The Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds recently released a study of the Little Conemaugh Watershed in Cambria County which found a 150 percent return on investment for detoxifying local rivers and denuded landscape.
Background
As Johnstown reawakens its economy in the wake of plant closures and the reality of the new global economy, environmental restoration and outdoor recreation offer pathways to prosperity. Ten years ago, this wouldn’t have been possible.
Prior to 1977 and the passage of the federal Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA), Johnstown and many areas throughout the nation served as natural resource centers fueling the Industrial Revolution and two World Wars.
During that time, environmental regulations were not the focus—prosperity and victory was. That past neglect, over time, left behind countless scars on the landscape and a bright orange flowing reminder of how our waterways have been impacted.
But within the last two decades, funding from the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds, combined with local and state partnerships, plus federal funding through the Department of Environmental Protection and the Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation, has proven successful in making the land once again usable. The local economy is seeing a correlative bounce.
Creative collaborations in the Watershed showcase the mining industry as an active participant in mending the scars of their predecessors, taking the mining companies from environmental villains to environmental superheroes.
Rosebud Mining Company has assumed cleanup costs for the now-defunct St. Michael mine pool discharge, allowing Rosebud to profitably mine a coal seam downstream.
This project will invest $31 million in the local economy, including $16 million in construction costs and a $15 million trust fund to cover ongoing water treatment. Rosebud will continue mining, and will facilitate cleanup for one of the worst mine discharges within the Little Conemaugh.
The Foundation said the Little Conemaugh study shows us the necessity of continuing conservation efforts, while a separate study reminds us how far we can fall if we fail to keep it up.
Stonycreek River
The nearby Stonycreek River, south of Johnstown, used to run orange with thick iron muck. Now it runs clear, the result of tens of millions of dollars and years of treatment.
Now, on a sunny day, the river attracts kayakers, river surfers, and fishers. But it requires ongoing management, and with no trust fund for future operations, the Stonycreek runs the risk of once again becoming a polluted tragedy.
An analysis of the Stonycreek River Watershed shows what would happen to the local economy if that were to happen — and it’s not good.
These two reports put Johnstown at the forefront of rust-belt communities considering economically and environmentally sustainable futures.
The Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds, along with support from the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies, has pieced together hundreds of millions of dollars in federal, state, and local funding for initiatives scattered throughout the Johnstown region, and successfully advocated to transform two local waste sites through the federal AML Pilot Program.
Now we have collaborative examples that prove what conservationists have known all along: restoring our landscapes to their natural glory provides riches both measurable and intangible — improved physical and mental health for those who spend time outdoors, increased property values near cleanup sites, and business opportunities related to tourism and outdoor recreation, according to the foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds.
Investing in natural resources has a priceless return.
For more information on programs, initiatives and grants available, visit the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds website.
(Photo: Little Conemaugh River before and after cleanup.)
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