September 2006 Page MWA TERRITORY HOME OF THE YOUGH R IVERKEEPER®

Bike for Health Benefit to be held on October 7, 2006 MWA teams with Laurel Highlands Rotary Club

September 2006

Protecting, preserving and restoring the Indian Creek

watershed and surrounding areas.

The Mountain Watershed Association has recently partnered with the Donegal-Laurel Highlands Rotary Club to hold a fundraising bike ride on the Indian Creek Valley Hike/Bike Trail. The ride, called Bike for Health, will raise awareness of and funding for the work MWA is involved in regarding the health effects of pollution, as well as Rotary's PolioPlus: Completing Our Promise pro-gram that seeks to wipe out polio worldwide.

The ride will take place on October 7, 2006, beginning at Pavilion #3 in C.W. Resh Park, Indian Head, PA. MWA will have environmental education activities set up along the trail for participants. The cost is $25 for the first registered family member and $5 for each additional family member, and the first 20 participants to register the morning of the ride will receive a free t-shirt courtesy of MWA. Registration begins at 9am.

The Indian Creek Valley Hike/Bike Trail uses a former railroad right of way and the mostly level surface is a perfect ride for families and small children. A light lunch will be served after the ride by Rotarian volunteers, led by Paul Trimbur at the hot dog grill. A rain date has been scheduled for October 14, 2006.

The Benefit for Health ride is a great opportunity to start your day in the beautiful Laurel Highlands, see some great fall foliage, and support the Mountain Watershed Association and the Donegal-Laurel Highlands Rotary Club! We hope to see you there! For more information please call Kristy at MWA: 724.455.4200.

DIRECTIONS: From the Pennsylvania Turnpike, take Exit 91 (Donegal). Turn left on Route 31. Just before Sarnelli's, turn right on Rt. 711/381. Continue until you reach the town of Indian Head (approximately 7 miles) and turn left to cross Indian Creek. Turn left on Clarence Resh Lane, and follow the lane to the park and pavilion.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY: We are in need of 5-7 volunteers to man (or woman!) the crossings on the ICV trail during the ride. If you can donate 2-3 hours of your time on October 7th, you can earn next years membership for free! Please call us today at 724.455.4200 and let us know you are available!

Kalp Project

Groundbreaking

2

Falls Race A Success! 3

Indian Creek Stream Study

3

Stocking Stuffers 4

Don't Abandon Pennsylvania!

5

What the DEP Can (and Won't) Do

6

Trips for Kids Update 7

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

• Our new website should be up and running within the next month! Please check back with us often: mtwatershed.com

• Lottery calendars will be here soon (see inside!).

• 2007 entertainment books have arrived. Call today to purchase yours!

September 2006 Page 2

MWA Hires New Youghiogheny Riverkeeper

MWA recently hired a new full time employee. Krissy Kasserman began work in August and is now working on a study of water quality of the Youghiogheny and Monongahela Rivers. She will also be coordinating our Trips for Kids project, as well as working on various other MWA projects.

A West Virginia native, Krissy's background is in environ-

mental education. She is a certified teacher with a specialization in envi-ronmental education.

Krissy comes to us from Tri-State Citizens Mining Network in Washington, PA, where she worked as a community organizer.

A whitewater kayaker, Krissy is looking forward to working for greater protection of the Youghiog-heny River, one of her favorite rivers

to paddle.

MWA intends to have a g rea t er presence moni tor ing pollution in the Youghiogheny River watershed as part of the Youghiog-heny Riverkeeper Project. If you are out paddling, hiking, or going for a drive and see any water quality problems in the watershed, please call the Mountain Watershed Association. We'd like to come out and take a look.

It Is Finally A Reality! Construction on Anna and Steve Gdosky Treatment System Has Begun!

After several years of studies, water monitoring, design, and a price tag of over $3.5 million, the Anna and Steve Gdosky Indian Creek Restora-tion Project (also known as the Kalp discharge) is now under construction. The Mountain Watershed Association, Inc. received a $1.6 million dollar grant from the PA Department of Environmental Protection Growing Greener program and over $500,000 from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service to construct the treatment system. The contractor, Stoy Exca-vating of Somerset, PA, has started work.

Phase I is to build an access road and a drain that will collect clean water and divert it around the site where the ponds will be built. Phase II is to build the treatment ponds and probably won’t start until after winter. “This is a very large construction pro-ject happening right here in our area,” says Deb Simko, Project Coordinator for MWA. “After the treatment system is built, it will clean up the

iron, aluminum, and acid from roughly 10.9 miles of Indian Creek.”

Many people think that build-ing these treatment ponds only makes the stream look better – that we are only concerned with aesthetics,” Simko says. “However, in reality, taking the iron, aluminum and acid out of the stream will help the stream recover to provide a great fishing and recreational opportunity for the community. With the hike/bike trail along the stream, this allows access for many people to fish and play in the stream.”

Currently, the water in Indian Creek is an ugly orange color. The orange color is iron that was dissolved in the mine water. Even though this looks bad, the stream is actually healthier. When the iron was not visible in the stream, the water was very acidic. This acid was keeping the iron dissolved. Since the amount of water in the mine has been lowered, the remaining water going into the creek has less acid in it and the iron is not dissolved. The water will continue to have the orange color for

another 2 years as the treatment system is built. Once the treatment system is built, the water from the mine will be diverted into the ponds where the metals will fall to the bottom and not enter the stream.

The Kalp discharge is one of 5 abandoned mine projects that MWA has worked on. “With only a few more mine drainage sites to tackle in the coming years, we can restore the Indian Creek watershed by 95%.” says Beverly Braverman, Executive Direc-tor of MWA.

She continues, “We extend a sincere thank you to all of the land-owners who have allowed us access, given us easements and helped us acquire land for these systems to be built,” Braverman said. “Without the support and encouragement of these generous folks, who would have thought that Indian Creek would recover from mine drainage pollution in our lifetime? It is no longer a dream – it is now a reality!"

Update on Kalp Strip Mine All appeals are filed and we are ready to proceed. If you have any questions, please call us at the office!

September 2006 Page 3

Falls Race A Huge Success for MWA

Get your YRK t-shirt before they sell out!

MWA recently attended the Fal l s Race in Ohiopyle to p romote the Yough iogheny Riverkeeper project. The event was a huge success with 20 new members joining and significant funds being raised.

Manning the booth were MWA boa r d membe r Ken Gfroerer and Yough Riverkeeper Krissy Kasserman.

MWA has attended the Falls Race for the last three years. The Falls Race is the one weekend per

In August MWA staff conducted a macro invertebrate study on two sections of Indian Creek to determine stream health. The sites were located above and below the Kalp mine discharge.

The first site, located about 2-3 miles above the discharge, appeared to be the picture of a healthy stream. Many good water quality indi-cators were found including mayflies, stoneflies, and caddis flies. These in-

Indian Creek Stream Study Conducted

By Shannon Bates

sects not only live exclusively in clean water, but also are a very important food source for fish. A rainbow trout was spotted very near this sampling site as well.

The s econd s i t e was located approximately 1 mile down-stream from the Kalp discharge. Not a single macro invertebrate was found at this site, indicating that the water quality is very poor, and proving that the Anna and Steve Gdosky treatment

system is desperately needed to restore the health of Indian Creek.

The Anna and Steve Gdosky treatment system is predicted to clean up 40% of the existing pollution in Indian Creek. Once in place, the treatment system should restore this section of stream to an aquatic habitat for the first time in many years. We look forward to these great improve-ments as we work toward a completely restored Indian Creek.

Public Hearing on Blasting Rule Changes Held at MWA's Request

On September 21 the Office of Surface Mining held a public hearing at the request of the Mountain Watershed Association in Donegal, PA. MWA's request for a hearing was in response to proposed changes that

will, if adopted, weaken the rules governing blasting both on surface mines and in the creation of air shafts for deep mines.

The hearing was attended by MWA members who offered testi-

mony about the effects of blasting, weakened regulations, and accessibility of information regarding the proposed changes.

Thanks to those folks who came out to testify!

Pictured are MWA board member Ken Gfro-erer and Youghiogheny Riverkeeper Krissy Kasserman.

year that boaters are able to paddle over the falls, and many kayakers sign up.

Available for sale were our new Youghiogheny Riverkeeper t-shirts and canvas grocery bags. Made of organic and recycled cotton, these t-shirts and bags feature the new MWA/YRK logo, and are now available at the office for $12.50 and $15, respectively.

MWA wishes to extend a warm welcome to our new members who joined at the Falls

September 2006 Page 4

Do Your Holiday Shopping at the

Mountain Watershed Association Office!

Mountain Watershed Association's lottery calendar is a good way to support the watershed while taking a chance at winning cash and other great prizes! The calendars offer a chance at a daily cash prize as well as special bonus prizes including a Wilderness Voyageurs River Package (value $150), a Seven Springs Golf Package (value $750) and Ski Package (value $530), and a Shear Indulgence Spa Package (value $125)!

The calendars are priced at $30 again this year, and feature photos of Indian Creek, Rasler Run, and wildflower photos from the Indian Creek Gorge.

2007 Lottery Calendars will be here soon!2007 Lottery Calendars will be here soon!2007 Lottery Calendars will be here soon!2007 Lottery Calendars will be here soon!

The 2007 Entertainment Books now available at our office for only $25! The Pittsburgh East Entertainment Books include many valuable discounts from LOCAL merchants where you shop!

Includes discounts from:

Pittsburgh Penguins ($85)

Lesley's Fine Dining ($25)

Dairy Queen

Caddy Shack

Dick's Sporting Goods

Also Available:

Mountain Watershed Association's Indian Creek Notecards are available for $10. Each prepackaged set comes with 4 different designs including scenes from the Indian Creek Gorge and wildflowers photos.

Youghiogheny Riverkeeper organic cotton t-shirts and recycled cotton canvas logo grocery bags. T-shirts are only $12.50 and bags are $15.

Sheetz

Pennzoil

Linden Hall Golf Course

Pizza Hut

Call us today at 724.455.4200 to reserve your copy!

September 2006 Page 5

Don't Abandon Pennsylvania!

P e nn s y l v a n i a ’ s n a t u r a l resources and labor have fueled Amer-ica from the industrial age to the pre-sent. The Commonwealth’s citizens mined the coal, and manufactured the steel, aluminum, glass and other prod-ucts that made the rise of our nation as the global leader possible. Even today, Pennsylvania continues to provide fuel for our nation’s electricity needs.

But those contributions – particularly from coal – have also left a terrible legacy. Too often, coal compa-nies, which were unregulated until 1977, failed to clean up the pollution they caused or failed to provide for future problems caused by their work, simply leaving the damages behind, with no law to force clean up. As a result, Penn-sylvania is scarred with abandoned mine land. These abandoned lands not only create hazardous and biologically degraded scars on our land; the pollu-tion destroys many of our streams and rivers, and also prevents Pennsylvania from competing for 21st Century jobs and investment.

The Abandoned Mine Recla-mation Fund, an interest-accruing account held by the Office of Surface Mining of the US Department of Interior, was created in 1977 to fund clean up of these old abandoned sites. Income to the fund comes from a fee on current coal operations, and the money is funneled back to coal mining states to support abandoned mine clean up. The Fund expired in 2004, but has continued to operate under laws passed on a year-to-year basis. Reauthorization of the Fund and proper allocation of the money are necessary to protect Penn sy l v an i a ’ s pub l i c he a l t h , environment and economy.

How Bad is the Problem? 1.4 million Pennsylvanians live within a mile of an abandoned mine land site. At least 44 of the 67 counties in Pennsylvania are affected by abandoned coal mines. As of March 2002, Pennsy lvania had 5 ,172

documented abandoned mine sites – with more than 184,431 abandoned mine lands. These sites are often dangerous, with high walls and cliffs, flooded pits and open mine mouths creating hazards that can maim or kill. Until these are corrected, injuries and deaths as a result of children and adults playing near and in these sites will continue. In 2004, then U.S. Secretary of Interior Gale Norton estimated that least 45 deaths and 19 injuries at abandoned mine sites have occurred just in the anthracite mine region of Pennsylvania in the past 30 years. This contaminated water takes a toll on citizens’ lives. Contaminated local water supplies mean that southwestern Pennsylvania coalfield resident Bill Gdosky and his neighbors draw well water that is unfit for washing, much less for drinking. The problem is growing. In southwestern counties along the Monongahela River, orphaned mines are filling with highly polluted acid water, which will soon break out and discharge into the river and its tributaries. It will damage fishing, drinking water supplies and general water quality on the Mon, to the Ohio River and beyond. And with the Port of Pittsburgh serving as the busiest inland port in the nation, efforts to showcase Pittsburgh will be undercut by the reality of the pollution seen at the Port. Although Pennsylvania leads the nation in developing and implementing new strategies to clean up abandoned mine lands, the enormity of the problem is staggering. If funding continues to remain flat and clean up continues at the current rate, it will take more than 60 years to eliminate just the high-priority hazardous sites. Pennsylvania’s clean up costs are at least $1.5 billion, not accounting for inflation or increased damage from newly discovered sites.

What’s the Problem in Washington?

At a time of record coal industry profits, Congress has insisted that a reauthorized AML Program decrease both the amount of money collected from the coal industry and the AML funds allocated to Pennsylvania. States with active coal mining but little legacy of abandoned mines

would be awarded more funds and use them for other purposes.

Even with these flaws, an AML bill was developed by Pennsyl-vania’s U.S. senators which would bring more than one billion dollars in guaran-teed cleanup funds to Pennsylvania. And there was great support for the measure – passage of this legislation is strongly supported by the Pennsylvania AML Campaign, county commissioners and conservation districts across the state, as well as groups in other historic coal production states.

But the AML bill was killed by the Senate in early August after being bundled by the leadership of the House of Representatives into legislation including other very controversial bills with provisions such as estate tax and minimum wage. Other bills supported by Pennsylvania’s senators were passed easily, but the AML legislation was hijacked and held ransom through this tactic. There is ample evidence, though, that the AML provisions would have passed had they been considered alone; indeed, the senate’s minority leader offered to sponsor a stand-alone AML bill.

It’s Time for Real Leadership

Pennsylvania municipalities and counties, public health and environmental leaders and economic development groups are all calling for our members of Congress to demand that Congressional leaders work to ensure passage of AML legislation in this session of Congress.

The health, environment and economy of Pennsylvanians are on the line, and the fund must be reauthorized now, with increases in both the collections generally and in the allocation to Pennsylvania specifically included. It is essential to Pennsyl-vania’s economic well-being to clean up the coal industry’s dangerous and polluting legacy and keep future dam-age from occurring.

Update on the Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation Fund

September 2006 Page 6

What the DEP Can (And Won't) Do

The Mountain Watershed Association recently received a comment/response document for a strip mine proposal. In this document, the Department states what it has authority over and what it does not.

T h e D e p a r t m e n t i s supposed to require a Cumulative Hydrologic Impact Assessment. We b e l i e v e t h i s s h o u l d b e a cumulative assessment of the watershed, not just a cumulative assessment of the site proposed to be stripped. The Department stated:

“This assessment includes an evaluation of the receiving streams, an overburden analysis summary, and a water quality spreadsheet calculation which generates effluent limits for the treatment pond discharges. These effluent limits are based on pre-mining water quality data.” How is this cumulative?

In addition, throughout the document, the Department sets forth its limitations:

“The Department has no regulatory authority to control hours of opera-tion on a mine site. Any such

limitations are through local zoning restrictions.”

“The Department does not require property line surveys.”

“Undeveloped springs are not developed for water supplies for human consumption, agriculture, commercial use, or industrial use and do not fall under the definitions of a water source to be protected from being diminished in quantity.”

“The Department inspects active mine sites at a minimum of once a month. Often, a Mine Inspec-tor will inspect an active site more frequently based on mining activity levels.”

It should be noted that MWA is required to have an on-site inspec-tor every day when we are building a mine drainage treatment system. The disruption to the surface and to the subsurface during strip mining is tre-mendous compared to the disruption at one of our sites yet inspection takes place much less frequently.

“The Department has no regulatory authority or control over traffic, except on the site. Any traffic

concerns on public roads must be directed to PennDot, Pennsylvania S tate Po l ice , or township authorities.”

“Bonds posted for permit issuance are for reclamation only.”

In response to questions about assessment of health issues near mine sites, “There are no provisions for the Department to require this.”

Further, in the Technical Guidance Document for the Department, Tit le “Blasting Complaint Protocol”, it is stated “The Department has no authority to require repair of or compensation for the damage. Repair and com-pensation are strictly a civil matter between the property owner and the operator.”

There is a statement in one application, “These areas will not be affected, as mining activities will not occur within 300 feet of any struc-tures.” We know that blasting and mining activities affect these areas. Dust, blasting damage, noise all occur far beyond 300 feet of any structure.

Comments about Limited Authority of the Department of Environmental

By Beverly Braverman

DEEP MINE PROPOSAL------AGAIN!!

Amerikohl Mining Company’s consultant is approaching members of our community to take water samples in their homes to collect water supply information for a proposed underground mine.

You should ask for identification. MAKE THEM TAKE SAMPLES OF ALL WELLS AND SPRINGS. MAKE THEM TAKE FLOW MEASUREMENTS. This is only step one. As of Sept. 21, they still did not have an application submitted to the

department of environmental protection.

IF YOU DO NOT PERMIT THE COMPANY TO TAKE THE SAMPLES OR PROVIDE BASELINE INFORMA-TION ON YOUR WATER SUPPLY, YOU MAY LOSE YOUR PRESUMPTION UNDER THE LAW THAT PRO-VIDES: IF THE MINING TAKES YOUR WATER, THE COMPANY IS REQUIRED BY LAW TO REPLACE IT.

THIS COULD BE A VERY CRITICAL PART OF YOUR DEFENSE IF YOUR WATER DISAPPEARS.

KEEP TRACK OF ANY WATER SAMPLE RESULTS YOU ACQUIRE. KEEP A JOURNAL OF ANY CON-TACTS YOU HAVE WITH EITHER THE MINING COMPANY, THEIR REPRESENTATIVES, or the Pa DEP.

September 2006 Page 7

Trips for Kids Update

Krissy Kasserman will now be coordinating our Trips for Kids Program. As fall approaches, we are still recruiting for additional Trips for Kids rides. If you know of a youth group, class or scouting troop that would be interested in taking a ride with us, please give us a call at the office or share our contact informa-tion.

The majority of our trips now

meet in Indian Head near Resh Park. We have 10 mountain bikes and helmets available for participants to use while riding with us, and we supply each participant with a Clif energy bar and a bottle of water.

O u r T r i p s f o r K i d s programs include an environmental education lesson focusing on our local water resources. This lesson is written in accordance with the Pennsylvania

On August 8 and 9, MWA employees and volunteers hosted Bike Aid, a group of young people cycling across the country. Their goal, as they travel, is to become more aware of the many issues affecting communities and people around the country and the world. As they pedal across the country, the Bike Aid participants overnight with organizations working for positive change in their communi-ties, and we were pleased that they chose to spend another year with us here in Melcroft!

Upon arriving at their campsite, generously donated by the Mountain Pines Resort, the bikers were greeted with a hot meal prepared by MWA board members, employees and supporters. We thank them very much for their work and dedication!

The following day, MWA organized a trail and roadside clean up

MWA Hosts Bike Aid for Fourth Consecutive Year

as well as some trail maintenance on the Donegal extension. The Bike Aid participants were a huge help during these projects. We truly appre-ciated all of the time that they donated to our organization, especially after pedaling 2/3 of the way across the country!

After leaving Melcroft, Bike

Aid participants prepared to pedal the rest of the way to Washington, DC, where they planned to meet with their congressional representatives to relay experiences from their travels. Based on the photo sent to us from a Bike Aid participant (below), it seems that at least one person heard our message and can relate!

Ecology and Enviroment educational standards. Dur ing the t r ip participants can see and learn about the Sagamore treatment site and experience hands-on environmental activities as they pedal along on the trail.

Schedule a trip for your group today. It's a perfect opportunity to experience a fun-filled bicycling trip as well as learn a valuable lesson about water quality!

Left: The sign on this bike belonging to a Bike Aid participant says, "I live in a mining town. Ash clouds rain on me and I drink contaminated water."

September 2006 Page 8

P.O. Box 408

Melcroft PA 15462

Please Invest in the Future of the Mountains By

Becoming a Member of the Mountain Watershed Association

Name: _____________________________________________

Address: ___________________________________________

___________________________________________________

Phone: ____________________________________________

E-mail: ____________________________________________

Types of Membership

_____Basic ($5 or 1 hour verified volunteer effort)

_____Family ($7) Number of people in family _____________

_____Group ($15) Number of people in group ___________

_____MWA Donor ($20)

_____Stream Friend ($45)

_____Stream Hero ($90)

_____Lifetime Member ($500)

_____Donations (are tax deductible).

I can volunteer to help when needed:

yes____ no_____

Please make checks payable to: Mountain Watershed Association

Send to: 1414B Indian Creek Valley Rd., P.O. Box 408, Melcroft, PA 15462

Phone: 724 455-4200

Fax: 724 455-4201

www.mtwatershed.com

Protecting, preserving,

and

restoring the

Indian Creek

Watershed and

surrounding areas.

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