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Growing Greener Success-- Citizens Compelled To Cleanup Aultman Watershed In Indiana County
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Brian Okey, President of the Aultman Watershed Association for Restoring the Environment in Indiana County, submitted this success story on how the Growing Greener Watershed Program enabled volunteers and partners in the watershed to take extraordinary steps to restore water quality. Go to www.GrowingGreener.com to see more Growing Greener success stories. Here's his story-- Citizens Compelled To Cleanup Aultman Watershed In Indiana County The Aultman Watershed Association for Restoring the Environment (AWARE) was started in February 2000 by concerned citizens from Indiana and southwestern Indiana County who felt compelled to clean up the Aultmans Run Watershed.
Nearly 30 square miles in extent, this area empties into the Conemaugh River behind the Army Corps of Engineers dam, and it has abundant potential as a habitat and recreation corridor. This potential has been threatened by pollution, hazards, and eyesores typical of historic mining activities, and by illegal dumping.
Many of these issues remain as we look back on our ten-year anniversary, however, we have made great strides forward through the dedication of our members and partners, and the support of state and county institutions and representatives.
With the aid of our grantors (League of Women Voters, WPCAMR, DEP) we rapidly built and promoted our organization. Displays were set up at the Indiana County May Mart Festival and other local venues.
In 2002, watershed signs were erected along roadsides, marking the boundary for all to see. From the outset, the watershed has been used by Indiana University of Pennsylvania students for field activities, and the data they have collected has highlighted both viable and struggling aquatic habitats. Other students developed educational materials about the watershed for student teaching activities.
And from 2001 to the present, students and members of the community have participated in our annual spring roadside cleanup. These volunteers, supported by township employees, local businesses, PA Cleanways, and Penn DOT, have removed many tons of trash, appliances, and other refuse from riparian zones in the watershed.
A 2001 Growing Greener grant enabled us to complete a watershed assessment. Fourteen AMD sites were monitored, and within three years of our founding, we had a solid basis for subsequent remediation projects.
Our first is a passive wetland treatment system constructed in 2003 to remove iron from a discharge passing beneath State Route 286, south of Aultman. This Growing Greener-funded success typically lowers iron concentrations from around 12-14 mg/l to 2-4 mg/l where the treated water enters Aultmans Run.
The S.R. 286 wetland project was also the first major collaboration with Stream Restoration Incorporated, a partnership that continues to bear fruit. Awards for design and construction from Growing Greener (2004, 2008, 2010) and the County Environmental Initiative (2006) ensure that severe sources of AMD pollution will one day be healed on the tributaries of Reeds Run and Neal Run.
In the near future we would also like to develop a trail near Jacksonville, capitalizing on a recreational assessment completed by IUP graduate students in Geography & Regional Planning, and with an awareness of our position within a county-level greenway network plan.
Ten years ago, we did not fully comprehend the scope of the challenges that lay ahead in meeting our objectives. Nor did we ever imagine how successful we would be in receiving support to achieve those ends, with nearly $530,000 in grants thus far.
Ten years is a significant milestone for a volunteer group with a worthy cause: the betterment of all life along Aultmans Run.
Dr. Brian Okey is President of the Aultman Watershed Association for Restoring the Environment and can be contacted by sending email to: Brian.Okey@iup.edu. Link: The Geography of Restoring Aultman's Run In Indiana County
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2/12/2010 |
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