Susquehanna River Basin Commission To Assess Abandoned Mine Pollution In Moshannon Creek Watershed With DEP Grant

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission has received a nearly $150,000 grant from the Department of Environmental Protection to spearhead an in-depth investigation into abandoned mine drainage polluting the Moshannon Creek Watershed.

The watershed includes land in Clearfield County, Centre County, and small parts of Cambria and Blair County in its headwaters area. 

Assessment work by the SRBC and Moshannon Creek Watershed Association has determined that three areas of abandoned mining are the predominant sources negatively impacting the water quality and aquatic life of the watershed. 

An area south of Osceola Mills, the Hawk Run discharge, and the Sulfur Run discharges are contributing large amounts of acidity, iron, and aluminum to the region’s waterways.   

The Moshannon Creek (Osceola Mills) Development Project will focus on the discharges south of Osceola Mills to determine the size and scope of a water quality treatment strategy needed to eliminate that source of degradation to Moshannon Creek. 

An active treatment plant centrally located in the region is one likely solution.

“We’re eager, with the help of this grant, to take a deep dive into one of the top sources of pollution of Moshannon Creek,” explained Andrew King, SRBC Environmental Scientist and project lead. “Unfortunately, about half of the watershed has long been impaired by legacy mining impacts.”

The SRBC has also been sampling Hawk Run and Sulfur Run discharges for the last two years, as those will require a separate treatment plan based on distance from the Osceola Mills discharges.

For more information on programs, training opportunities and upcoming events, visit the Susquehanna River Basin Commission website.  Click Here to sign up for SRBC’s newsletter.   Follow SRBC on Twitter, visit them on YouTube.

[Posted: June 5, 2023]  PA Environment Digest