December 1, 1998
Herald-Standard
Grassroots approach viewed on mine acid.
By Joyce Koballa
Herald-Standard Staff Writer
A New York man who grew up near Redstone Creek is taking a grassroots approach to eliminate the acid mine drainage that has continued to pollute the water in the community for the past 75 years.
Bruce Kilgore, a native of Smock, said that during the last 10 years, he has returned home to visit his parents, the water condition of Redstone Creek has never changed.
"It's been as bad as it ever was," said Kilgore, referring to his most recent visit home in October.
Fed up with the lingering condition of the creek, Kilgore is looking to form a watershed alliance in hopes of getting more residents from the area interested in addressing and eventually resolving their water-resource concerns.
According to Kilgore, the landowners whose properties border Redstone Creek and its tributaries are most affected. The water flows through the townships of North Union, South Union, Menallen, Franklin, Redstone, and Jefferson.
"There's been a lot of work done to clean up acid mine drainage and money is available to do it," said Kilgore, who has recently been in contact with various officials from the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
However, if the project is taken on, it will become time-consuming, according to Mark Killar, regional coordinator for the Western Pennsylvania Coalition for Acid Mine Drainage.
Killar said those involved with the project must realize there is a lot of work to be done, but it can be accomplished.
Killar said the average time to start up a watershed alliance generally takes between four and six months, with the first step being to hold a formal meeting in the area or areas that are affected.
Earlier this month, Killar added that the coalition received $50,000 in grant money from the Department or Environmental Protection to start up new watershed groups in areas impacted by acid mine drainage. The coalition works with 24 subdivisions across western Pennsylvania.
With the funding, Killar said the grant will be prioritized with $5,000 initially going to newly formed groups. The remainder will go to groups that formed withing the last two years and finally those that are up and running. "Our biggest thing is to make sure the group is successful," said Killar. Within the last four years, Killar said four new watershed alliances have been established in Fayette and Westmoreland counties -- the latest in Jacobs Creek.
As a small boy, Kilgore recalled how Redstone Creek was part of a watershed study called Operation Scarlift that was started in the 1960s by the then-state Department of Environmental Resource.
The study, the aim of which was to identify mine drainage and discharge across the state, eventually fell through before it was completed because of the expense to build and operate chemical treatment plants, which were considered the only solution to tthe probelm at that time.
While growing up, Kilgore said he and his friends would always refer to Redstone Creek as "Sulfur Creek." Kilgore added that he didn't actually know the creek was called Redstone Creek until he was 14 or 15 years old.
According to Killar, the orange color of the creek is the result of 3,500 pounds of iron that is being discharged daily into Redstone and its tributaries from a former mine area in Menallen Township.
Killar noted that the discharge is releasing an average flow of 4,500 gallons per minute, with a pH level near neutral.
"This is not acid mine drainage," said Killar.
In cleaning up Redstone Creek, Killar said the challenge will be with the flows, since there is not a lot of area to treat a discharge this size.
"It's reallying going to take community effort. There is strength in numbers," said Killar.
