Patterson Road in Barr Township, Cambria County, was the place to dump your garbage and old tires for free. At least that was what many illegal dumpers had thought for decades.

Much attention is now focused on this winding, country road and an intersecting dirt road that runs through the headwaters of the West Branch of the Susquehanna River.

The Department of Environmental Protection is planning to build an abandoned mine drainage treatment plant nearby which will treat polluted mine waters from the former Barnes & Tucker Lancashire No. 15 mine.

The local community has had enough of people dumping household waste, tires, animal carcasses, furniture, televisions, carpeting, vehicle parts, shingles, construction debris, and appliances – all which threaten drinking water supplies, endanger wildlife, and breed disease-carrying mosquitoes.

PA CleanWays of Cambria County has already begun leading the cleanup effort. Boy Scout Troop 115 from Hastings, Pa removed 372 tires from the site on April 6, under the PA CleanWays Fugitive Tire Program. As a fund raiser, they will be removing all of the scrap metal for recycling. However, there will still be many tons of waste left to remove and properly dispose.

Pictured in the photo are cleanup coordinators Noah Niedererr, Ameri Corps, Dan Sammarco, DEP, Vince Rietscha, Barr Township, Mike Kane, Community Foundation for the Alleghenies Scott Horrell, DEP and Shannon Reiter, PA CleanWays

The next volunteer cleanup day is scheduled for May 3 and the entire community is invited to help.

Cleaning up an illegal dump of this size and volume will require the support of many, and in many forms. The affected private property owners are victims of this illegal dumping and have granted PA CleanWays permission to enter to organize the cleanups.

Volunteers, equipment, trash bags, work gloves, safety vests, volunteer refreshments, hauling, and disposal are needed. Local donations to help in this large-scale cleanup are being accepted by PA CleanWays at 105 W. Fourth St., Greensburg, PA, 15601, or toll-free at 1-877-772-3673.

Volunteers are asked to register their participation with Sue Urchek at extension 23 using the toll free number. Youth ages 12-17 years must have a signed PA CleanWays Parental Consent Form, please call for more information.

Cleanup partners include Barr Township, the Department of Environmental Protection, Laurel Highlands Landfill, PennDOT, and PA CleanWays of Cambria County. Funding has been provided by the Richard King Mellon Foundation, Penelec Fund for the Future of Greater Johnstown Fund, the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies, and the Robert S. Waters Charitable Trust.

All local residents are being asked to assist with helping maintain the site once it is cleaned by reporting any illegal dumping activity to Mark Stockley at PA CleanWays of Cambria County at 814-472-2120.

5/2/2008