Carolyn assisted with the AMD Sampling with the EPCAMR Staff in the Loyalsock Creek Watershed.

EC worked with the King’s College Office of Career Planning to offer King’s students the opportunity to apply for one of two EC Summer 2026 Scholarships. This EC scholarship allows King’s students to gain hands-on experience through an internship which aligns with EC’s mission. Furthermore, the work that students do in this internship counts for three college credits, funded by the scholarship, which helps students work towards earning their degrees. Carolyn has been selected as a recipient of the Earth Conservancy Summer 2026 Scholarship and has chosen to return to work with EPCAMR for this internship opportunity.  You can read about Carolyn’s initial time with EPCAMR in this previous news article. 

Carolyn tells us, “I’m so honored that I was selected as a recipient of this amazing scholarship! I never would have expected that such an opportunity would have been made possible for me so early in my college career. Without this internship, I would have needed to wait until the fall semester of college to return to work with EPCAMR as a Community-Based Federal Work Study student intern. I would have missed getting involved with all the sampling and monitoring that EPCAMR does throughout the summer, which I’ve really wanted to be a part of! Now, thanks to Earth Conservancy, I can focus on getting out in the field without worrying about falling behind with course work!” 

“I really like how this internship is run differently from my other college courses. There are virtually no assignments, except for updating my supervising professor, Dr. Brian Mangan, on my tasks and activities each week. Instead of me taking a midterm and final exam, Bobby has to complete a midterm and final assessment of the quality of my work. It’s more like I’m giving him homework! I’ll have to work hard so that he has only good things to say about me!” Carolyn joked. 

Carolyn organized the Holy Cross Day of Service EPCAMR AMD Tie-Dye Activity on Campus in Wilkes-Barre just before the Spring Semester came to an end with Bobby and Maria.

Carolyn mentioned, “In all seriousness, I’m very grateful to have been chosen for this opportunity. There are a lot of people who helped me secure this internship. Dr. Brian Mangan, who is the Director of the Environmental Program at King’s and my supervising professor for this internship, informed me of the opportunity and encouraged me to apply. I am so thankful for his unwavering support. The Office of Career Planning was extremely helpful in the application process, answering any and all questions I had. They were also partly responsible for deciding which students would be awarded the scholarship, so I’m grateful they chose me. EPCAMR has my gratitude for welcoming me back so soon after I finished this semester’s Community-Based Federal Work Study with them. I look forward to continuing to be a part of the EPCAMR team! And finally, a big thank you to Earth Conservancy, who proposed and funded this scholarship. This scholarship truly reflects their efforts to increase involvement in similar causes to their own.”

Carolyn attended the Schuylkill River Watershed Congress at Alvernia College in Reading to be a Room Facilitator, along with Maria, while Bobby was there to present.

Bobby stated, “Carolyn has been a valuable member of the EPCAMR team through her involvement in the Community-Based Federal Work Study Program. It is very beneficial to us, since we often do not have the funds to create paid internships, unless grant funds are budgeted and can be allocated to support the internship positions. The students are paid through the Work Study Program, I serve as their Supervisor and Mentor, and they follow our activity description of tasks and work projects that we are currently working on during the time that they are with us. She will continue to get lots of hands-on learning and applied science activities during her internship over the next 12 weeks. This scholarship from Earth Conservancy is wonderful for her and for us. They have been a very strong advocate and supporter of our work over our entire time we’ve existed and we’ve been a part of their work in many capacities and still are. Carolyn already works very well with the rest of the Staff and our community volunteers and has already gained a lot of knowledge on the work that we do in the region to assess and restore our watersheds impacted by legacy AMD. She’s been very instrumental in helping to categorize my Google Contacts list to help EPCAMR target reaching out to vendors and partners of ours to invite them to attend our Fall 30th Anniversary Banquet and Dinner/Reception to celebrate this amazing milestone of ours. That’s no easy task with over 7000 contacts to be sorted and labeled,” Bobby joked.

Carolyn lives in Shickshinny, at the southern part of the Wyoming Valley, where we are working on completing a Coldwater Conservation Plan for the Shickshinny Creek, Rocky Run, and Paddy Run watersheds. She’s familiar with the area and is currently reaching out to the Shickshinny Historical Society and Museum’s Director, Jimmy Bach, to research any historical mine maps of the area that EPCAMR can scan and utilize in our report. Jimmy has an amazing YouTube collection on the site and his History with Jimmy videos are great! We’ve offered to scan the maps for Jim and provide them to him digitally for allowing us to borrow the maps and scan them to get them into our report and possibly into the Mine Subsidence Insurance’s (MSI) Mine Map Atlas and PA Historical Underground Mine Map Inventory System (PHUMMIS). We will be scheduling some days in June for additional stream and culvert assessments in both the Shickshinny Creek and following up with our partners in the Bowman’s Creek watershed too! Welcome back Carolyn! 

The post Carolyn M. Phillips, returns to EPCAMR, sponsored by an Earth Conservancy Summer 2026Scholarship appeared first on epcamr.org.

(Ashley, PA)– EPCAMR, the Eastern PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation, Wilkes University, Misericordia University, Earth Conservancy, and Greater Nanticoke Area Elementary (GNA) have partnered for an Environmental Education Outreach and Pottery Art Program to teach students about abandoned mine drainage (AMD) water pollution problems in the Southern Wyoming Valley watersheds and how those pollution sources can be solved in creative ways reusing one of the by-products of past mining practices.  EPCAMR, who specializes in restoring streams impacted by AMD, conducting community cleanups, and providing education and outreach efforts to many regional schools throughout the Coal Region recently received a $3000 environmental education grant through the PA Department of Environmental Protection’s Environmental Education Grant Program in order to fund our project through the Summer of 2015. EPCAMR has purchased two pottery wheels, clay, and supplies to support the project.

EPCAMR will be taking the entire 4^th & 5^th grade classes from GNA to multiple AMD impacted sites within the School District and in S. Wilkes-Barre. Seven field trips are planned that  will allow students to experience where the iron oxide comes from before heading to EPCAMR to see how iron oxide can be processed and re-used in art projects. The iron oxide can be used for painting, tie-dying, making chalk, and creating pottery glazes. EPCAMR, with the help of Jean Adams of Wilkes University & Skip Sensbach of Misericordia University, both Artists and Professors who will be teaching the students at GNA how to create pottery and use reclaimed iron oxide in order to create sustainable art. GNA’s Mrs. Michelle Kordek, is assisting with the coordination of the project with EPCAMR, both inside and outside of the classroom. The students will be creating art after the Winter Christmas Break in early 2015 in their art classroom where they will be dipping their pottery that they create in one of several iron oxide glazes that will be mixed by EPCAMR and the Artists. EPCAMR plans to create its very own regional glaze mixture of iron oxide by the end of the project.

EPCAMR’s Executive Director and local resident of Nanticoke, Robert Hughes, who has worked previously with the Greater Nanticoke Area to bring grants and outdoor environmental education programs to the District over the last 8 years is happy to be able to bring this type of interdisciplinary education approach to the 4th and 5th grade students at GNA. He goes on to say:

“I really think that our students need to gain an understanding of the local world around them and the impacts that it is having on them directly or indirectly, whether or not they know what those problems are at this point in their young lives or not. By having our regional non-profit organization bring the students out into the surrounding local streams and watersheds that are within two miles of their own backyard and school to learn about the environmental impacts to our community is something that they should at least be aware of as they get older. They should understand why their rivers and streams are orange, smell like sulfur, where this mine water is coming from, and what can be done and is being done to clean it up. They should learn that they can become a part of the solution and become actively engaged in local stream cleanups or illegal dump site cleanups that EPCAMR has already coordinated within the School District and greater Southern Wyoming Valley. Those students who might want to become artists will also have another outlet and medium to work in once we show them how to recycle the iron oxide from these mine discharges that can be used for multiple art mediums in the classroom. These are just some of the reasons why I’ve decided to pursue this grant and was successful in having our organization receive the innovative grant award to serve our community first. I want my hometown to be the first School District to have the opportunity to utilize our regional iron oxide glazes that we will be creating and using in the classroom when we create some pottery art next year.”

The AMD Field Tours are going to be in the mornings from around 8am-12 noon on the following dates: November 21, November 24, November 25, November 26, December 2, December 3, and December 5.

Abandoned mine drainage (AMD) is caused by a reaction between pyrite, fool’s gold, and the oxygen present in the water. The result is a thick orange sediment which coats the stream bottom and makes it difficult for native plants and animals to live in the water. 5500 miles of streams in PA are polluted by AMD. www.epcamr.org 

Abandoned Mine Drainage (AMD) Environmental Education

 & Pottery Art Program Tour Agenda (Leave from GNA Elementary Center around 8AM)

Abandoned Mine Drainage (AMD)

– Pollutant that occurs as a result of past coal mining practices

– AMD forms when water from underground mines mixes with pyrite (fool’s gold) and oxygen to form rust

– The result is an orange muck which settles on the bottom of rivers and streams and pollutes the water  and makes it hard for plants & animals to survive.

Site 1: Red Lake

– Former Stripping Pit and municipal landfill at the far end of the pit looking north for the Glen Nan Colliery

– Orange/Red coloration from AMD upwelling into the stripping pit

– 20 acre lake bubbles and gurgles as water rushes into the lake from seeps and old mine gangways along the easterly portion of the stripping pit

– AMD from Red Lake meets up with the Honey Pot Discharge (Site #2)

Robert Hughes, Executive Director of Eastern PA Coalition for abandoned mine reclamation, takes water samples in mine drainage in Newport Township, Luzerne County, below Red Lake- (Michael J. Mullen)

Site 2: Honey Pot Discharge

– Discharges from an abandoned air shaft (#7) from the former Susquehanna #7 Colliery

– Was once the slackwater section for the Susquehanna North Branch Canal. Boats would come along the canal near Access Road to be loaded with coal.

– 2000 gal/minute average flow with high iron loading that eventually reaches the Newport Creek and  Susquehanna River

– Where EPCAMR get most of our iron oxide

– Have students assist with getting iron oxide

Wilkes University Volunteer cleaning up trash along the Honey Pot AMD discharge near the LCCC Park-n-Ride.

Site 3: Solomon Creek Boreholes

– 6 Boreholes (5 new & 1 old), 2 old ones collapsed and were replaced with 5 new ones

– Third largest borehole drainage area in the region

– 20 million gallons of water per day

– Boreholes are 240 feet deep

Solomon Creek AMD Boreholes in South Wilkes-Barre

Site 4: Askam Borehole AMD Treatment System (20 minutes)

– Askam Borehole drilled in the 1970’s to relieve water pressure from underground mines causing water  to go into residential basements;

– Collapsed in 1998 and two new boreholes had to be drilled on the other side of Dundee Road in between SR 29 and along the streambank of Nanticoke Creek

– Askam Treatment System uses the Maelstrom Oxidizer which uses a series of tubes which push air   into the water and cause the iron to fall out, making the water cleaner as it                      enters back into Nanticoke Creek following the dropping out of the iron in the series of ponds and baffles used to slow down the  water

– 3500 gal/minute into system

– Have students monitor water level (depth to the mine pool) at the Borehole with the Solonist Tape

Askam AMD Borehole along Dundee Road.

Site 5: EPCAMR Office

– Show students iron oxide station and examples of reuse of the pigment for various products

– Iron Oxide Solar Kiln for Drying and Processing AMD and converting into iron oxide packets for sale

EPCAMR AMD Solar Kiln

The post AMD Environmental Education & Pottery Art Program Tours Scheduled for Greater Nanticoke Area’s 4th & 5th Grade appeared first on epcamr.org.

EPCAMR is in the process of filling three  seasonal temporary outdoor field positions to assist one of our partners, the Earth Conservancy, with maintaining signage, clearing brush, spray painting existing trail markings of various levels of difficulty with different colored spray paint on several publicly accessible trails in the Wyoming Valley over the next month or two. Coordination will be provided by the EC and EPCAMR Staff at the trail locations as to the direction and pre-existing conditions of the low-impact trails and more heavily used vehicle trails.

Gabby Zawacki is one of those seasonal Trail Markers and former Community Outreach Relations Intern with EPCAMR last Fall through May of this year. She will throw on a backpack filled with spray paint and hike steep slopes, carry a backpack weighing up to 20 pounds of field supplies (backpacks, supplies, water, camera, and spray paint will be provided), walk several miles at a time, have an ability to read a topographic or aerial photographic map, have a familiarity with orienteering, not have any difficulties climbing or walking over rocks and outcrops along the trails, be familiar with poison ivy and poison oak, be able to navigate through picker bushes and multi-flora rose, Japanese knotweed, and other heavily wooded areas. Right now, she’ll be joined by Elizabeth Rosser, EPCAMR’s Watershed Outreach Specialist Intern, until we fill our third position. EPCAMR’s happy to have her back to work with us for the remainder of the Summer.

EPCAMR’s newest Seasonal Trail Marker joins us to provide some maintenance on Earth Conservancy’s Trail Systems in the Wyoming Valley and Southern Wyoming Valley through the Summer of 2014.

EPCAMR wants our Seasonal Trail Markers to be very careful of the steep ridges, especially along the Mocanaqua Loop Trail and they should pay specific attention and use caution around wildlife habitats such as possible bear dens and snake areas. EPCAMR expects that pictures will be taken of the trail activities on a daily basis and of natural areas, scenic overlooks, and various points of interest or plants and wildlife along the trails. The EPCAMR Trail Markers will be wearing appropriate clothes and shoes/hiking boots and socks be worn for any trail hiking and will be prepared for quick changes in weather by bringing rain gear, if necessary.  Hydration and energy are also keys to successful hiking. The trails to be marked are as follows on maps that will be provided:

The Mocanaqua Loop Trails              

1. Emergency Access Route
2. Green Loop (8 miles)
3. Blue Loop (7 miles)
4. Brown Loop (6 miles)
5. Orange Loop (2 miles)

The Sugar Notch Trails 

1.         Ridgetop Trail (3.06 miles)

2.         Park Access Trail (0.64 miles)

The Penobscot Ridge Mountain Bike Trail (1.6 miles)

Trail Descriptions and links to the maps from the Earth Conservancy website  

( www.earthconservancy.org )

http://earthconservancy.org/html/mocanaqua_trails.html 

http://earthconservancy.org/Moc_Loop_Map.jpg (Mocanaqua Loop Trails Map)

http://earthconservancy.org/html/sugar_notch_trails.html

http://earthconservancy.org/Sugar_Notch_Map.jpg (Sugar Notch Trails Map)

http://earthconservancy.org/html/penobscot_bike_trail.html

http://earthconservancy.org/Penobscot_Map.jpg (Penobscot Ridge Mountain Bike Trail Map)

The post Gabby Zawacki is Back as a Seasonal EPCAMR Trail Marker!! This Time with some Spray Paint and a Backpack over her Shoulders appeared first on epcamr.org.

The source of the AMD discharge feeding in to the Espy Run is located near the tree branch sticking out of the water on the right side of the photo.

EPCAMR completed AMD water quality and water flow monitoring of the Espy Run AMD Treatment System from August 2012-August 2013 in order to determine loading of iron, alkalinity, pH, acidity, and temperature at the Espy Run influent sites (old wetland,  new channel, new pipe), 3 points within the treatment system (Pond A, Pond B, Wetland), the Espy Run effluent, and downstream of the Espy Run combined AMD Treatment Systems. After completing the year long testing period, EPCAMR completed a final report detailing all of the data gathered on water flow and water quality. EPCAMR’s work on this project, in collaboration with the Earth Conservancy  allows them access to this area for educational outreach programs with local school districts in order to provide insight into AMD treatment systems, how to improve water quality through different water treatment technologies, and incorporate PA’s Department of Education’s Environment and Ecology Environmental Education Standards that compliment the various schools existing curriculum.

Weir #3 and Weir #4 on the outlet side of Espy Run before rehabilitation. As can be seen by the lack of flow and build-up of leaf debris, some maintenance was needed to get both weirs fully functioning again.

In 2011, after the Espy Run was rehabilitated, the average flow from the system was 521 gpm. With this flow, the system was able to remove 303 pounds per day of acidity while retaining 91.7 pounds of iron per day and thereby removing it from the stream. During the 2012 monitoring period, EPCAMR found that the average rate of flow from the system was 215 gpm, allowing the system to remove 162 pounds per day of acidity while retaining 18.8 pounds  of iron per day.

These numbers show a dramatic contrast between the 2011 assessment period and the 2012 assessment period. While these differences seem to point to a lack of effectiveness within the system, a number of factors led to these findings. 2011 was a year with above average precipitation while 2012 was a dry year with lower than average rainfall. The dramatic differences in rainfall greatly influenced the amount of flow within the system. In addition, treatment systems like the Espy Run system generally experience a “Honeymoon Period” in which the system performs better than expected. Treatment efficiency is related directly to flow and the eventual loadings of the iron, alkalinity, and acidity of the mine water.

V-notch weir post-construction spilling out cleaner water! The iron has been reduced by 90%, the pH and dissolved oxygen have been increased, as a slight increase in water temperature.

In order to help improve water residency time within the system, reduce short-circuiting  of the mine water, and optimize iron loading retention, the Earth Conservancy, through funding from a Quick Response Grant administered by our sister Coalition, the Western PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation (WPCAMR), applied further modifications to the system.  One of these modifications included sandbagging the inlet half-pipe channel to direct water into Pond B only. The outlet from Pond B was sandbagged, with Ponds A & B connected by a pipe allowing for flow from one to the other, leaving both ponds with a common outlet channel. In addition, a bridge was constructed over the outlet channel so that access to the old wetland system would be easier.

The bridge, shown going over the water in the rehabilitated Espy Run treatment system. The water, coming out of Ponds A & B in the system, is much clearer with a reduced orange color, indicating lower iron levels and cleaner water.

In order to redirect short-circuiting water issues a concrete Jersey Barrier was installed at the inlet to the old wetland system. Lastly, the weirs were lowered on the outlet of the old wetlands to lower water levels so that wetland vegetation had more surface area to grow. Cattails, phragmites, and several other wetland species of plants normally do not grow well in water at a depth of 18″ or greater. These modification proved to be successful, allowing for an additional 6 pounds per day of iron and neutralization of an additional 22 pounds per day of acidity. After gathering data on chemistry and flow, EPCAMR determined that optimal treatment levels are reached between 150-300 gpm. Flows lower than 150 gpm were not recorded during the assessment period, but if these low flow levels were to occur, they could cause detrimental chemical reactions in addition to allowing for excessive plant growth. On the other hand, if flows reach above 300 gpm, they can cause damage to the system. EPCAMR did not record flows at this level, but observation of damaged berms within the system indicated that water flow had been extremely high at some points during the assessment period.

EPCAMR staff member, Justyna, samples water from the raw water inflow to the settling ponds.

During the assessment period, EPCAMR made some additional observations that allowed for a better understanding of the effectiveness of the treatment system. Weather conditions had a significant impact on results. The greater precipitation, the more water trapped in the minepool, thus the greater the flow of AMD discharge into the treatment system. Higher flow, as mentioned above, can cause potentially cause damage to the system. EPCAMR observed that lowering the weirs in order to restrict water levels allows for mediation of this problem. In addition, warm weather conditions appear to create downstream “thermal pollution” on the cold water pouring out of the discharge, raising the temperature in ponds and wetlands 20 degrees fahrenheit or more. While this is an issue often associated with wetland type passive treatment systems, the beneficial removal of acid and heavy metal deposits is a worthwhile trade-off. On the other hand, cold weather conditions tend to slow down chemical reactions, hindering the removal of iron and neutralization of acids. During some of the winter sampling periods, Pond A suffered from periodic freezing due to the half-pipe’s “uneven” distribution. Modification of the system helped to remedy this issue.

Panoramic view of Pond B (left) & Pond A (right) showing the flow through pipe. Notice the brighter orange color of Pond B, indicating that more iron is settling out.

Although biological sampling and visual habitat were not a part of their services, EPCAMR noted evidence affirming that wildlife is inhabiting the treatment system. Frogs were croaking and jumping as EPCAMR staff walked across the berms, and tadpoles were seen in the spring to early summer along the outlet channels. Turtles were seen sunning themselves on the banks. Redwing Blackbirds and other bird species co-habitated throughout the area. A mother goose built her nest among the thick wetland plants and was often seen chasing EPCAMR staff around the wetlands a they gathered water samples. 

This baby Wood Turtle was seen sunning himself on the banks of the treatment system. His orange color is not from iron oxide, but shows his natural coloring. This little guy is a good sign!

Deer and turkeys were often seen roaming the fields above the ponds and wetlands. Pond A was teeming with schools of minnows. Beavers and muskrats were trapped out of the system so that they could not cause damage, but the beaver dam located near the USGS gauging station redirected the water over the weir, allowing for the system to work as it was originally intended to flow.

Taken downstream near the USGS gas station, this photo shows the beaver dam. This dam actually redirects the majority of flow back over the wier, The water here is cloudy, but the orange color is mostly gone, indicating that there is less iron in the stream.

EPCAMR’s year long assessment period showed that the Espy Run AMD Treatment Facility was largely successful at treating iron oxide deposits located in the stream. As of August 2013, the last assessment month for EPCAMR, the iron concentration coming into the treatment system was 10 Mg/L. As shown in the below left graph, after treatment, the iron concentration coming out of the system was approximately 32 Mg/L. As shown in the below right graph, as of August 2013, the iron load held within the system was approximately 22 lbs/day when the flow was around 225 gal/min. These figures show that after modification, the system was able to treat water at higher flows than was previously recorded.

While recorded data shows that they system was effective at treating iron oxide deposits and acidity within the water, visual assessment made it clear to any observer that the treatment system was helpful in reducing pollution within the water. The water leaving the treatment system was still cloudy, but lacked the bright orange pigment, indicating that the system was effective at removing a lot of acidity and iron oxide. Other indicators, such as visual observation of wildlife show that the wetland is able to be inhabited rather than remaining a biological deadzone as it had been prior to treatment. An increased number of fish species were found to be present downstream of the treatment system such as smallmouth bass, creek chubs, black-nose dace, blue-gills, and shiners.  EPCAMR will be continuing to monitor the system for the Earth Conservancy on a quarterly basis through the Fall of 2014.

The post EPCAMR Continues Monitoring of Espy Run AMD Treatment System for the Earth Conservancy in the Nanticoke Creek Watershed appeared first on epcamr.org.

As the iron is exposed to oxygen, it falls to the bottom of the stream as thick orange precipitate, coating the sides and bottom of the channel and impacting native wildlife species. The Maelstrom Oxidizer injects large amounts of air through a series of tubes, allowing the iron to drop out of the water more quickly, this reducing the area coated with orange sediment, or Yellow Boy. However, the system does require the use of electricity, which can become a long-term maintenance cost issue for the Earth Conservancy.

This November 2013 photo shows the Askam AMD Treatment facility under construction.

In October 2011, EPCAMR was contracted by the Earth Conservancy to conduct a baseline study in order to test water quality, determine insect populations, and conduct a visual habitat assessment. The study, which took place over a period of two years from November 2011 to January 2013, showed that the Askam #1 and #2 have a combined typical flow of around 2000 gallons per minute with an average of 30 mg/L of iron. This means that 807 pounds of iron oxide are deposited into the Nanticoke Creek from this discharge alone daily.

This chart shows the amount of water flowing through the Askam #1 and #2 boreholes over a 2 year period. The flow can vary from 9000 gpm to 0 gpm.

One of two of the Askam AMD Boreholes spewing mine drainage into the Nanticoke Creek along Dundee Road just east of Loomis Park in Hanover Township

The data gathered by EPCAMR allowed staff to analyze and compare existing water conditions to previous baseline historic water quality data. After the construction project is completed, EPCAMR will continue to assess and monitor with 7 main services to be rendered. EPCAMR will first research, collect, summarize, and analyze existing baseline historic water quality data from reports, studies, assessments, projects, and remediation efforts in the Nanticoke Creek Watershed. Comparisons to historic water quality data will allow for a better understanding of how well the treatment system is working and how effective it is when compared to past water quality reports. Secondly, EPCAMR will be taking photo-inventory and descriptions of all Field Sites and Geographic Locations using GIS/GPS.

Located just off of Route 29, the Askam Treatment System would take up a proposed 61,650 square feet.

In addition, EPCAMR will perform Visual Stream Assessment and continued Water Quality Monitoring of the Nanticoke Creek Stream Habitat Corridor west of Middle Road to Loomis Park both pre & post construction of the treatment system, Areas that will be assessed within these areas include: Nanticoke Creek upstream of the Askam Borehole (instream), the Askam AMD Borehole Discharge, Nanticoke Creek downstream of the Askam Borehole (instream), and the Loomis Discharge along Dundee Road. EPCAMR will continue to assess the completed Askam Treatment System up to 1 year after completion. Along with assessment of water quality, EPCAMR will continue to take Biological Stream Samples in order to assess the presence and health of macro-invertebrates, fishes, and amphibians both upstream and downstream of the Askam Borehole. EPCAMR will perform water flow monitoring of Nanticoke Creek pre & post construction of the Askam AMD system. Assessing water flow will allow EPCAMR to determine the loading of iron, acidity, and alkalinity upstream and downstream of the borehole, at the Askam treatment system, and at the Loomis Discharge. Finally, EPCAMR will complete a final report compiling all of the data gathered over the course of the year long assessment period. All of EPCAMR’s services for the Askam AMD Treatment System will allow for continued monitoring of the area to assess stream health while providing an accurate picture of the effectiveness of the treatment system.

Once EPCAMR is finished with stream assessment and water quality testing, they will continue to be involved with the Askam Borehole Treatment system in order to use it as a resource for education and outreach on the impacts of AMD and the benefits of the Askam system. Using this will allow EPCAMR to provide insight to the local community and create and promote activities related to AMD treatment systems in partnership with the Earth Conservancy. “EPCAMR appreciates Earth Conservancy’s willingness to allow us to utilize this site and many others as outdoor environmental education classrooms throughout the year, otherwise, our students in this area will have learned very little about the mining impacts and the eventual treatment system processes that are improving our local waterways”, Robert Hughes, EPCAMR Executive Director enthusiastically stated.

The post EPCAMR Monitoring the Earth Conservancy’s Askam AMD Treatment System in the Nanticoke Creek Watershed appeared first on epcamr.org.