December 13, 1998
Herald-Standard
Redstone Creek among committee's projects
By Joyce Koballa
Herald-Standard Staff Writer
Promoting a safe and healthy environment and its relationship to the quality of life for citizens in Fayette County has become a key issue for the Fayette Forward Environmental Committee.
The committee was formed earlier this year and serves as a coalition builder in providing support to other potential groups throughout the area who are concerned with cleaning up their communities.
In November, Fayette Forward responded to the need of support from a New York resident and former Smock native who is looking to eliminate the acid mine drainage in Redstone Creek and its tributaries.
Bruce Kilgore is establishing a watershed alliance in the area of Redstone Creek in hopes of getting more residents interested in addressing and eventually resolving their water resource concerns. The water flows through the townships of North Union, South Union, Menallen, Franklin, Redstone and Jefferson.
In order to get the alliance up and running, Fayette Forward has agreed to serve as the coordinating entity as far as setting up meeting times and places and will compile a mailing list and data for the project.
According to Dan Visnauskas, strategic planning coordinator for Fayette Forward, the environmental committee will continue to work closely with the watershed alliance once it is formed.
Craig Cheselske, environmental committee chairman and president of Chestnut Ridge Trout Unlimited, said 34 people are on the environmental committee and are familiar with projects such as Redstone Creek. "We're making an attempt to expand grassroots support for this," said Cheselske.
According to Mark Killar, regional coordinator for the Western Pennsylvania Coalition for Acid Mine Drainage, the orange color of Redstone Creek is the result of 3,500 pounds of iron that is being discharged daily from a former mine in Menallen Township. "The problem is that the discharge is releasing an average flow of 4,500 gallons per minute, but the pH level is near neutral," Killar added.
Over the last several months, Kilgore has spoken with officials from organizations such as the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), federal Environmental Protection Agency and state representatives for further support of the project.
Chris Buckelew, spokeswoman for U.S. Rep. Frank Mascara (D-Charleroi), in whose district Redstone Creek runs, said she will assist by contacting local residents to advocate the project as well as look for future opportunities for federal resources.
Since more watersheds are forming throughout the Fayette and Westmoreland county areas, the DEP recently appointed Rita Coleman as watershed coordinator. Coleman will work with about 31 watershed associations in the 10-county area of southwestern Pennsylvania.
Within the three months since Coleman was appointed to the position, she has managed to coordinate meetings with several watershed groups and plans to meet with the Mountain Watershed Alliance in Indian Head in the near future.
In helping Kilgore establish the Redstone Creek Watershed Alliance as well as other newly formed watershed associations in the area, the Fayette Forward Environmental Committee will adhere to its mission statement of the following: To raise community awareness of the value of the county's surroundings; to identify common goals and objectives of various groups; to initiate a planning process to minimize conflicts among diverse uses of natural resources; to review efforts of improving the environment already underway and to communicate with local, state and federal agencies and political leaders.
In January, both Cheselske and Kilgore individually plan to hold initial meetings to address environmental concerns.
