution to the Bushkill-Jacoby watersheds. Wildlands Conservancy - $325,670 to complete the construction of a natural stream channel, floodplain and bank restoration design for more than 1,000 feet of Saucon Creek and an unnamed tributary. Bushkill Stream Conservancy - $107,000 for a constructed wetland within the Bushkill Creek Watershed to ease flooding issues in the College Hill section of Easton and improve water quality. City of Bethlehem - $64,071 to remove the Saucon Creek dam and enhance/stabilize approximately 2,100 feet of stream channel. NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY Northumberland County Conservation District - $79,000 to conduct a feasibility study to treat Quaker Run which is heavily impacted by acid mine discharge from three sources. SCHUYLKILL COUNTY Schuylkill Conservation District - $433,189 to evaluate surface and ground water interactions and possible consequences of acid mine discharge remediation, stream restoration and mine pool utilization. SOMERSET COUNTY Somerset County Conservation District - $86,000 for repairs to two acid mine treatment facilities on Stonycreek River. Shade Creek Watershed Association - $20,000 to raise the alkalinity of various tributaries of Shade Creek to improve water quality. SULLIVAN COUNTY Columbia County Conservation District - $40,000 for acid mine discharge treatment on Heberly Run, a tributary of Fishing Creek. TIOGA COUNTY Babb Creek Watershed Association - $290,000 for two limestone bed passive treatment systems for acid mine discharge on Rock Run, a tributary of Babb Creek. Babb Creek Watershed Association - $21,835 to rehabilitate an acid mine discharge treatment system and convert it to a settling pond and an open limestone ramp. County of Tioga - $30,000 to assess and design streambank stabilization/relocation needs of two miles of Marsh Creek. Benefits include mitigation of flood flows to the Village of Stokesdale, stabilization of an eroding railroad grade, stabilization of specific project sites for a “Rails to Trails” corridor extension and reduction of sediment loading. UNION COUNTY Union County Conservation District - $235,528 for agricultural restoration on impaired subwatersheds. WARREN COUNTY Warren County Conservation District - $25,000 to stabilize streambanks and riparian areas. WASHINGTON COUNTY Washington County Conservation District - $100,000 to convert a vertical flow pond acid mine discharge treatment system into a limestone bed treatment system. WAYNE COUNTY Lake Wallenpaupack Watershed Management District - $7,300 to stabilize the shoreline along Lake Wallenpaupack adjacent to the boating access at Mangan Cove to reduce soil erosion and provide riparian plantings. Wayne Conservation District - $4,614 to start the Equinunk Watershed Alliance to protect and preserve the Equinunk watershed. WESTMORELAND COUNTY Mt. Pleasant Borough Municipal Building - $72,327 to retrofit a stormwater system. Loyalhanna Watershed Association - $500,000 to construct a passive acid mine discharge treatment system to improve the water quality in the Loyalhanna Creek. Turtle Creek Watershed Association - $142,338 for stream restoration and riparian buffering in the Haymaker Run tributary of Turtle Creek. Sewickley Creek Watershed Association - $95,000 to assess degradation from nonpoint sources in the watershed and develop a restoration plan. WYOMING COUNTY Mehoopany Creek Watershed Association - $550,000 to restore the historical stream channel and provide additional natural stream channel stabilization. YORK COUNTY Izaak Walton League of America Inc., York Chapter 67 - $30,000 for stream restoration on Pierceville Run – Mitchell Pasture subwatershed of the South Branch Codorus Creek. Izaak Walton League of America Inc., York Chapter 67 - $100,000 for stream restoration on Pierceville Run – Rockville Road subwatershed of the South Branch Codorus Creek. MULTIPLE COUNTIES Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts - $143,700 to administer the Non-Point Source Educational Mini Grant program, provide workshops and training including the annual Watershed Specialists meeting. Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts - $5,693,740 for the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, supporting farm-based conservation practices such as forest riparian buffers, wetlands, and grass swales in 59 counties. Luzerne County Conservation District - $123,500 for abandoned mine reclamation program coordination through the Eastern Pa. Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation. Western Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation - $121,500 for conservation district demonstration projects remediating acid mine discharges. Wyoming County Conservation District - $131,680 for streambank stabilization demonstration project along the South Branch of Tunkhannock Creek. Western Pennsylvania Conservancy - $111,566 for agricultural best management practices in the impaired Yellow Creek watershed. Somerset County Conservation District - $150,000 to install stream bank fencing, livestock watering systems, access lanes, and other pasture improvement management practices on 20 farms in a 14-county area. American Rivers Inc. - $500,000 for dam removal and river restoration projects statewide. Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy - $250,000 for approximately 80 stream restoration projects in 14 counties, comprising 20 stream miles. Headwaters Chartable Trust - $40,000 for rotational grazing systems to reduce sediment and nutrient loading to surface and groundwaters. Natural Lands Trust - $51,000 for a land conservation planning tool to prioritize sites in northeastern Pennsylvania communities. Penn Soil Resource Conservation & Development Council - $51,000 to promote use of rotational grazing systems that reduce sediment and nutrient loading to groundwater and surface water. Capital Resource Conservation & Development Area Council - $140,000 for technical assistance relating to no-till farm management systems. Pennsylvania Horticultural Society - $250,000 to continue the TreeVitalize Watersheds program that restores tree cover in Southeastern Pennsylvania, including riparian buffers and plantings in stormwater detention basins. Friends Central School - $50,000 to restore riparian areas in urban parkland along Indian Creek. Peters Creek Watershed Association - $59,055 to assess and develop a watershed plan for Peters Creek in Allegheny and Washington counties. Penn State University - $7,344 to develop database software to extract best management practices data. Trout Unlimited - $120,500 to provide rapid-response and prioritized technical assistance to applicants in several areas of mine reclamation activities. Western Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation - $100,000 to recover, process, and sell iron oxide from the treatment of mine drainage pollution. Western Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation - $100,000 for quick-response repairs on water quality projects that provide critical protections. Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts - $300,000 for engineering technical assistance for projects that treat acid mine drainage, restore streams and implement agricultural best management practices. Pennsylvania Envirothon - $70,000 to support the efforts of the Pennsylvania Envirothon program. Stroud Water Research Center - $214,725 to expand an on-going study of three streams to demonstrate the impact acid mine discharge has on ecosystem function, particularly nutrient processing. Trout Unlimited, Doc Fritchey Chapter - $25,000 for an acid mine discharge treatment project on mine discharges that flow to Rausch Creek and Stoney Creek. The treatment systems would replace the diversion wells that have been maintained on Stoney Creek since 1986. Trout Unlimited - $81,000 to provide updated water quality and benthic data for the entire West Branch Susquehanna River to document the existing condition of the river and its tributaries, and to quantify water quality improvements and establish a benchmark to measure future improvements. Moshannon Creek Watershed Coalition - $62,000 to assess acid mine drainage impacting a section of Moshannon Creek from Bear Run to Trout Run and to complete a restoration plan.

DEP: Mine drainage treatment news reports inaccurate, says DEP secretary

Funding Will Be Provided This Year and Beyond HARRISBURG -- Environmental Protection Secretary Kathleen A. McGinty today refuted recent media reports stating that the commonwealth has decided not to fund abandoned mine drainage projects. The secretary said these projects will continue to be funded through the department's abandoned mine reclamation program this year and beyond. McGinty said that since 2003, Pennsylvania has invested $17.5 million in abandoned mine lands funding on acid mine drainage treatment for streams. The commonwealth has also targeted more than $62 million from the Growing Greener II program for abandoned mine reclamation projects. This state and federal money has supported 46 acid mine drainage treatment projects. "Reports that the department will not provide funding for acid mine drainage treatment projects are false," said McGinty. "The Governor remains firmly committed to using all available resources to restore our land and water that was damaged by mining before environmental laws were put in place to prevent this kind pollution," Governor Edward G. Rendell was instrumental in lobbying for the reauthorization of the federal Abandoned Mine Lands Fund in Congress, which will provide increased funding for this important environmental initiative over the next 15 years. Pennsylvania will receive $27.6 million from the federal Abandoned Mine Lands Fund for 2008, which will be used to reclaim abandoned mine lands by: eliminating dangerous highwalls where young people often are injured and even killed while riding motorcycles and all terrain vehicles; closing open mine shafts; and planting grass and trees on land left barren by surface mining. Under the new law, up to 30 percent of this money can be used for treating abandoned mine drainage that makes streams uninhabitable for fish and other aquatic life. "What we are doing now, and have been doing for the past several months, is engaging the public to help us determine how we can best use our available resources and, in the years ahead, to reclaim abandoned mine lands and clean up acid mine tainted streams. "We have held public hearings around the state and are continuing to meet with focus groups to help us make the best decisions on how to carry out this important environmental protection program in the long term," said McGinty. "All Pennsylvanians should be assured we will fund abandoned mine reclamation and stream restoration projects as part of this effort." Contact: Neil Weaver, (717) 787-1323

Health risk from fly ash dumping debated

Environmentalist: Stricter rules, fed oversight needed. Utility spokesman disagrees. By Steve Mocarsky smocarsky@timesleader.com Staff Writer Given the prevalence of fly ash dumping locally, an environmentalist says the public should write to federal regulators and lawmakers to support federal oversight and more rigorous regulations for dumping that could contaminate water sources. But a utility association spokesman says state agency oversight of fly ash disposal is adequate, and that recommendations for a voluntary program of compliance would be much more quickly implemented. And today is the final day that members of the public can formally voice their own opinion on the topic to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Fly ash is a byproduct of coal-fired electric generation plants and contains trace concentrations of many heavy metals that are known to be detrimental to health in sufficient quantities. Local municipalities in which companies have permits for dumping fly ash for mineland reclamation include Hanover, Hazle, Newport and Plains townships in Luzerne County, Banks Township in Carbon County and Kline Township in Schuylkill County, according to the state Department of Environmental protection. DEP spokesman Ron Ruman said fly ash is also stored in impoundment sites that are typically located on the properties of the plants that produce it. Ruman said he feels “pretty confident” that state regulations for fly ash disposal “are environmentally very sound.” Ruman said a report by Penn State University concluded that using fly ash for mineland reclamation is “proper for the environment” and “we really haven’t found any problems with it.” He said the state is working with groups that “did a study last year and raised some issues on whether there’s a better way to monitor if there’s any leaching (of heavy metals) going on.” Jeff Stant, of the Clean Air Task Force, said Congress in 1980 ordered the EPA to come up with regulations for fly ash and other coal combustion waste, commonly called CCW. Finally, in March 2000, the EPA determined CCW would be regulated as a contingent hazardous waste. But after “a storm of protest from electric utilities,” the EPA in May 2000 reclassified it as solid waste and promised to develop regulations for disposal and monitoring, Stant said. “Eight years have passed and the best they could do is release the Notice of Data Availability in August 2007,” Stant said. The notice includes a risk assessment analysis that shows there is a “very high risk of cancer to people who live around these unlined impoundment sites,” Stant said. Stant said there are no requirements for groundwater monitoring at most impoundment sites, permits don’t set limits for many of the metals contained in coal ash, and the “vast majority” of the sites are not lined. Stant said a National Academy of Sciences report shows that states are not adequately beefing up regulation of fly ash disposal. He said more stringent regulations with federal oversight are necessary because many state lawmakers are influenced by utility company lobbyists, resulting in weak regulations. Jim Roewer, executive director of the Utility Solid Waste Activities Group, commonly called USWAG, said the group developed an action plan of its own for the EPA to consider in response to concerns about a need for additional groundwater monitoring. The plan, in which utility company participation would be voluntary, would entail the drilling of monitoring wells within three years on sites where fly ash could pose a threat to groundwater. Roewer said it would take five years for the implementation of groundwater monitoring if the EPA had to develop and implement its own mandatory regulations. He also said the Pennsylvania DEP has “one of the foremost regulatory approaches,” and that Stant’s assessment that DEP regulations are lax “isn’t founded.” Roewer said USWAG’s plan doesn’t need to be mandatory because “the utility companies want to do the right thing. They want to manage their ash so it won’t have an adverse affect on human health and the environment.” VOICE YOUR OPINION ON THE WEB Send a letter with your opinion on regulations for fly ash to the U.S. Department of Environmental Protection by e-mail to rcra-docket@epa.gov; fax to (202) 566-0272; or mail to: Notice of Data Availability on the Disposal of Coal Combustion Wastes in Landfills and Surface Impoundments, Environmental Protection Agency, Mailcode: 5305T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, D.C. 20460. Direct attention to Docket No. EPA-HQ-RCRA-2006-0796 in the subject line of the e-mail, in the body of the fax or on the envelope of a mailed letter. Visit www.timesleader.com for links to the Utility Solid Waste Activities Group plan and to a sample letter to the EPA supplied by Jeff Stant.