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then the group has formed alliances with local
and state organizations, has drawn-in environmental
professionals as members of the association, hosted
a 3-day AMD conference, and has received state
funds through the 319 and Growing Greener grants
programs to clean up the Blacklick, Two Lick,
and Yellow Creeks along with the other few hundred
miles of waterways in the watershed.
had the pleasure of visiting the group for a tour
of three of their project sites. The first stop
- Penn Hill - an expansive passive treatment system
that utilizes gravity and natural products to
treat the 600 gallons of water that flows through
this system per minute. They utilize only natural
materials such as Pennsylvania limestone, mushroom
compost, manure, and wood chips, along with a
finishing wetland which hosts plants native to
Pennsylvania. No manmade chemicals of any kind
are used in their systems. One unique feature
is that they also utilize an invasive species
known as the Japanese Knotweed in their treatment
facility. So the group is looking not only at
using natural Pennsylvania products but also at
using those that are invading our landscape.
 raveling
up the ridge, we stopped at a second site along
the discharge route, Dixon Run #3 which is in
the process of becoming a passive treatment system
site. And our final destination - the treatment
center at the top of Chestnut Ridge. This water
treatment plant was built 15 years ago by the
Stanford Mining Company, in response to the need
to clean up the pollution from their mine discharges.
However, the Company began bankruptcy processes
in 1999, and so the Pennsylvania Department of
Environmental Protection (DEP), recognized the
need to continue treating the water at this facility.
The watershed association now oversees the operation
of the facility with the help of local and state
partnerships.
here
are many successes pinned to the lapel of the
watershed associations' jacket - and maybe the
most important is that life is returning to the
Blacklick watershed. Since the group began their
work, 6 miles of Two Lick Creek now has naturally
reproducing trout populations, and the Two Lick
Reservoir, which supplies the town of Indiana
with its drinking water, is a stable warm water
fishery supporting Walleye and Bass populations.
he
group's membership continues to grow, as does
the number of projects it is working on in their
watershed. They have 3-4 more projects in the
works to treat the AMD in their area, and I don't
think they'll be slowing down any time soon.
 ongratulations
to the volunteers, partnerships, and individuals
that are making this work happen. Not only are
they making a huge impact in the health of their
own lifestyles and those of future generations,
but they are also improving the quality of life
for all things natural in their watershed.
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rowing
up in the Pocono Mountains, I had never experienced abandoned
mine drainage (AMD). The streams I grew up with were seemingly
healthy mountain trout streams. And if you would've told me
that a great majority of the streams in the western part of
our beautiful Keystone State were orange, I would've thought
you were fibbing.
ow
that I'm an adult, I understand all too well what reality looks
like for Pennsylvania's waterways. The past two years of working
with Watershed Weekly has opened my eyes to the horrors that
many mining companies have left behind. But along with that
I have also seen a great passion in the people who grew up knowing
orange streams. Rather than sitting back to say, "That's
just the way it is," they are driven to take back the streams,
and not accept what has been handed down to them. 
ne example of this is the community of the Blacklick Creek
Watershed. Spearheaded and driven by Bob Eppley, President
of the group, they have formed alliances, partnerships
and friendships to accomplish what seems impossible. Returning
healthy fish populations back to a watershed that had
been extensively strip and deep mined in the past. It's
not just a mission; it's a fact. 
