Stefano: State Grants will Boost Water Quality in Fayette and Somerset Counties

Harrisburg State Sen. Pat Stefano (R-32) today said the approval of $1.2 million in state grants will fund projects to remove acid mine drainage (AMD) from sites in Fayette and Somerset, including the area of the Flight 93 National Memorial.

Stefano, who represents the Senate Republican Caucus on the DEP’s Mine Reclamation Advisory Board, said the grants come from the state Surface Mining Conservation and Reclamation Act Fund and a state AML Set Aside fund supported by the federal Abandoned Mine Land Program.  

The following grants were approved:

Fayette County

  • Mountain Watershed Association received $426,279 for new work to maintain remediation and address new discharges in the Gallentine and Sagamore AMD passive treatment systems in Saltlick and Springfield townships. The two systems are integral to maintaining water quality in Indian Creek, which prior AMD remediation has restored to a trout-stocked fishery. 

Somerset County         

  • Paint Creek Regional Watershed Association received $48,193 for limestone treatment to restore AMD-impaired headwaters of Babcock Creek in Gallitzin State Forest. The project is anticipated to expand local habitat for Pennsylvania’s state fish, the brook trout.
  • Somerset County Conservation District received $551,319 for construction of an AMD passive treatment system on Lamberts Run in Stonycreek Township, one mile from the Flight 93 National Memorial. In addition to removing the final source of AMD impairment in Lamberts Run Watershed, the system is expected to improve water quality in the upper Stonycreek River. This project complements existing DEP-led treatment at the headwaters of Lamberts Run on the Flight 93 property.
  • Shade Creek Watershed Association received $208,141 for AMD treatment on Coal Run in State Game Land 228, Shade Township. The project will restore more than 4 miles of stream and maintain previous mine drainage treatment in the headwaters of Shade Creek, which are supporting native brook trout populations.

“A significant part of our region’s heritage is mining, and these grants are part of the commitment to ensure that this tradition is coupled with responsible environmental stewardship,” Stefano said. “This funding will improve water quality affected by discharges and maintain improved water quality achieved through previous remediation efforts.”

 

Contact: Ben Wren bwren@pasen.gov (717) 787-7175

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