Robert showing the EPCAMR Staff, Interns, and Film Crew of the many piles around town.

On Tuesday, July 15th, EPCAMR headed out to Centralia to assess the amount of trash and illegal dumping sites in the area for a possible Fall Cleanup around the now-barren town. With volunteers, interns, and one of our partners–  The Pennsylvania Environmental Council, NE Office (PEC) in tow,  the group met up with the Director of  “Centralia: America’s Lost Town” , Joe Sapienza II, recent graduate, and some of his film crew members from Drexel University, for a tour and to get a site assessment of the area– the first step in cleaning up Centralia!

Old Route 61

Our first stop to survey for trash was where the original fire in Centralia started near the Odd Fellows Cemetery. At this location, we found a few old mattresses and a large illegal dump and burn site with piles of litter, as well as, the start of many illegally-dumped auto tires.  Towards the other end of town, off Meyers Street, the crew walked down an abandoned road or  rail line which was once headed towards Mt. Carmel, to find more illegal dumping going on. The abandoned area was strewn with several wood piles, garbage bags full of household items, many more tires, furniture, and even the front bumper of a JEEP. The crew then parked in an empty lot where the famous Coddington’s Gas Station once stood (one of the main areas for tourists to park their cars in Centralia) and walked down along an abandoned road surrounded by culm  banks. Here, we found even more piles of trash scattered throughout the landscape.

The July 15th  site assessment showed that there is a strong need for a future cleanup in Centralia. EPCAMR has gotten approval of the State to move along with the cleanup  project. We are confident that we can accomplish this effort as we have completed hundreds of cleanups for nearly the last two decades and are already making contacts to put the wheels in motion.  During the site assessment, the group ran into at least 12 other tourists in the area. EPCAMR Executive Director, Robert Hughes, had a conversation with a few of the individuals about Centralia and the Fall Cleanup EPCAMR was planning on doing. Several of the tourists were happy to hear about the initiative and were willing to help as future volunteers with EPCAMR. Many folks were also interested in a possible future historical interpretive project EPCAMR was also considering for Centralia. We would love to see small wooden plaques with historical information around Centralia for tourists to read about the town and what happened in 1962 that left it abandoned. A handful of people EPCAMR spoke with were also excited about the idea of adding  picnic tables or benches in Centralia for the tourists that visit this historic site. We hope people interested in Centralia and working with EPCAMR will join us as future volunteers for a Fall Cleanup in Centralia set for October 25th from 9am-4pm with a 10am start and a 9am volunteer registration!

EPCAMR Staff and Joe Sapienza II will be coordinating a Fall 2014 Community Cleanup at the location of PA’s most historic mine fire in the Town of Centralia, PA on Saturday, October 25th. Recent film graduate students Joe Sapienza (Director) and friends from Drexel University, have been working with us to coordinate a cleanup in the Town that is pretty barren right now and isolated from the world, except for a handful (3 families) of residents that remain. We’ll be registering volunteers at 9am near the former Coddington Gas Station, just down the street from the St. Ignatius Cemetery.

We are looking for dozens of volunteers for the cleanup that will help EPCAMR to set the wheels in motion for a possible future historical interpretive project that we’re considering for the Town, if we can get the State behind us. Hear stories from the EPCAMR Executive Director on his internship days with the PA DEP some 20 years ago, as he monitored around the Town for mine gases in one of the Churches and along the coal banks that were on fire in the Buck Mountain Vein. Get a chance to meet the Director of the short film on Centralia that has been just recently released. Hear more on a full length documentary on Centralia that Joe is beginning to work on too.

An IndieGoGo fundraising effort is going to go live to assist us with funds for supplies, refreshments for the volunteers, water, tools, and to assist with paying for dumpsters and some wildflower seeds for the areas that we will be cleaning up. IF YOU DONATE, there are SWAG gifts in return, so please check out the link. EPCAMR is committing $700 towards the effort up front, plus Staff and other resources. http://vimeo.com/104065441

We have permission from one of the property owners (Pagnotti Enterprises) to place a dumpster on their property near the Odd Fellows Cemetery at the one cleanup location and we are actively working on securing permission from Blaschok Coal Company to place a dumpster in another area that can be seen in our Vimeo Cleanup Centralia Project video.

Follow the link on Facebook to join the effort as an EPCAMR Volunteer! https://www.facebook.com/events/628137517302486/?ref=22&source=1

The post Clean Up Centralia: EPCAMR Assesses Trash Problem in America’s Lost Town for October 25th 2014 Cleanup appeared first on epcamr.org.

Stormwater Pipe along S. Main Street entering Nockley’s Tributary

Limestone sand dosing of Stony Brook in 2011 in the Mehoopany Creek Watershed

Tons of trash illegally dumped at the foot of the Avondale Mine Disaster Site in Plymouth Township along the Susquehanna Warrior Trail

Old Forge AMD Borehole entering the Lackawanna River

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Organized in 1988, ARIPPA is a non-profit trade association based in Camp Hill PA. Membership is located in both the Anthracite and Bituminous Regions of Pennsylvania and comprised of:

• Independent electric generating plants producing alternative energy and/or steam from coal refuse and
• Businesses associated with the coal refuse – to -alternative energy industry.

Accordingly, ARIPPA is organized to:

• advance the alternative energy electric power production industry,
• encourage education about the generation of alternative energy and related industries,
• promote the environmentally responsible production of electric power,
• promote the utilization of alternative energy electric power,
• endorse the continuity and growth of the alternative energy power production industry,
• assist in meeting this country’s energy, industrial, economic, and environmental needs.

Due in part to ARIPPA member activities, unsightly coal refuse piles and the problems associated with them are gradually disappearing. Thousands of acres of land have been and continue to be reclaimed to a natural state or for productive use and future development. ARIPPA facilities remove and utilize coal refuse from both past and current mining activities, thereby abating acid mine drainage from coal refuse piles. ARIPPA reports that 145 million tons of coal refuse has been processed and converted into alternative energy by their member plants from 1998 to 2008. Further, the technology used to convert coal refuse to electricity, known as Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB) technology, produces alkaline-rich ash by-products. There are many beneficial uses for CFB ash including; filling mine pits, as a replacement for lime (for acid mine drainage remediation), for acid mine drainage remediation, as a soil amendment at mining sites, and/or as a concrete additive for roadways.

The unique nature of ARIPPA’s work combined with the desire to coordinate efforts with environmentally oriented groups and governmental agencies symbolize a commitment to improving the landscape and environment of our nation. You can learn more about ARIPPA at: http://www.arippa.org/

The post EPCAMR Awards 4 Regional ARIPPA AMD/AML Reclamation Awards to Improve Local Waterways in the amount of $2500 appeared first on epcamr.org.