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