Date post: | 13-Aug-2015 |
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Government & Nonprofit |
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Restoring the HeadwatersSchuylkill Headwaters Association
Our mission is “to promote the environmental integrity of the Schuylkill River, its tributaries, and the watershed that lies within the boundaries of Schuylkill County.”
Schuylkill Headwaters Association, Inc.
•Community-based grassroots organization •Formed in 1997 •Approximately 60 members •No staff + 1 AmeriCorps OSM VISTA volunteer
•Volunteer Board of Directors
Headwaters of the Schuylkill
River near Tuscarora
Springs
The Legacy of Coal Mining on our waterways…
AbandonedMine Drainage[AMD]
AMD impacts 3,000
miles of streams across
Pennsylvania and 129 miles in Schuylkill County.
Watershed Assessments
2000 – Upper Schuylkill River Assessment Report
2001 – Little Schuylkill River Assessment Report by L Robert Kimball & Associates
There are over 160 abandoned mine sites in Schuylkill County!
After the Clean Water Act passed in 1972, many coal operations shut down because they didn’t want to meet stricter regulations.
Abandoned Mine Drainage Discharge Sites in Schuylkill County and map of impaired streams
Orange= AMD ImpairedPurple= AMD and other impairmentGreen=Other impairmentBlue= Clean streams
UPPER SCHUYLKILL RIVER TMDL WATERSHEDIMPLEMENTATION PLAN (WIP)
May 2005Prepared by:Schuylkill Conservation DistrictSchuylkill Headwaters Association, Inc.RETTEW Associates, Inc.For submission to:Pennsylvania Department of Environmental ProtectionandUnited States Environmental Protection Agency
WIP IDENTIFICATION AND SUMMARY OF PROBLEM AND
POLLUTION SOURCES
Abandoned Mine Drainage (AMD)Sediment Runoff and Abandoned Mine
Drainage from Refuse PilesUncontrolled Stormwater RunoffSewageAgriculture Related Impairment (Nutrient
and Sediment)U. S. EPA Superfund Sites
Reevesdale South Dip 2
Silver Creek
Pine Forest
Mackeysburg
Wheeler Run
Wagner Run
Glendower Breach
Bell Colliery
Mary D BoreholeOld ball field
Mary D Recreation Complex
On line June 10, 2013
Outreach & Education
Why it’s important to share what we do…
Exposing the public to our work in the headwaters
Last fall students from 3 schools visited the Silver Creek AMD Treatment System for tours and environmental programming.
Mouths always drop when we tell them that the Silver Creek AMD System removes between 250 to 550 pounds of iron oxide every day from the water!
Water quality sampling with Pottsville High School students
Silver Creek Rain Gardens
NCCC volunteers transformed desolate mine land with compacted soil and little vegetation into rain gardens!
Just 6 months later, there is an incredible amount of biodiversity!
Preserving the Future of Our Watersheds
Long-term non-profit planningOMR funds
Large scale / small projects / everyday costsTrust Funds
How many organizations have trust funds? How is it operated?
Daily Operations ? Maintenance? Matching funds?
Staff – Paid? Volunteer? Volunteers experiencing burn-out? Is paid staff necessary?
Preserving the Future of Our Watersheds
Role of the Watershed SpecialistGovernment commitment to support non-
profitsFunding criteriaAccurate tracking of resources used in
restoration