A diverse coalition of 76 partners from Pennsylvania and West Virginia, the Greene County Watershed Alliance is working collaboratively to restore the Dunkard Creek Targeted Watershed. Coalition members are as far-reaching as the watershed itself and include local landowners, business owners, community members, non-profit organizations and local, state, and federal government agencies.
As a result of acid mine drainage, the lower 6.2 mile portion of Dunkard Creek from Taylortown, Pennsylvania to Poland Mines, Pennsylvania is essentially dead. High levels of metals, acids, and suspended solids have turned the water orange and made downstream waters uninhabitable for aquatic life. Fish kills have been recorded and an estimated $67,000 in recreational revenue is lost annually.[1]
Under a Targeted Watersheds grant from the EPA, the Greene County Watershed Alliance, in partnership with the Friends of Dunkard Creek, is collaborating with Stream Restoration, Inc. to address the impacts from acid mine drainage using clean-up technologies, partnership building, and hands-on environmental education. Most notably, the Alliance has created a Passive Treatment System to remove metals and other pollutants at the Mathews Restoration Site. This system has the capacity to remove 50 tons per year of suspended solids in the form of heavy metals.