On Saturday June 18, six Sewickley Creek Watershed Association members participated in River Sweep 2000. River Sweep, in its 12th consecutive year, is a riverbank cleanup of the Ohio River and its tributaries
Tom Keller, Sewickley Creek Watershed Association executive director, noted it was the third year association participants cleaned up the same site. "It was the worst year for trash," he said. A total of 30 bags and three tires were taken from the Brinkerton discharge on the Upper Sewickley Creek.
Jack's Run, a feeder stream in the Sewickley Watershed, will be flowing through the thoughts of people planning stream restoration and enhancement projects. Enhancements made to the stream where it passes through the Lynch Field Recreation Center in Greensburg will be profiled in a book being developed by the Delaware Riverkeeper Network. Sewickley Creek Watershed Association spearheaded the effort to stabilize the stream bank and improve water quality in cooperation with its city, school, business, and environmental agency partners.
The Lynch Field project is one of the case studies being researched by Richard Albert, an environmental scientist with the Delaware Riverkeeper Network. The group received a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to study stream restoration efforts across commonwealth
The Sewickley Creek Watershed Association(SCWA) will receive $100,000 for the Lowber Minewater Resource Recovery Project. SCWA Executive Director Tom Keller said the S100,000 became available through the efforts of Bob Hedin, Hedin Environmental; Bob Dolence and Rod Fletcher,DEP; Congressman John Murtha and John Dawes, POWR. The SCWA now has a total of $150,000 (SCWA received S50,000 from a Growing Greener Grant) and a commitment from a pigment company to take 500 tons of iron oxide sludge from the Lowber minewater discharge. Our plan is to contract with a waste management company to remove and dewater iron sludge from the Lowber site and then truck the filter cake to the customer.
The date was August 17th. The time was 6pm. The place was the New Stanton Boro Park. The event was the Annual Sewickley Creek Watershed Association (SCWA) Picnic. It was time to renew old acquaintances and make new friends.
Joe Polansky and Jim Pilsbury were co-chariman of this year's picnic committee. Pilsbury said, "The members enjoyed good conversations and food while learning what the association has accomplished since last year' picnic. Several board members discussed the association's many projects and goals for the coming year." Pilsbury estimated about 150 watershed residents and families attended the picnic.
Members of Sewickley Creek Watershed Association, lend us your ears! And your hands... your ideas... your time... your talents, hidden and known!
Take the time to renew your membership and update your interests and the ways in which you would like to actively participate in the work of the association. SCWA is in the process of updating its membership list, turning it into a computerized database to help us link up people with projects. These include undertakings such as environmental studies, construction projects, giving presentations, helping with stream surveys, stocking fish,fund raising, cleanups, water sampling, SCWA event help, tree planting, and trail maintenance. We could also use office help and writers for the newsletter. We're very open to your ideas for other ways of being an active member.
Despite cold temperatures and some sprinkles, enthusiasm soared as students from Armbrust Wesleyan Christian Academy and their parents helped with a cleanup on Saturday, May 13. Twelve students in second through eighth grades joined members of the Sewickley Creek Watershed Association in cleaning up along the creek and Armbrust Road between the Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 354 building and Armbrust. Students and parents worked on removing trash from the rough cut of the proposed bike trail, filling 35 garbage bags, while SCWA members cleaned up along the road. Larger items and tires had been removed in an earlier sweep of the area.
As such the Association shall use its resources to educate the citizens of the watershed as to sound environmental practices. In addition, the Association will seek out and cooperate with government agencies, interested organizations, businesses and individuals to implement programs to improve water quality and encourage proper land use.