PA Environment Digest Blog: Slippery Rock Watershed Coalition Receives Grant To Rehab De Sale Passive Mine Drainage Treatment System; Participates In WV Mine Drainage Conference; Learn More About Datashed.org

The latest issue of the Catalyst newsletter from the Butler County-based Slippery Rock Watershed Coalition highlights lots of recent activities by the Coalition and its partners.

$251,797 De Sale Rehab Grant

Stream Restoration Inc. (SRI) in partnership with the SRWC is the recipient subaward through DEP’s new AML and AMD Grant Program for the rehabilitation of De Sale Phase I and II passive treatment systems located in Venango Township, PA.

The subaward of over $250,000 from the PA DEP will fund the design, permitting, and monitoring necessary in the first steps of the rehabilitation project.

This is an important step for SRI and its partners, as pre-act (1977 SMCRA) abandoned mine reclamation projects will likely no longer be funded through the stateGrowing Greener and can only be funded with the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Act.

More importantly, this subaward is a major win due to the immense benefits that the De Sale systems have on Seaton Creek and the rest of the Slippery Rock Watershed since their construction in 2000.

The Phase I and II systems have collectively treated approximately 70 million gallons of AMD per year and function to neutralize 122,200 pounds of acidity and prevent 33,500 pounds of metals from entering Seaton Creek each year.

This is incredibly important for aquatic life and for the quality of Seaton Creek as the AMD flowing into these systems contains low pH, high acidity, and high metal concentrations as compared to other AMD discharges in the area.

West Virginia Conference

This year’s West Virginia Mine Drainage Task Force (WVTF) and International Mine Water Association (IMWA) joint conference was held in Morgantown, West Virginia on April 21st through the 26th.

This well attended, five-day event consisted of over 100 presentations on a variety of technical topics related to acid mine drainage including talks on AMD treatment technologies, geochemical & biological processes in AMD, byproduct management, research & modelling techniques, case studies, and more.

Stream Restoration Incorporated’s executive director and SRWC participant, Cliff Denholm, gave a presentation titled “Datashed: an online tool for managing AMD treatment systems and restoration of impacted watersheds”.

Cliff’s talk provided information on the free services that Datashed.org provides and explained the types of information the website has on >300 passive treatment systems in Pennsylvania.

Jeep Festival/Mine Drainage Tour

Stream Restoration Inc. (SRI) and the SRWC were excited to have been a part of the 2024 Bantam Jeep Festival’s Moraine State Park and Jennings Environmental Education Center Tour.

The tour involved three stops: the first being at Mt. Zion Church, the second at Barkley Road AMD treatment system, and the third stop at the Foltz schoolhouse.

Cliff Denholm led the Barkley Road treatment system tour with the help of SRI environmental scientist Natalie Lamagna, and SRWC participant Steve Smith, and shared some glacial, mining and industrial history and the extensive mine reclamation efforts that had taken place at Moraine State Park.

In the early 1900s, Frank Preston, co-founder of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, had a vision to create a park that celebrated and recreated the glacial landscape which led to the creation of Lake Arthur and Moraine State Park.

Updated Datashed.org Tutorials

Attention to all new, long-time, and interested Datashed-users. The Stream Restoration Incorporated team has compiled updated tutorial videos on how to use and navigate datashed.org.

These can be viewed in Datashed under the Get Help section or on SRI’s YouTube Channel.

The KIDS Catalyst

Common Fish in Pennsylvania streams is the theme of the KIDS Catalyst section of the newsletter.

Click Here to read the entire Catalyst newsletter. Click Here to sign up for your own copy.

Thank You Melissa Busler!

We would just like to give a huge thank you to Melissa Busler for putting together The Catalyst for the past 21 years.

She has been the primary person putting together the articles and has shared her creativity with us through her Kid’s Catalyst activities.

It means a lot to the SRWC that she has kept The Catalyst alive through all these years.

Melissa is now retiring from managing the articles, but her hard work and creativity will not be forgotten!

For more information on programs, projects, upcoming events and how you can get involved, visit the Slippery Rock Watershed Coalition website. Follow them on Facebook. Click Here to sign up for regular updates.

The Butler County-based Coalition was established in 1994 to restore land, water and wildlife resources in the Slippery Rock Watershed.

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-- Choose Clean Water Coalition Now Accepting Applications For Young Environmental Professionals Of Color Mentorship Program [PaEN]

-- DEP Chesapeake Bay Healthy Waters Newsletter Highlights Funding Opportunities; County Clean Water Projects; Accomplishments [PaEN]

-- PA American Water Celebrates Source Water Protection Week With Education Program [PaEN]

-- PA Environmental Council Will Start Accepting Applications Oct. 21 For Protect Your Drinking Water Grants In Southeast PA Funded By Aqua Pennsylvania [PaEN]

-- Slippery Rock Watershed Coalition Receives Grant To Rehab De Sale Passive Mine Drainage Treatment System; Participates In WV Mine Drainage Conference; Learn More About Datashed.org [PaEN]

-- US Forest Service Watershed Forestry Team Hosts Webinar On Riparian Forest Buffer Success And Innovation Begins Oct. 10 [PaEN]

-- Public Comments Invited On Draft Juniata River Watershed Conservation Plan By Western PA Conservancy [PaEN]

-- Western PA Conservancy, Partners Invite Residents Of French Creek Watershed To Comment On Conservation Plan At Oct 22 Meeting In Saegertown, Crawford County [PaEN]

-- Conservation District Invites Pike County Citizen Scientists To Participate In Study Of Microplastics [PaEN]

-- Stroud Water Research Center Receives $141,000 Grant From Green Mountain Energy Sun Club For New 55-Kilowatt Rooftop Solar Energy System [PaEN]