Restoration efforts on the Kettle Creek Watershed sponsored by Trout Unlimited and other partners were featured in the “Water: An Endangered Resource” documentary aired by WPSU-TV this week in State College.

“This is a tremendous opportunity to raise public awareness of acid mine drainage,” said Dr. Colson Blakeslee, an active TU member and longtime spokesperson for Pennsylvania conservation efforts. “This problem is seldom discussed but is quietly affecting over 3,000 miles of rivers and streams throughout Pennsylvania.”

Drainage from abandoned coal mine sites is often highly acidic and full of dissolved metals, a deadly combination for aquatic life. Cleanup efforts will result in improved fishing and other recreational opportunities that generate significant incomes for local communities. In addition, the restoration of these rivers and streams will reduce drinking water treatment costs and make available clean water supplies that attract industrial and commercial users.

Trout Unlimited has been working with the local Kettle Creek Watershed Association to restore the Kettle Creek watershed in Clinton, Potter, and Tioga Counties since 1998, and recently expanded its focus to the entire West Branch Susquehanna River basin. More than 1,100 miles of streams are impaired by abandoned mine drainage in the West Branch Susquehanna watershed.

“Many opportunities exist for local communities to get involved in cleanup efforts,” said Amy Wolfe, TU Director of Abandoned Mine Programs. “This documentary takes the important step of educating Pennsylvania citizens and policymakers about the need for guaranteed and permanent solutions at the highest levels of government.”

For more information, visit the Kettle Creek Watershed webpage and download a copy of “Restoring the Wealth of the Mountains: Cleaning Up Appalachia’s Abandoned Mines.”

2/10/2006