Oven Run Site D improvements will boost water quality of Stonycreek River. Here's how.

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey joined state and local officials and conservation advocates in Shade Township on Thursday to rededicate Oven Run Site D, aka Oaks Trail, which was the first of 24 acid mine drainage treatment systems that now produce clean water for the Stonycreek River watershed.

Originally constructed in 1995, Oven Run Site D is one of several passive treatment systems built near Oven Run, a tributary of the Stonycreek River, to accept acid mine drainage from abandoned nearby coal mines. Using natural methods and materials, these treatment systems remove pollutants like iron, aluminum and other heavy metals from the water and restore its pH level to a state where aquatic life, including fish and waterfowl, can survive.

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“The systems began to deteriorate because they had a life span, and thanks to funding from federal and state partners, we were able to reconstruct these systems and regain their life expectancy for another 20-25 years,” said Len Lichvar, district manager of the Somerset Conservation District.

The Somerset County Conservancy owns the land and the Somerset Conservation District maintains these treatment systems.

Where does the water go?

Oven Run treatment sites A and E discharge clean water into tributaries of the Stonycreek River. The water from sites D and F goes directly into the Stonycreek River, which flows north from Berlin to the City of Johnstown in Cambria County.

A fifth site, Oven Run Site B, was built and is maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Treated water from that site is discharged into Oven Run as well.

Lichvar said that Oven Run Site D and the 24 treatment systems in the Stonycreek River watershed put a total of 1.6 billion gallons of clean water into the Stonycreek River every year.

“The result of that has been the resurrection of over 20 miles of fishery in the watershed, a destination point for kayaking and boating, generating a tourism industry in the Cambria-Somerset region that is growing and has been an economic asset to the entire Cambria-Somerset region and throughout southwestern Pennsylvania,” he said.

Lichvar added that by implementing newer developments in building and design, the rehabilitated Oven Run treatment sites should be able to treat more water and improve the water quality of the Stonycreek River even more over the next 25 years or so.

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'We have a lot more work to do'

Casey said he came to thank all those who worked to see the project through to completion, noting that there are 5,500 miles of streams throughout Pennsylvania affected by acid mine drainage.

“We have a lot more work to do, but I don’t want to overlook what’s been done here,” he said. “We’re here to lift up and celebrate the work that’s been done by so many people here … so many people, so many organizations to thank and to commend.

“And it’s good when we celebrate that government-led initiatives result in the kind of success that we see here today. So it’s important that we stop and celebrate and lift up what has happened here. It’s a good day to be able to celebrate this for Somerset County, for southwestern Pennsylvania and for our entire commonwealth.”

Some of the speakers said that while much has been done to improve the water quality of the Stonycreek River watershed over the last 27 years, without a reliable source of funding and diligent upkeep, all that has been gained could be lost in the future.

“We’ve never eliminated any mine drainage, we only treat it,” Lichvar said. “These systems are sort of the treatment of the disease, they do not cure the disease of abandoned mine drainage. If they are not maintained, just like you maintain your house or your car or anything else man has created, they will begin to fail.”

Tom Clark of the Stonycreek-Conemaugh River Improvement Project, aka SCRIP, said he uses the Stonycreek River as a success story to show how a once-polluted river can be brought back to life.

“Here’s a group of like-minded people from public and private sectors who came together, identified the pollution culprits and attacked those to ‘flip the switch,’ turning a pollution problem into a public resource,” he said.

“What has been done here, can be done everywhere. However, all of these plants have life spans, they have operational costs that are required to maintain the gains. If we do not complete those, we erode the public trust that has been gained, and the skepticism wins out.”

Casey calls for support of STREAM Act

In his remarks, Casey encouraged area residents to show their support for Senate Bill 3957, also known as the STREAM Act, which Casey has sponsored with U.S. Sen. Mike Braun of Indiana.

To create a long-term source of funding for continued maintenance of acid mine drainage treatment sites, the Safeguarding Treatment for the Restoration of Ecosystems from Abandoned Mines, or STREAM Act, would authorize states to set aside up to 30% of the money allocated to them for abandoned mine reclamation from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into an interest-bearing account.

Casey said that Pennsylvania is to receive about $3.5 billion over 15 years for abandoned mine reclamation through the infrastructure act.

“That’s good news, because we need it, especially over the next 15 years when the monies can be available,” he said. “But it also is a sobering reminder of the problem we still have in Pennsylvania — more than 5,500 miles of streams (polluted by acid mine drainage).”

States would also be required to submit annual reports on the amount of money set aside for acid mine drainage abatement and how that money is being used.

A similar bill recently passed in the House of Representatives, but the senate bill is facing some opposition, Casey said.

“We’re going to have to get this done because we want to finish the job, finish the job of cleaning up acid mine drainage throughout the commonwealth,” he said. “Certainly, here in Somerset County and southwestern Pennsylvania, but literally the length and breadth of our commonwealth.”

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Casey said Article 1, Section 27 of the state constitution refers to residents of Pennsylvania as “trustees of the property and the lands of Pennsylvania."

“So this isn’t just a mission worthy of a great country and worthy of a great commonwealth, we have a state constitutional mandate,” he said.

“We don’t have a choice on this. This isn’t just a nice thing to do. We are the trustees; we have an obligation.”

The Community Foundation for the Alleghenies also manages a fund for the future maintenance of Oven Run treatment sites A, D, E and F. Donations to that fund can be made online through the foundation's website.

This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Oven Run Site D improvements boost Stonycreek River water quality