Robert Hughes, EPCAMR Executive Director, and Ray Clarke, HBPS Chairman and Treasurer, stand with Charlie Jones and other members of Troop #152 in front of the Huber Breaker and memorial at the Miner;s Memorial Park.

The Groasis Waterboxx, an AquaPro Holland product developed in 2009 as a way to grow trees and plants in desert environments, serves as an “intelligent water incubator” that captures water from the air through condensation and rain. Due to the design of the device, the condensation is produced and captured without using any energy. Installing a Waterboxx begins with digging a 4-6 inch hole that allows the Waterboxx to sit at the surface. After digging, the hole should be filled with 5 gallons of water to help restore soil capillary systems and allow for better water retention. At this point, the Waterboxx can be installed and is ready for planting, with an 8-shaped notch at the top providing space for plant growth while reducing evaporation.

This diagram shows the interior of a Groasis Waterboxx. The Waterboxx allows water to be retained in its base, as shown in blue, which allows plants to grow in desert-like environments. The notch at the top, seen near the trunk of the tree, reduces evaporation.

The Huber Breaker Preservation Society‘s Miner’s Memorial Park is a great location to test and monitor the effectiveness of the Groasis Waterboxxes because of the high concentrations of culm and other coal waste in the soil. The culm acts similar to sand, allowing for little moisture retention, making it difficult for native plants to sustain life. The Waterboxxes, which are designed for environments with poor water retention, will help to solve this problem and allow for more variation in plant life on the Memorial Park property.

Ray Clarke, HBPS Chairman and Treasurer, helping Troop #152 scouts dig a Waterboxx hole after hitting the Engine House Foundation.

After EPCAMR obtained the funds to begin the reforestation project at the Miner’s Memorial Park, Charlie Jones, an Eagle Scout candidate, decided to organize his Boy Scout Troop #152, Forty-Fort, to assist EPCAMR. On August 3, 2013, work began at the site with EPCAMR staff, Ray Clarke – Huber Breaker Preservation Society Chairman and Treasurer, and members of Troop #152. The day consisted of digging holes for the installation of Waterboxxes, mulching and tending to various shrubs that already been planted at the site, and planting four fruit trees: pear, peach, plum, and black cherry. After the end of the project, EPCAMR installed 20 Waterboxxes that will be monitored for water content and tree growth monthly as part of research for the Regional Reforestation Planting Project funded by the ACCT and Groasis.

Troop #152 members install Waterboxx lids on top of the plum and pear trees at the Miner’s Memorial Park

The information will be valuable in determining the viability/value of using Waterboxxes. If they are deemed successful, as they have been over the last year, they will be included in other reforestation projects by EPCAMR.

EPCAMR Intern- David Svab places a Groasis Waterboxx into its freshly dug hole at Espy Run.

EPCAMR Executive Director- Robert Hughes plants a Groasis Waterboxx at Espy Run.

EPCAMR was again funded for a Phase II round of research funding and was provided with an additional 20 more Waterboxxes, of which 8 were planted at the Espy Run AMD Treatment Wetlands location, in Hanover Township in the Fall of 2013 by EPCAMR Watershed Outreach Intern David Svab and EPCAMR Executive Director, Robert Hughes, in partnership and with permission from the landowner, the Earth Conservancy. Due to the fast approaching Winter and a delay in getting the seedlings and trees delivered and in stock from the nursery that was used, EPCAMR will be continuing to plant an additional 12 Waterboxxes at the first sign of Spring.

This photo shows the newly planted Waterboxxes next to the settling ponds at the Espy Run AMD Treatment Facility.

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The second plot 20 native seedlings that is planned is along a small tributary of the Solomon Creek, known by EPCAMR as Nockley’s tributary, based on their watershed assessment work completed on this impaired section of stream that feeds the main stem of Solomon Creek in Wilkes-Barre, PA. EPCAMR will be working with the local landowner, Frank Nockley, who’s brother Dave, owns Nockley’s Pharmacy, in Hanover Township, along S. Main Street to gain access to the site with his permission to improve the riparian corridor and habitat of the tributary, which is in need of stream restoration work. A small dedication ceremony is also going to be planned for the Nockley tributary location, in honor of Abe Coolbaugh, an avid hunter and fisherman, who grew up in the Wilkes-Barre Area. A small plaque in his name will be placed on one of the larger surrounding trees in the stream corridor thanks to a financial contribution from the South Wilkes-Barre Mini-Mohawks Football Program.  EPCAMR will be putting out a call for Tree Planters for this project! If interested, please let us know.

Now on its second year, the Waterboxx Project is a three year research effort to study the effectiveness and value of the Groassis Waterboxx in various terrains, mine lands, and climates found in the mountainous regions of the United States. The Waterboxx, an ‘intelligent water incubator,’ produces and captures water from the air through condensation and rain, increasing survival prospects for tree seedlings planted in harsh environments. Monitoring will occur at the initial planting and continue once every month for a total of twelve (12) months. Each monitoring instance by EPCAMR will be as near to thirty (30) days apart as is reasonable feasible.

EPCAMR’s Waterboxx Project has an educational component or activity to it.  The educational programs and tours that will be provided to local elementary schools in the Wilkes-Barre Area School District will educate students on native seedlings, stream restoration techniques, use of the Waterboxx technology, water conservation, and stream corridor restoration. These activities will allow EPCAMR to promote our goals/mission as well as clearly define the purpose of the project and its importance to the local community. More importantly, it will lay the foundation for future stewards of our environment.

For more information about volunteering, contact Robert E. Hughes, EPCAMR Executive Director at 570-371-3523 or rhughes@epcamr.org 

The OSM/VISTA Teams are coalitions of change-minded grassroots-level watershed improvement groups determined to repair the environmental degradation left from pre-regulatory mining while creating economic stability needed in rural communities. The OSM/VISTA Teams are a partnership between the Office of Surface Mining and AmeriCorps VISTA. The ACCT sponsors 32 OSM/VISTAs throughout 7 states in the Appalachian Region and is headquartered in Beckley, WV. The WHWT sponsors 27 OSM/VISTAs across Colorado and New Mexico and is headquartered in Durango, CO.

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