DCNR rivers conservation grant to help with rivers conservation plan

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resoures (DCNR) recently announced that the SCWA will receive an $85,000 grant to help develop a rivers conservation plan. The grant will enable the SCWA to prepare a comprehensive rivers-conservation plan for the Sewickley Creek Watershed, a tributary of the Youghiogheny River.

The SCWA's project goals involve natural, physical, economic, historical and cultural resource issues as they relate to conservation of natural resources and the impacts thereon. The project's emphasis will be on the natural (soil forest and water quality) resources and physical (wastewater/stormwater discharges and sedimentation) resources of the watershed and how to implement improvements to these resources while considering socio-economic impacts.

Our partnership is working to accomplish the following goals:

• Improve water quality in the watershed's streams by finding cost effective ways to remediate mine drainage discharge sites; encourage re-mining and/or reclamation of abandoned strip mine sites; complete stream-side stabilization and/or stream-sidefencing of affected stream segements; and encourage better use of erosion and sedimentation control measures by communities.
• Reduce the impacts of other pollutant discharges in the watershed by identifying problem areas and review upstream water planning activities. With this data we will work with communities and the Westmoreland County Planning Department to education them on how their land use activities effect downstream landowners; plan better water detention facilities; encourage proper use of erosion/sedimenation control measures within the watershed.
• Reduce and improve impacts caused by the negative aspects of these resources. With the reduction of impacts and improvements to the resources, the environmental condition along with the socio-economic condition of the watershed will continually make improvements.

One of the project's main focuses is on the restoration and reclamation of degraded stream and lands by past mining activities most notably in the ares of Brinkerton, Wilson Run, Lowber and other areas not yet defined. This includes habitat, wetland and stream restoration activities, as well as land devlopment and flowplain issues. The SCWA partnership believes that some of the restoration and/or reclamation projects can have a duel role in protecting and improving multiple resource issues.

DCNR rivers conservation grant to help with rivers conservation plan

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The Sewickley Creek Watershed Association promotes the conservation of natural resources, monitors and improves water quality, and advocates wise land use practices in the Sewickley Creek Watershed.

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.