Monongahela-Plan-RS.Pdf

relate to steel andrelated tributaries,and portions of 65 industries,and to develop uses municipalities in five counties forthese resources so that they (Greene, Fayette, Westmoreland, may contribute to the economic Washington, and Allegheny). revitalization of the region. Since SIHC'sManagement In general, the land use within Action Plandefines the rivers as the study corridor tends to range the connecting thread of the fromundeveloped in the southern heritage area,the Monongahela areasto urbanand industrial uses RiverConservation Plan is a in the northerncommunities. logical method to achieve these There are some smaller goals. communities, particularlyto the south, which have residential C. Project Area Characteristics uses along the river. The Monongahela River Basin extends north fromwestern According' to 1990 census data, Marylandand West Virginia into the populationof study corridor southwesternPennsylvania and comm6nities totaled 668,440 ends at the river's confluence people, over 30 percent of the with the Allegheny, which forms t�al population of the five the Ohio River at Pittsburgh. counties along the river. As a From its origin at theconfluence whole, the study corridor of the West Fork and Tygart municipalities had fewer Rivers in West Virginia, the residents under the age of 18 and Monongahela flowsfor more over the age of 64 thanthe approximately 128 miles and rest of the region. Study corridor drains approximately 7,390 communitiestended to be older square miles. when comparedto state and national averages as well. The study corridor forthe Census data from 1990 indicated Monongahela River that study corridor communities Conservation Plan covers only also tended to have higher the portion of the river from the unemployment rates than the West Virginia/Pennsylvania surrounding municipalities. border (Mason-Dixon Line)near Point Marion, Pennsylvania D. Resource Data Analysis and (river mile 90) to the Glenwood Conclusions Bridge in the City of Pittsburgh A detailed analysis of available (river mile 6). The width of the resource data revealed numerous study corridoris approximately issues, concerns,constraints, and one mile on either side of the opportunities related to the study river, or to the top of the nearest corridor. Primary among these slope. It includes approximately were commercial use of the river, 84 river miles, sections of 58 the emergence of recreational 5 opportunities, water quality, the the decliningnumber of lack of coordinated land use industries along its banks and planningalong the river, the increasingly stringent presence of numerous industrial environmental regulations. sites and brownfields, and However, serious threatsto water plannedprojects which will have quality still exist withinthe study a major impact upon the corridor, with abandonedmine character and use of the river. drainage being foremostamong those. One issue which makes an There is no question that analysis of water quality commercial shipping is the major particularlydifficult is that, while use forthe Monongahela River. numerous water quality studies The fivelocks located within the have been undertaken on the study corridor handled up to 19 Monongahela, they vary million tons of cargo in 1997, significantlyin the parameters hauled by more than7,500 and types ofsampling conducted. vessels. This places the As a result, researchers Monongahelaamong the top attempting to review this inlandwaterways in the U.S. in voluminous data are oftenleft termsof commercial shipping. with a mix that cannotbe easily One issue that has emerged in compared. recent yearsis the potential for conflict between the large Land use regulation is another number ofcommercial vessels fieldin which a coordinated andthe increasing number of effortis lacking. At least 15 recreational users on the river. municipalities within the study Recreational use on the river has corridor had no landuse increased dramaticallyin recent regulations at all, andmore than years as water quality has halfof the 50 remaining improved andthe closing of municipalities had zoning only at manufacturingplants has opened the county level. Particularly in riverfrontaccess. A total of more the southernportion ofthe study than 120 recreational facilities, corridor, this has created a such as parks, marinas, golf situation where riverfront courses, and trails are located development, including within the study corridor, which residential, industrial, and creates numerous opportunities recreational, has been impeded forrecreation and, occasionally, by conflictingland uses. conflicts with commercial shippingas well. The primary opportunity for development along the river As mentioned above, recent comes in the formofreusing decades have seen an abandoned industrialsites, improvement in water quality in known as brownfields. The the MonongahelaRiver, due to shores ofthe river contain dozens 6 ofbrownfields, most of which infrastructureimprovement. As areabandoned mines and dumps, outlined by the U.S. Army Corps formercoal tipples, and vacant of Engineers, the "Lower Mon industrial plants. There are Project" will consist of the currently plansto redevelop removal of Locks andDam No. 3 several of these sites, such as the and the renovation ofLocks and formerU.S.X.Duquesne Works Dams 2 and 4. In the short term, andthe formerNational Tube the project is expected to result in Works in McKeesport, but many the loss ofapproximately 400 other major brownfields remain jobs. However, due to projected empty. increases in shippingonce the project is completed, 8,000 new While the redevelopment plans jobs and$402 million in forthe Duquesne Works and economic benefits areexpected. other brownfields certainly qualifyas major undertakings, The third project discussed here there arethree other major is the creation ofa series of boat planned projects that will also tours and landingsites as the have direct impacts on the river focalpoint ofthe Rivers of Steel and access to it. The first of Heritage Area. This project, as these is the Mon/Fayette definedin SIHC'sManagement Expressway, a plannedtoll road Action Plan,will help to inform that, when completed, would visitors ofthe historic, cultural, connect 1-68, 1-70, and 1-376. andnatural resources of the river. Portions of this project are In order to furtherthe currently under construction and development ofthese tours, other sections are currently in the Mackin andSIHC have Environmental Impact Statement coordinated to identifythe phase. The Mon/Fayette communities in which the Expressway will directly affect primary landing sites should be the Monongahela River with at located. This Determinationwas least two major river bridges, based on criteria such as but, it will also create new access concentrations ofhistoric to study corridor communities resources, availability of andtie them more closely to the riverfront property, andexisting interstate transportation system. river-based facilities. The It is anticipatedthat this locations selected forprimary improved access will help spur landingsites included redevelopment effortsat many of Greensboro, Rices Landing, the brownfield sites and it may Brownsville, Belle Vernon, increase recreational usage of the Charleroi,Monessen, Donora, river as well. Monongahela, McKeesport, and Homestead. The second major planned project also deals with 7 E. Project Timeline As noted previously, this document summarizes the Final Report forthe Monongahela River Conservation Plan. This is the last of three draftsand will be submitted to DCNR for listing on the Rivers Registry. 8 II. INTRODUCTION Conservation Planwas initiated' and through this context that the A. Introduction recommendations and management options were The MonongahelaRiver has developed, andmust be played anunparalleled role in the considered. history of America. It has served a transportationfunction for both B. Project Background its native residents andfor The development of the settling colonials. It provided a meansto access the Ohio River Monongahela River andto expandand explore Conservation Planstemmed from the opportunityposed by DCNR, westward. It also became the mechanism which propelled the andSIHC's Management Action industrieson it shores to Plan(MAP), as generated worldwide importance and through the Pennsylvania unequaled strength. Heritage ParksProgram. Through its changingrole, the The Rivers Conservation Monongahela River itself has Programprovided a funding source fordeveloping the plan, changed. It has been transformed from.afast-running, wide and andas important,allocated a shallow river to a slow moving, fifty-fiftymatching incentive to implement the recommendations deeply pooled body of water. It has gone froma pristine, natural produced through the planning waterwayto one that could not process. Therefore, this planning sustain the simplest of lifeforms. procedure had an active component to it, affordingthe Today, the Monongahela is in the opportunityto carryout the midst of changeonce again. The intentions of the planitself, and manyfactories, mines, and mills preventing a lifelessplan. which have historically claimed its banksare receding, as is their SIHCis the developing entity for effectupon the river. Although it the state andfederal Rivers of still remains primarilya Steel Heritage Area. SIHC's commercial waterway, other uses MAPprovided a frameworkfor arecoming to light. New carrying out its mission: to riverfront land is being freed conserve, interpret, promote, and frompast industrial constraints, manage the

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