Spotlight- Students Help Aultman Watershed Association For Restoring The Environment

On November 4, fourteen student volunteers from Indiana University of Pennsylvania along with their professor and AWARE President, Dr. Brian Okey and Stream Restoration Inc.'s Shaun Busler and Ryan Mahony "pitched in" to plant the newly constructed wetland at the Reeds Run AMD Remediation Site in Indiana County, Pa.
            This was one of the few remaining efforts needed to complete a project that was made possible by a  DEP Growing Greener Grant and the generous support of numerous partners to clean up the site which polluted a 3.5 mile stretch of Reeds Run.
            The site was previously the home of 72,647 tons of coal refuse which was the main cause of pollution.  This coal refuse was removed from the site and transported to the Seward Plant near Johnstown to generate electricity.
            As part of the project, a three-quarter acre wetland was created, which during the dry summer/fall months is expected to be the primary source of water to Reeds Run.  With a decrease of an estimated 9 tons of acidity and 5 tons of metals annually to Reeds Run, future monitoring will document the impact to stream water quality and aquatic habitat.
            Stay tuned for further information on this site!  Congratulations to AWARE and their partners!

Reprinted from The Catalyst newsletter from the Slippery Rock Creek Watershed Coalition.


11/28/2011

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