July 16, 1999
Herald-Standard

Group meets to address Redstone Creek problems

By Christine Haines
Herald-Standard Staff Writer

More than 30 people attended the inaugural meeting of the Redstone Creek Watershed Association Thrusday, with half of them volunteering to serve on a water sampling committee.

The group represented most of the nine municipalities which comprise the Redstone Creek watershed, as well as Penn State University, California University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Cleanways, the Fayette County Conservation District, state Sen. Richard Kasunic, the state Natural Resource Conservation Service, the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Western Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation (WPCAMR).

The Redstone Creek watershed includes the creek and its tributaries which run through Dunbar, Franklin, Jefferson, Menallen, North Union, South Union, Redstone, Brownsville and Washington townships.

"When I got the letter for the meeting, I thought the purpose was to get the red out of Redstone.  If we could do that, it would be a big accomplishment," said Tom Frankhouser, a South Union Township supervisor.

The red in Redstone Creek is iron oxide, basically a sludge of rust coming from mine drainage.  Mark Killar of the WPCAMR said one of the sources of that drainage is an abandoned mine near Phillips along Route 51, just north of Uniontown.  Killar said the good news is the drainage there is alkaline, not acidic, with a pH of 6.2, with 7 being neutral.

"We're looking at not only taking the iron out, but using the iron," Killar said.

One person at the meeting said the residue is almost pure iron and could be used for making pigments, possibly creating some additonal jobs in the area.

With a flow which can reach 5,000 gallons a minute, however, the Phillips mine drainage problem could be too large for the fledgling watershed group to take on initially.

"I've been told in the past that there's not enough money in the world to clean up Phillips," Kasunic said.

The project would be an expensive proposition, but not impossible to do.

It was estimated that a natural system of ponds and wetlands to purify that amount of mine drainage would cover 40 to 50 acres and could cost as much as several million dollars to construct.

"The passive treatment systems are low-maintenance systems.  They aren't no maintenance.  That's where watershed groups come in," said Richard Beam of the DEP.

Rita Coleman, the DEP watershed coordinator, said the Redstone Creek group may find a smaller project to tackle by doing a water quality survey of the watershed.  Thirty sites, most at the mouths of tributaries to Redstone Creek, have been identified for a "snapshot" water quality study to be conducted by the watershed group.

"Other than the iron being fed in at Phillips, I think the biggest problem you're going to find is sewage," said George Bozek, a Franklin Township supervisor.

Bozek said he's hoping the water quality study and activities by the watershed group can help the local municipalities land funding for sewage treatment systems.

Coleman said the time is right for grassroots watershed associations to get funding for conservation projects, although public grants for passive treatment systems usually aren't higher than $260,000.  Coleman said the public funds are often used as leverage for other funding sources, including private foundation grants.

While plans are being made for a one-day water sampling project, it is likely that ongoing sampling will be conducted monthly to give a true picture of water quality from season to season.  School and community groups, as well as individuals interested in participating in the watershed project, are being sought.

The DEP will provide training for individuals collecting water samples, and the testing will be done through the DEP, both for mine drainage and sewage contamination.  Coleman said it is possible that some volunteers may get additional training in the future to conduct on-site tests.

The water sampling committee will meet Thursday, July 29 at 2 p.m. at the Fayette County Health Center.  The committee members said anyone interested in the project is welcome to attend that meeting, as well as future meetings of the watershed group.