July 11, 2007 the Trail Signs for Coudersport Are Delivered to the Plant Operator

FINAL REPORT

Chronology

July 11, 2007 The trail signs for Coudersport are delivered to the plant operator.

July 19, 2007 The new wellhead educational brochures are delivered to Coudersport. The brochures remain available for customers.

July 30- August 3, 2007 The Potter County Fair booth was manned for five days. Each system was responsible for creating its own background display. A groundwater flow model was set up and run each day to illustrate the principles of groundwater protection. Numerous educational materials and hand-outs, provided by the League of Women Voters. Mark Stevens took the lead in organizing the fair activities and was instrumental in its success. On Monday the booth was manned by Jonathan Huff from Roulette Township and John McLaughlin. Tuesday was Shinglehouse Day with Deb Resig, Shinglehouse Borough Secretary and John McLaughlin present. Ulysses Borough was featured on Wednesday represented by Betty Hilfiger, Borough Manager. Also John VanZandt from Harrisburg DEP attended. Fern Burdick, an administrator from the Northern Tier Children’s Home attended on Thursday along with Mark Stevens. On Friday, Marlin Moors, Manager and Gareth Gockley, Water Plant Operator manned the booth. Mark Stevens presented certificates to all of the systems for successfully completing their wellhead protection plans. Among those visiting the display were several Township Supervisors, planning Commission board members, all three County Commissioners and State Representative Martin Causer. We estimate that the number of persons viewing the flow model ranged between twenty five and fifty per day.

November 13, 2007 Judy Bear and John McLaughlin give a wellhead protection presentation at the Potter County Planning Commission meeting using a groundwater flow model. Approximately 50 persons attended.

November 15, 2007 John McLaughlin conducts an impromptu demonstration of the groundwater flow model for county employees. Approximately 10 persons were present.

December 13, 2007 Judy Bear and John McLaughlin were interviewed by a reporter for the Potter Leader Enterprise for an article on wellhead protection. The article was timed to appear as the water supply area signs were installed by PENDOT.

December 26, 2007 An article entitled “Wellhead Project Aims to Protect Current and Future Water Supply” appeared as the headline feature of the Potter Leader Enterprise.

January 21, 2008 A wellhead protection display was set up in the entrance to the Potter County Conservation District office in Coudersport. The display consisted of photographs of the Coudersport and Ulysses Borough projects as well as a variety of educational materials and hand outs. This display remained there until June 28, 2008.

April, 2008 The local PENDOT office complete the installation of all Water Supply Area signs in Potter County. These signs delineated the recharge areas for Coudersport, Ulysses and Roulette.

May 13, 2008 Gareth Gockley and John McLaughlin selected the final locations for the Water Supply Area trail signs. These signs are to be located along a series of ATV/ snowmobile trails around the Coudersport water supply recharge areas. The signs contain the same language as found on the PENDOT signs.

May 22, 2008 An environmental fair was held in Coudersport for students from the fist, second fourth and fifth grades. In addition to faculty, Mark Stevens of DEP, Jack Fleckenstein, on the Potter County Conservation District and Judy Bead from Coudersport Well Drillers participated. Approximately 300 students participated in the festivities. Funds from both grants were used for this project.

May 27,2008 Mark Stevens assisted by his wife conducted a wellhead protection class for students at the Oswayo Valley School District (Shinglehouse). As a direct result of this successful presentation, the school district requested and was given approval to purchase a second groundwater flow model using funds from this grant.

May 25, 2008 Seven Water Supply Area trail signs were installed around the Coudersport recharge areas. These signs are constructed of wood and were made to resemble Bureau of State Parks signs in order to blend into the wooded areas where they were erected.

SUMARY

As a direct result of the Shinglehouse WREN grants, the following goals have been met:

1. Six PENDOT approved Water Supply Area signs have been installed around the recharge areas for all Coudersport Borough Authority and Charles Cole Memorial Hospital water sources.

2. One Water Supply Area sign has been installed on the recharge area for the Roulette Township Authority water sources.

3. Six Water Supply Area trail signs have been installed around the Coudersport Borough Authority water sources.

4. One additional groundwater flow model was purchased and placed in the Oswayo Valley School District. 6. Educational brochures were purchased and made available to the customers of Coudersport Borough and Roulette Township.

7. Five different water systems participated at the Potter County Fair directly exposing approximately 200 persons to the groundwater flow model and to the principles of groundwater protection.

8. Three separate presentations were made in three different Potter County school systems. Approximately 350 students ranging from first through seventh grades as well as faculty members were either introduced to or re-acquainted with the use of the groundwater flow model as a classroom tool. The flow models should become a staple in the earth science curriculums in these schools.

9. The efforts at the Potter County Fair directly lead to the wellhead presentation at the November 2007 Planning Commission meeting. Approximately 50 persons attended this meeting. One of the persons attending this session was the science teacher in the Austin School, who immediately requested another presentation for his classes. This illustrates the momentum the educational efforts have gained in the past year.

10. The erection of the PENDOT Water Supply Area signs prompted the writing of the newspaper article in December, 2007. This paper is widely read by the majority of county residents as well as by many ex-residents and non-resident camp owners. It is not possible to estimate the number of persons who have read this article.

TASKS REMAINING

Although much was accomplished over the past year, thanks to the support of the Pa. League of Women Voters and all of the local volunteers, a few tasks remain. We are in the process of scheduling a wellhead presentation for the County Commissioners sometime this summer or early fall. Also next fall we will make contact with the Northern Potter School District, the Galeton School District and the Whitesville (NY) School in order to assess their groundwater education programs and to rekindle interest if needed. Finally, under the initiative of Mark Stevens from DEP we hope to set up another booth at the Potter County Fair this August, if enough volunteers can be recruited.

In closing we would like to offer special thanks to Mark Stevens, John McLaughlin and Judy Bear from Coudersport Well Drilling for their efforts over the past year. Also again, we wish to thank the League for looking kindly on our grant proposals without which we would not have had the resources to accomplish any of these tasks.