On August 15, the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement announced a grant of $100,000 in a cooperative agreement for a watershed restoration project in Dunkard Township, Pennsylvania.

OSMRE’s Watershed Cooperative Agreement Program (WCAP) provides funds to nonprofit organizations for the construction of acid mine drainage treatment facilities that help restore the health of local streams.

“Watersheds are essential for communities, supplying water for municipal, industrial, agricultural, and recreational uses,” said OSMRE Regional Director Tom Shope. “WCAP funds help local nonprofit groups restore watersheds harmed by abandoned mine lands and support citizen-based conservation in coal communities.”

Stream Restoration Incorporated, a nonprofit dedicated to addressing issues related to abandoned mine sites by working to restore the land and treat acid mine drainage, was awarded the WCAP funds to improve the Maiden Passive Treatment System in Dunkard Township.

The treatment system’s limestone bed is showing signs of being plugged with metals and needs to be rebuilt.

Once completed, the system is expected to treat an estimated 150 million gallons of acid mine drainage per year, preventing more than 25,000 pounds of iron and 20,000 pounds of aluminum from entering Dunkard Creek and harming aquatic life. 

“Stream Restoration Incorporated is grateful to receive the WCAP grant from OSMRE,” said Cliff Denholm, executive director of Stream Restoration. “These matching funds are critical to complete our project to rehabilitate the Maiden Passive Treatment System and improve Dunkard Creek by leveraging more than $240,000 from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.”

Visit OSMRE’s Watershed Cooperative Agreement Program webpage to learn more about this program.

NewsClip:

-- Observer-Reporter: Nonprofit Receives $100,000 Federal Grant For Dunkard Creek Watershed Restoration

Statewide Conferences:

-- PA Statewide Abandoned Mine Reclamation Conference Oct. 24-26 In Altoona [PaEN]

-- PA Statewide Watershed Conference Oct. 29-30 In Altoona [PaEN]

Related Article - Mine Reclamation:

-- Federal Office Of Surface Mining Reclamation Awards Sewickley Creek Watershed Assn. $100,000 Grant To Treat Acid Mine Drainage In Westmoreland County  [PaEN]

NewsClips This Week:

-- Republican Herald: Schuylkill Conservation District Awards Recognize Environmental Stewardship

-- PA Capital-Star: PA’s Painterland Sisters Are Farming With The Future In Mind In Tioga County; Quest To Provide Sustainability For Their Farm

-- Wilkes-Barre Times: Earth Conservancy Stream Reconstruction Corrects Damage From Coal Mining

-- Observer-Reporter: Nonprofit Receives $100,000 Federal Grant For Dunkard Creek Watershed Restoration

-- Chesapeake Bay Program: Are We Trading Trees For Concrete In Chesapeake Bay Watershed?

-- Beaver County Times: New Nonprofit Reforest Our Future Aims To Foster Forest Regrowth

-- Middle Susquehanna RiverKeeper Blog: STEM Campers Go On Otters RiverWalk To Explore Ecosystem Along Susquehanna River Banks

-- Middle Susquehanna RiverKeeper Blog: Floating Classroom On Hiawatha In Williamsport Covers Native American Artifacts & Region’s Logging History

-- Halt The Harm Network, FracTracker Alliance: Aug. 30 Webinar: Wasted Water - The Impacts Of Fracking's Water Use From PA To Colorado, 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.

-- PennLive: Proposed Pump-Storage Hydroelectric Project Would Flood Homes, ‘Last Bit Of Nature’ On Part Of Susquehanna River

-- Susquehanna Greenway: Benefits Of A Morning Paddle - By Alana Jajko, Susquehanna Greenway Partnership  [PaEN]

Related Articles - Watersheds:

-- Federal Office Of Surface Mining Reclamation Awards $100,000 Grant To Treat Acid Mine Drainage In Dunkard Creek Watershed, Greene County  [PaEN]

-- Interfaith Partners For The Chesapeake Bay Offering New Watershed Protection Site Assessment Action Kit  [PaEN]

-- DEP, SRBC Invite Comments On New Permits For PA General Energy Shawnee Shale Gas Drilling Water Withdrawal On The Loyalsock Creek, Lycoming County After Failure To Comply With Its First Permit  [PaEN]

[Posted: August 17, 2023]

8/21/2023