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 A 1996 U.S. Geological Survey
report documented 270 abandoned-mine drainage (AMD)
discharges within The Stonycreek Corridor - only 14
percent of them in compliance with effluent standards. The
USGS survey also identified the biggest problems. Among
the most serious pollution sources were a pair of small
streams, Oven Run and Pokeytown Run, that were so acidic
and metals-laden as to effectively kill the Stony just a
mile or so downriver from Kantner.
In the early 1990s, a coalition of local grassroots groups
and resource agencies formed the Stonycreek Conemaugh
River Improvement Project (SCRIP). This group worked with
state and federal officials to obtain $5 million in
funding to passively treat the killer discharges on Oven
and Pokeytown runs with a network of settling ponds and
wetlands. Other SCRIP projects produced two passive
treatment systems on Quemahoning Creek near Jenners and
Boswell that have restored the Quemahoning's trout fishery
and improved water quality within Quemahoning Lake which
lies downstream.
The result of the efforts of SCRIP and a host of dedicated
local conservationists is a Stonycreek River that now
carries aquatic life throughout its 46-mile length and
quickly is becoming recognized and utilized as an
outstanding recreational resource by fishers, boaters,
families and a wide variety of people who enjoy outdoor
activities.
For more information on how the Stonycreek River is
recovering, read this Stonycreek Watershed Reassessment report
(2008).
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