Tim Danehy, BioMost, Inc. backflushes treatment cell, which is needed every 2 years to maintain flow.

In 1999 eight acres of abandoned mine land spoil was reclaimed using 35,058 tones of alkaline material and a passive mine water treatment system installed as part of the De Sale Phase I project in the headwaters of Slippery Rock Creek Watershed in Butler County.

The public-private partnership that did the project included Grove City College, BioMost, Inc., private landowners, Quality Aggregates, Inc., Aquascape, Amerikhol Mining, Inc., Stream Restoration, Inc., Slippery Rock University, WOPEC, Scrubgrass Generating Plant, watershed volunteers and the Department of Environmental Protection.

But reclamation and construction were only the beginning, proper routine maintenance and water sampling continue to keep the treatment system in tiptop shape.

In April, volunterrs in the Slippery Rock Watershed Coalition completed routine inspection and maintenance of the De Sale Restoration Area – Phase 1 passive treatment system, including an inspection of the treatment system with field measurements of flow, pH and alkalinity.

To help insure the long-term viability of the site, minor maintenance activities were conducted including: gravity flushing of both vertical flow ponds, “rodding out” of the collection system and forebay pipes, and backflushing of the northern vertical flow pond. All work was completed in about one-half a day, includeing the freeing of a pickup truck stuck in the mud more than once.

De Sale Phase 1 was the first passive treatment system in the Slippery Rock Creek headwaters to be installed on private property and all the partners in the project continue to thanks the current landowner, Tyrone Snyder for his willingness to provide continued access to this amazing site.

This system has prevented over 180 tons of acidity and 60 tons of metals from entering the stream and dramatically improved water quality in two miles of stream.

For more information, visit the De Sale Phase I webpage. For water quality information, visit the Datashed entry for this project.

6/1/2007