Background:

 

The Schuylkill Headwaters Association, Inc. (SHA) operates in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, which sits in the lower Anthracite field of the state.  Since 1997, SHA has worked to promote the environmental integrity of the Schuylkill River, its tributaries, and its watershed within the boundaries of Schuylkill County.   

The watershed, which is a sub basin of the Delaware River Basin, has three main arteries.  They are the West Branch of the Schuylkill River, the Main Branch of the Schuylkill River, and The Little Schuylkill River.  All three branches are impacted by Abandoned Mine Drainage (AMD).  The entire drainage basin is approximately 335 square miles and includes a diverse mix of agricultural land, forested areas, and both urban and rural communities.  

Although the Schuylkill Headwaters’ watershed has so much to offer in terms of natural beauty and recreational resources, it is still feeling the harsh pains of development, resource extraction, and pollution.  As you drive through the area, you will see roughly one-third of it scarred by over 100 years of coal mining.  In addition to the physical scars on the land, the water quality is significantly diminished by various sources of nonpoint source (NPS) pollution.  The greatest type of NPS pollution within the Schuylkill Headwaters is AMD.

At the turn of the century, Schuylkill County was one of the leading extractors of anthracite coal in the nation.  During this time, the scenic rivers of the county were used to transport coal to Philadelphia. Heavy logging deforested much of the county and large-scale mining changed the face of the landscape forever.  Today, we can still feel these pains as we work to find solutions to these problems.  AMD has been directly impacting the streams and rivers of the county for many decades.  It is estimated that Northeastern Pennsylvania shares 95 percent of the anthracite coal reserves in the northern hemisphere.  Over half of these reserves are located in Schuylkill County.  For this reason, much of the county has fallen victim to significant periods of resource extraction, which has left the land and water seriously impaired.  AMD, a result of past mining practices, has degraded many of our aquatic ecosystems and is making the work of the SHA and other watershed groups, all the more important.

SHA coordinates remediation activities to address the issues of AMD in the watershed.  Over the past 11 years, SHA has worked on over three million dollars of AMD remediation projects.  SHA maintains over seven AMD treatment systems and works actively with local nonprofit, public, and private partners to find solutions for the problems of AMD.

 

 

Goals and Objectives of the OSM/VISTA

The OSM/VISTA will assist in preparation and submission of both public and private grant proposals to secure future funding for AMD remediation projects.  SHA needs assistance with increasing membership and securing additional volunteers.  The OSM/VISTA will work to market the message of the SHA through newsletters, internet based resources, press releases and the coordination of various outreach events.  This will also involve the OSM/VISTA working to create opportunities and activities to attract new members.  The OSM/VISTA will also attend monthly board meetings and quarterly public meetings of the SHA and will coordinate organizational capacity building activities with the group.  The OSM/VISTA will work with SHA to develop operation and maintenance plans for existing treatment systems.  Some plans will need to be created in full, while other plans simply need to be updated.  In addition to plan creation, the OSM/VISTA will work with SHA to implement AMD water quality monitoring projects.  The OSM/VISTA will be responsible for coordinating with volunteers, including participants with the Retired Senior Volunteer Program.  The OSM/VISTA will assist the SHA with routine maintenance at treatment systems and will work to coordinate and train volunteers for maintenance activities at specific treatment systems.  Most maintenance responsibilities will focus on flushing the systems. The OSM/VISTA will coordinate watershed cleanup events along the rivers and or roadsides within the watershed.  The OSM/VISTA will work to increase public awareness of AMD issues in the Schuylkill Headwaters Watershed.  This will be accomplished by developing outreach activities for school students, the general public, and municipal officials.  The OSM/VISTA will be responsible for developing school partnerships connecting students with their watershed and teaching them about AMD.  The OSM/VISTA will coordinate talks, seminars, and/or tours related to the remediation efforts of the local watershed groups in the county.  The OSM/VISTA will work with SHA to link water quality improvements with community revitalization projects.  Examples include recreation development, beautification projects, educational opportunities, illegal dump cleanups, and economic redevelopment opportunities. To accomplish these activities, the OSM/VISTA will be responsible for establishing a line of communication between SHA and local redevelopment interests.  Experience will be gained by the OSM/VISTA in working in a professional environment in an environmental setting.  This experience will help to inform the OSM/VISTA on what kind of position they may prefer in their future careers as well as to boost their resume in such a way that they will be more likely to find success both in their career or higher education.

 

SHA is actively involved in AMD remediation.  Some of the SHA accomplishments include:

• Construction of the Bell Colliery Treatment System, Bell Colliery Phase II treatment system, Pine Forest Treatment System, Reevesdale Treatment System, Otto Treatment System, the Minersville Wetlands, and the Mackeysburg swales for water diversion away from crop falls
• Recipient of three Governor’s Awards for Watershed Stewardship and Environmental Excellence
• Recipient of two American Council of Engineering Companies / PA Diamond Awards
• Upper Schuylkill Regional Stream gauging project
• 8 years of participating in the annual Bear Creek Festival
• 4 years of the Schuylkill River Outreach Team
• Various outreach campaigns targeted at public and private sectors
• Participation in the Schuylkill Action Network AMD workgroup
• Annual teacher training presentations
• Other various AMD projects
• Involved in Schuylkill Learning Community Activities

 

 

Future Projects Include

·         A grant to fund an illegal dumpsite in Branch Township has been applied for from the PADEP

·         Currently working with Schuylkill VISION to create watershed curriculum for county schools

·         700 trees have been ordered to be used for an ARRI project on county Abandoned Mine Lands.

·         Silver Creek Abandoned Mine Drainage Treatment System

·         Wheeler and Wagner Run Abandoned Mine Drainage Treatment System

·         Phase I of Pine Know Discharge Study

 

 

Community Support and Grants

Local Support

·         Senator Jim Rhoades

·         Representative Neal Goodman

·         Representative Tim Seip

·         Representative David Argall

 

 

Sponsorships and Partnerships

·         United States Geologic Survey (USGS)

·         Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)

·         Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation (BAMR)

·         Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC)

·         PA Fish and Boat Commission

·         Office of Surface Mining

·         Schuylkill Action Network

·         Schuylkill Learning Community

·         Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce

·         Trout Unlimited

·         Master Gardeners

·         Schuylkill VISION

·         Schuylkill Heritage Area

 

Grants Received

·         Minersville Wetlands (Growing Greener)

·         Flow weir project (Growing Greener)

·         Otto Discharge AMD System (EPA-319)

·         Reevesdale #2 AMD Abatement Project (EPA-319)

·         Pine Forest AMD Abatement Project (EPA-319)

·         Hydrologic budget for the Pine Knot-Oak Hill Discharge Tunnel (Growing Greener)

·         Silver Creek Mine Discharge Treatment System (EPA – 319)

·         Otto / Reevesdale / Belle O & M (Exelon Schuylkill River Restoration)

·         Water Quality Easement Implementation (Wm Penn Foundation)