Everyone’s invited to join the celebration of Johnstown’s resurgent rivers, August 19 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., at the Johnstown Riverfest.

During the program, a recognition award will be give to Congressman John Murtha (D-Cambria) for his support of environmental issues and projects in the 12th Congressional District.

During the event, children and adults will be able to visit exhibits presented by local conservation groups and artists, as well as enjoy live entertainment throughout the afternoon/evening.

A charity run for the Charcot-Marie-Tooth Foundation will also be held at 10:00 a.m. on the hillside footpath of the Inclined Plane.

Sponsors contributing $400.00 will be eligible to enter the "Anything that Floats Regatta" which will run the Stonycreek River from Hornerstown to the Inclined Plane.

For too many years – particularly in Johnstown – waterways have been ignored, considered too polluted and useless. Yet the Stonycreek River has made a remarkable comeback from the days when abandoned mine drainage destroyed most of the Stonycreek’s aquatic life and replaced it with a layer of orange-colored iron oxide.

Today, 15 species of fish and other aquatic life can be found throughout the Stonycreek, from its headwaters near Berlin, Somerset County, to the Point in Johnstown, where its waters merge with the Little Conemaugh River to form the Conemaugh River.

Because of the dramatic improvement of the Stonycreek and other tributaries downstream, the Conemaugh’s water quality also has improved markedly and now supports aquatic life from beginning to end. The Little Conemaugh, unfortunately, remains practically lifeless due to a double-whammy of AMD and raw sewage.

These all are reasons to have a festival! With demonstrations, exhibitors and entertainment, the public can help celebrate the recovery of the Stonycreek and Conemaugh rivers – and explore the resulting potential for river-based recreation.

The Riverfest will also examine the challenges that remain – on the Little Conemaugh and throughout the watershed.

Stonycreek-Conemaugh River Improvement Project and Westsylvania Heritage Corporation have been the forces behind this event.

Contact Dan Sewak at 814-532-5049 for more on the Riverfest activities.

Congressman Murtha’s Environmental Record

There are a number of reasons for the Stonycreek River’s remarkable revival in northern Somerset and southern Cambria counties: a drastic reduction in coal mining activity, stricter state regulations and enforcement, more responsible coal operators, and citizen involvement – just to name a few.

But when names are linked to the river’s comeback, two belong near the top of the list: the federal Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund and Congressman John Murtha of Johnstown.

To date Congressman Murtha has obtained more than $50 million from the AMRF for projects tackling abandoned-mine drainage and other damage done by generations of coal mining within the 12th District.

The most dramatic example is the Oven Run Project. As recently as the early 1990s, Oven Run effectively killed the Stonycreek River just downstream from Kantner in central Somerset County. Murtha helped the all-volunteer Stonycreek-Conemaugh River Improvement Project to obtain $5 million to develop six pond-systems to treat the killer stream. Today, fish swim in the final settlement pond of Oven Run – and in the Stonycreek below it.

Congressman Murtha also obtained funding for “resource recovery” – experimental ways that pollution remediation can pay for itself. Examples include efforts to recover iron oxide and aluminum from acid mine drainage.

But the Congressman’s environmental initiatives in the 12th District are not limited to abandoned mine problems.

His efforts have resulted in $550 million for sewage and water-infrastructure projects, which are necessary for economic growth, but also clean up the environment.

He has obtained funds to finance programs such as Natural Biodiversity, which seeks to control invasive and destructive plants like Japanese knotweed.

More than $50 million has been brought into the district for recreation, park and green-space protection through his efforts.

And he is supporting environmental education through Saint Vincent College, the Kiski Basin Initiative and the Armstrong Environmental Trust.

Congressman Murtha has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Pennsylvania Environmental Council and was named Riverperson of the Year by the Three Rivers Regatta.

8/11/2006