EPCAMR will be providing The Nanticoke Conservation Club with $500 to aid in the disposal costs and dumping fees of the trash. Community Aid, a committed partner of EPCAMR’s in the region, has provided $5000 in funds for EPCAMR to support the coordination and management of several cleanups around the coalfields. Several other cleanups are in the planning stages for later this year all the way through the Fall of 2017, including our annual cleanup of Centralia, PA. The City of Nanticoke, the Newport Township Crimewatch, Pennsylvania Environmental Council, NE Office, are all partners in the effort. The area of the cleanup, and along the mining impacted Newport Creek, which runs parallel to the road into the site will be the center point of the cleanup. They will just need to provide us with receipts and a tally of the number of bags and tires collected, number of volunteers and club members in attendance, along with the tonnage report for the two anticipated dumpsters that they will be getting so that we can provide a thorough report to Community Aid in the Fall 2017. EPCAMR has already reached out to our RECLAIM Crew volunteer database as well to see if they are interested in making it to this event and will be present to take some photos of the good work that they all will be doing in the Southern Wyoming Valley and along Newport Creek.

Gary Gronkowski, President, of the The Nanticoke Conservation Club estimates that 40 volunteers will commit at least 4 hours of their time on that Saturday morning to rid the community of the illegal dumping sites, valued at $3780.80, not including the use of the City’s Public Works equipment to transport trash to the dumpsters. “The entire Nanticoke Conservation Club thanks you for the support offered and to your ongoing dedication to our environment”, stated Gary Gronkowski, in his letter of request to EPCAMR for support. Chartered on April 4, 1951, The Nanticoke Conservation Club is an active organization comprised of hunters, fishermen and outdoor enthusiasts. Their goal is to protect, preserve, and manage their area’s wildlife and natural resources.

“Gary Gronkowski and I have been cleaning up trash for over 20 years together across the entire Southern Wyoming Valley. Our daughter’s went to elementary and high school together and played on many sports teams together, where we ended up seeing each other at a lot of events and began sharing our stories of our concern for our local environment, rivers, and streams. Long ago, we decided that we would make a commitment to conducting cleanups anywhere and everywhere that was necessary within our surrounding neighborhoods to rid the area of decades of past dumping on our environment.” recalls Robert Hughes, EPCAMR Executive Director.

“I’m glad that EPCAMR with the support of Community Aid, can provide them with some funds to alleviate the costs of the hauling and dumping fees to remove the trash because it’s a local burden on the communities that we are serving to try and secure funds for these costs. The value of the time and effort that the volunteers put in on any given Saturday are staggering when you compare it to the actual cash that you have to seek and spend on the removal of the trash. Without the conservation-minded people that are members of The Nanticoke Conservation Club, and the other partners that we continue to work with and strengthen our relationships with over time, we would never be able to remove the sheer tonnage, tires, televisions, mattresses, and volume of household littered trash and debris from our coalfield communities. I can’t thank them enough!” exclaimed Robert.

On the same day at the other end of Newport Township, the Newport Township Crimewatch, led by Amy Saraka, there will be a similar cleanup effort going on with additional funds provided by EPCAMR through a small ARIPPA grant from last year that was awarded to them in the amount of $500 to support the cleanup efforts outside of Wanamie, along the Industrial Park (IP) road on abandoned mine lands too. The funds will go towards hauling, proper electronics waste disposal, dumpster, and cleanup supplies  on an abandoned mine land area in Newport Township, Luzerne County, PA where up to 40 tires will be removed and 10-12,000 pounds of illegally dumped trash, discarded furniture, construction waste, and household wastes will be removed, in partnership with Newport Township, , Newport Township Police Department, Nanticoke Conservation Club, and EPCAMR. 50 volunteers are expected to participate with their time value at $4726.00, not including support from the Newport Township Public Works Department. EPCAMR will administer the grant on behalf of the NTCW.

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Contact    Kelly Donaldson, 717.234.5550, ext. 4205

Resolution Recognizes Significance of Clean Water in the Keystone State

(HARRISBURG) – The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) applauds the Luzerne County Council for adopting a Clean Water Counts resolution, calling on state officials to make clean water a top priority for the Keystone State.

“Healthy families, strong communities, and a thriving Pennsylvania economy depend on clean water,” said Harry Campbell, CBF’s Pennsylvania Executive Director. “We applaud and thank Luzerne County Council members for publicly voicing their support for clean water in the Keystone State.”

CBF embarked on the Clean Water Counts campaign in response to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) most recent statewide surface waters assessment. The results show that of the 86,000 miles of waterways flowing through the Commonwealth, nearly 20,000 miles are polluted. They also reported that the top pollution sources are agricultural activities, abandoned mine drainage (AMD), and runoff from urban and suburban communities. EPCAMR is a partner in that campaign.

Abandoned mine drainage (AMD) pollutes more than 5,500 miles of Pennsylvania’s waterways, and its bright orange, or often neon-blue hue is visually haunting. But AMD does more than just pollute, it literally renders a stream lifeless. There are no fish, crayfish, not even grasses in these toxic streams.

In Luzerne County, streams like the Nescopeck and Sugarloaf, even the mighty Lackawanna River, which is a major tributary of the Susquehanna River, are polluted by AMD. In total, 165 of the 1,238 miles of waterways flowing through the County are devastated by AMD. Other sources of pollution include urban and suburban runoff, which accounts for 32 miles of impairment, and sources categorized as unknown and other, which together account for 60 miles of pollution.

For nearly two decades, the Eastern PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation (EPCAMR), the leading regional non-profit environmental organization dealing with AMD, has been working in Luzerne County, and in other coalfield communities throughout the north eastern and north central coal regions of Pennsylvania to educate residents, and to assist with the reclamation of the lands, streams, and other natural resources polluted by AMD.

Robert Hughes, Executive Director of the program, is committed to turning things around in the region and in Luzerne County.

“We’re grateful for this public support of clean water by the Luzerne Council members,” said Hughes. “Out of the top 20 prioritized abandoned mine discharges within the Anthracite Region of the Susquehanna River Basin, 12 of them have concentrated, devastating impacts in Luzerne County. It’s EPCAMR’s mission to educate, seek funding for reclamation, and to help improve our local communities. Luzerne County’s new Clean Water Counts resolution will support us in those daily efforts.”

Robert Hughes, Executive Director of Eastern PA Coalition for abandoned mine reclamation, takes water samples in a mine drainage discharge from the Newport Lake (a water-filled stripping pit) in Newport Township, Luzerne County, PA (Michael J. Mullen)

Through public education and engagement, CBF is hoping to increase awareness of water pollution issues, like those in Luzerne County, and elsewhere in the Keystone State. The goal is to urge state officials to make clean water a priority and commit the needed funding and programs to ensure that the waters that we rely on for drinking and household uses, recreation, and to grow our food, all meet clean water standards.

In addition to calling on local officials to pass resolutions, CBF is also asking something of citizens.

“We’re asking all Pennsylvania residents to show their support for clean water by signing the Clean Water Counts online petition,” said Campbell. “It takes only a few minutes, but your signature will go a long way toward demonstrating the importance of clean water to our elected officials.”

Old Forge AMD Borehole entering the Lackawanna River

Online petition signatures will be accepted through October 18^th, the anniversary of the Clean Water Act. To learn more about the campaign go to cbf.org/PAForCleanWater.

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Robert Hughes-EPCAMR Executive Director and Andy McAllister-WPCAMR Regional Coordinator accept the $5000 check from ARIPPA

ARIPPA awarded $5,000 in August at their Annual Awards Luncheon and $45,000 in the past to watershed organizations performing Abandoned Mine Land (AML) and/or Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) remediation improvements that are partners of EPCAMR and WPCAMR. Award recipients have included: Allegheny Valley Land Trust, Altman Run-Watershed, Babb Creek Watershed, Blackleggs Creek Watershed, Chestnut Ridge Chapter Trout Unlimited, Clearfield Creek Watershed, Earth Conservancy, Eastern Middle Anthracite Region Recovery, Evergreen Conservancy, Huber Breaker Preservation Society, Lackawanna River Corridor Association, Loyalsock Creek Watershed, Luzerne Conservation District, Mehoopany Creek Watershed Association, Plymouth Historical Society, Schuylkill Headwaters Association, Sewickley Creek Watershed, and the Shamokin Creek Restoration Alliance.

Awards are granted under the guidance and administration of Eastern and Western Pennsylvania Coalitions for Abandoned Mine Reclamation (EPCAMR and WPCAMR respectively). EPCAMR and WPCAMR are the two leading, regional environmental non-profit associations organized to encourage the reclamation, remediation, and redevelopment of lands and streams impacted by past mining practices. “EPCAMR and WPCAMR oversee the solicitation of proposals each year, review them, recommend them for awards, and then provide the selected award winners with checks following the ARIPPA Annual Awards Luncheon in August. Each year we publicize the request for applications a few times a year and usually look forward to at least 4-6 applications knowing that we only $2500 per Coalition to distribute. It’s a very simple application process. I’m surprised there aren’t more applications, honestly. Hopefully in 2015, we’ll get more. If you don’t ask, you don’t get. That hasn’t stopped us from redistributing the donation from ARIPPA at all. 100% of the funding goes out each and every year and we are proud of the projects that we can support on the ground in partnership with ARIPPA,” stated Robert E. Hughes, EPCAMR Executive Director. ARIPPA is also represented on the EPCAMR Board of Directors as an Industry Trade Association representative.

The 3 EPCAMR Award Winning Projects for 2014 are as follows:

$ 1300 will go to the Babb Creek Watershed Association (BCWA) for the cost of 1 of the 2 replacement stainless steel runners that are needed for the Antrim AMD MicroHydroPower Treatment Plant.

Corroded Runner at the Antrim MicroHydro Turbine AMD Treatment Plant

New Runner at the Antrim MicroHydro Turbine AMD Treatment Plant

$ 700 will be administered by EPCAMR on behalf of a group of volunteers led by Joe Sapienza Jr., Director of a recent short documentary on Centralia, who sought EPCAMR’s technical assistance to coordinate a large illegal dumpsite cleanup effort, called Cleanup Centralia! on October 25^th, 2014 this Fall to fund the hauling of waste and debris from three locations in and around Centralia, Byrnesville, and along Big Mine Run Road. Cleanup supplies, shovels, rakes, grass seed, wildflower mix, and NO DUMPING signs will also be picked up and housed with EPCAMR.

Illegal Dump Pile in Centralia near the Odd Fellows Cemetery that will be one of the sites cleaned up on October 25th

$  500 will go to the Mehoopany Creek Watershed Association (MCWA) for the purchase of 17 Tons of limestone sand to treat the acidic conditions of the South Branch Mehoopany Creek that will be placed in the Spring of 2015 ahead of the melt of from the Winter.

Rock Vein Construction on Mehoopany Creek

Confluence of the S. Branch and N. Branch of the Mehoopany Creek that will benefit from the limestone sand dosing

Watershed protection and abandoned mine land reclamation are two of the fastest growing areas of community-based collaboration in the Commonwealth of PA. Throughout the country, watershed groups are playing an increasingly prominent role in environmental management. Remediation projects are costly and long-term endeavors with costs averaging between $10-20,000 per acre, according to the Pennsylvania Mining Reclamation Advisory Board. The ARIPPA Reclamation Awards partnership with EPCAMR/WPCAMR are designed to help watershed groups and community groups continue their volunteer efforts toward improving our environment.

Organized in 1988, ARIPPA is a non-profit trade association representing alternative energy plants that remove coal refuse from AML areas, convert it into alternative energy, and beneficially utilize the ash by-product to reclaim thousands of acres of mine-scarred lands and hundreds of miles of formerly dead streams back to their natural state; without any expenditure of tax dollars. To date over 212 million tons of coal refuse has been converted into alternative energy by member plants. Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB) technology (one of the cleanest methods available today) is used to convert coal refuse into electricity and an alkaline-rich ash by-products utilized for decades in a highly regulated, safe, and beneficial manner to: fill and reclaim unsafe, abandoned mine lands; to remediate streams damaged by acid mine drainage; amend soil at mining sites, and serve as an additive in concrete/asphalt for construction and roadways.

The unique nature of ARIPPA’s environmental efforts combined with the desire to coordinate these efforts with “hands-on” environmentally oriented groups and governmental agencies symbolizes its commitment to improving our nation’s landscape and environment.

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