This Watershed Manual Was made possible by a grant from Your School’s

WPCAMR In cooperation with Watershed Manual Student Projects to Help Local Watersheds

The PA Department of Environmental Protection’s Created and compiled by: Wells Creek Watershed Association Bureau of Mining and Reclamation

Bureau of Watershed Management Edited by: Section 319 Program Eastern PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation

Formed in 1982, WPCAMR brings together an alliance of 24 County Conservation Districts and local watershed groups in order to promote the reclamation of abandoned mines and to clean-up polluted by . WPCAMR works with many people – from watershed volunteers to government experts, industry, citizens, and students to find solutions to the mine drainage problems that degrade our streams in Western . Students with projects can give this watershed movement a dynamic boost, as they satisfy their educational requirements for Senior Projects, Merit Badges, College Research, and the State Environmental Standards.

So “Catch the Vision” Restore our Cold Water Fisheries!

Your School’s Watershed Manual ( The many ways students can help their local watershed groups ) PA Unlimited SE Region Western PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine

412 Manor Dr. Reclamation INTRODUCTION Dublin, Pa. 18917 RD 12 Box 202-B

Students are begging to get outdoors and do something real! Why not 1-215-249-3033 Greensburg, Pa. 15601 [email protected] 1-724-834-5271 consider a project on your local watershed? When you perform a [email protected] service-learning project, the watershed becomes your classroom. This PA Trout Unlimited NE Region manual lists a ton of potential topics for a real outdoor learning adventure! RD 3, Box 3253 POWR Pa Org.Watersheds & Rivers The watershed-world is a great place to satisfy the requirements of high Stroudsburg, Pa.18360 610 North 3rd St. school senior projects, Boy Scout projects, and college internships. So 1-570-629-0586 Harrisburg, Pa. 17101 read on...and contact one of the watershed groups in the appendix for [email protected] 1-717-234-7910 more hands-on help. [email protected] PA Trout Unlimited SC Region 2319 Valley Rd. Delaware Riverkeeper Network Harrisburg, Pa. 17104 PO Box 326 1-717-236-1360 Washington Crossing, Pa. 18925 [email protected] 1-215-369-1188 Written by [email protected] Malcolm Crittenden – PA State DEP PA Trout Unlimited NC Region 14 Valley View Rd. Charles Urban – Founder Lock Haven, Pa. 17745 Watch Editor/Layout 1-570-748-7242 PO Box 1221 Carl Jones – Somerset Conservation District [email protected] Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 18703 Tom Grote – Kiski–Conemaugh Team 1-570-829-2841 Dr. M. Irvil Kear—Eastern PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine Eastern PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation Jennifer Barto Reclamation 485 Smith’s Pond Rd. Foundation Shavertown, Pa. 18708 614 North Front St. 1-570-674-7993 Harrisburg, Pa. 17101-1057 [email protected] 1-717-234-5550 www.epcamr.org Endless Mountains RC&D Council Pocono Northeast RC&D Council Stoll Natural Resource Center 1300 Old Plank Road RR#5, Box 5030C Mayfield, PA 18433 Towanda, PA 18848 Phone: (570)282-8732 ext. 4 Phone: (570) 265-3409 x118 In Partnership With: E-mail: [email protected] Thurman Korns – Wells Creek Watershed Association www.pnerdc.org Southeastern Pennsylvania RC&D Council Pam Diesel - Honors Biology, Somerset High School 824 Main Street Capitol Region RC&D Council Zachary Lowry – BSA Troop 152, Friedens PA. Pennsburg, PA 18073 [email protected] (215) 541-7930 Dave Steele - Somerset Conservation Dist. Lisa Roundtree -CCACC Mid-State RC&D Council So Alleghenies RC&D Council 20 Windmill Hill #7 702 W Pitt Street Suite 7 2 Burnham, PA 17009-1837 Bedford, PA 15522-8800 (717) 248-4901 (814) 623-9616 ext 5 Lake Wallenpaupack Watershed Bowman's Creek Watershed Association Table of Contents: Management District PO Box 236 HCR Box 15D Noxen, PA 18636 (Which is a list of great project ideas!) Paupack, PA 18451 www.bcwa.net E-mail: [email protected] Introduction: ……………………………………………………………..2 www.lwwmd.org Watershed Association P. O. Box 73 Watershed Primer: ……………………………………………………...4 Wyoming Conservation District Mehoopany, PA 18629 1 Hollowcrest Complex Tunkhannock, PA 18657 Tunkhannock Creek Watershed 1. Water Cycle:…………………………………………………………………8 Phone: (570) 836-2589 Association • Ground Water Protection E-mail: [email protected] 1 Hollowcrest Complex • Cycle www.tunk.com/conservation Tunkhannock, PA 18657 • NPS – Non Point Source Pollution

2. Public Awareness:………………………………………………………..10 • Partner with Watershed Groups • Put up Signs GOVERNMENT AGENCIES • Public Events PA DEP Bureau of Watershed Managment Terri Kromel • Connect with Public, Press, Government Officials PO Box 8555 DCNR • Connect Locally Harrisburg, Pa. 17105 400 Market St. 1-171-787-5267 Harrisburg, Pa. 17105 3. Stream Assessment:……………………………………………………..12 1-717-783-4361 • Water Sampling Gary Greenfield [email protected] • In-Stream Biotic Assessment PA DEP Bureau of Abandon Mine Reclamation Dan Koury • Stream Side Inventory 2 Public Sq. 5th Floor PA DEP Pottsville District Mining Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 18711 5 West Laurel Blvd. 4. Stream Restoration: ……………………………………………………..14 1-570-826-2371 Pottsville, Pa. 17901 • Pollution Clean-up [email protected] 1-570-621-3118 • Riparian Plantings [email protected] • Fishery Plan • Municipal Participation

5. Educational Opportunities:………………………………………………16 • Partner with a Watershed Group • Field Trip with Class Need More Copies ??? • Summer Intern on a Stream Western PA: • Fulfill Educational Requirements • Educational Center Contact Malcolm Crittenden at [email protected] Eastern PA: Appendix: Contact Michael Hewitt at [email protected] • List of Conservation Districts, Watershed Groups and other organizations PA that can be contacted 3 Watershed Association Cowanesque Valley Watershed Association Watershed Primer – “Water Cycle” P.O. Box 216 R.D. 1 Box 990 Montoursville, PA 17754 Knoxville, PA 16928 A watershed is an area of land that sheds its rain water to a Watershed Association particular stream, via runoff and groundwater flow. What is Crooked Creek Coalition P.O. Box 47 29 East Avenue your watershed address? Do you know? If you live in Western Muncy, PA 17756 Wellsboro, PA 16933 E-mail: [email protected] Pennsylvania, your watershed might be Wells Creek, which flows Ellen Run Watershed Projects Susquehanna County Conservation to the Stony Creek, via several more streams to the Ohio 413 Valley Road District Mansfield, PA 16933 River, all the way to the “Big Muddy Mississippi,” and finally into 31 Public Avenue

Montrose, PA 18801 the Gulf of Mexico! Pine Creek Headwaters Protection Group Phone: (570) 278-4600 x289 P.O. Box 445 The dynamics of your watershed start with the basic water www.suscondistrict.org Wellsboro, PA 16901 cycle: clouds…to rain…to surface runoff…to ground water…to Choconut Creek Watershed Association stream flow, with evaporation back to the clouds. RR1 Box 1462 Seeley Creek Watershed Association Friendsville, PA 18818 RR5, Box 5030 D www.stny.com/choconut/CCWA.htm Wysox, PA 18854

Meshoppen Creek Task Force Tioga River Watershed Reclamation RR 4 Box 4210 Projects, Inc. Meshoppen, PA 18630 19 Richmond Drive Mansfield, PA 16933 Upper Susquehanna Coalition 4729 State Route 414 Wayne Conservation District Burdett, NY 14818 470 Sunrise Avenue www.u-s-c.org Honesdale, PA 18431 Phone: (570) 253-0930 Snakes Creek Watershed Association E-mail: [email protected] 31 Public Avenue www.co.wayne.pa.us/conservation/ Montrose, PA 18801 conservation.asp E-mail: [email protected] www.snakescreek.org Deleware Highlands Conservancy PO Box 218 Tioga Conservation District Hawley, PA 18428 29 East Avenue www.delawarehighlands.org Wellsboro, PA 16901

The ecology of your stream changes from the small headwater Phone: (570) 724-1801 ext. 3 Deleware Riverkeeper Network E-mail: [email protected] down to the larger mouth of the stream. It is PO Box 326 www.geocities.com/tccdpa/waters/ Washington Crossing, PA 18977 critical to remember that the FOREST is the natural habitat tioga_river/tioga.html E-mail: [email protected] for most Pennsylvania streams. Thus a stream-side or “riparian” Watershed Association www.delawareriverkeeper.org buffer of trees adds value to the river system. Tree canopies 2538 Route 405 Highway Lackawaxen River Conservancy protect the soil from rain erosion, tree shade keeps the stream Muncy, PA 17756 P.O. Box 176 cooler, and tree roots stabilize stream-bank erosion. Corey Creek Watershed Association Rowland, PA 18457 246 Pickle Hill Road E-mail: [email protected] Mansfield, PA 16901 www.lackawaxenriver.org/index.htm 4 Lycoming Conservation District Creek Restoration Alliance Stream - “Food Web” 542 County Farm Rd., Suite 202 PO Box 263 Montoursville, PA 17754 Mt. Carmel, PA 17851 Phone: (570) 433-3003 www.shamokincreek.org E-mail: [email protected] You and I experience Schuylkill Conservation District streams by their visual appeal, Watershed Association 1206 Ag Center Drive P.O. Box 125 Pottsville, PA 17901 the soothing sound of flowing Montgomery, PA 17752 Phone: (570) 622-3742 ext. 5 E-mail:[email protected] waters, and the refreshing Blockhouse Creek Preservation Society www.co.schuylkill.pa.us/Offices/ coolness of the water. We P.O. Box 135 Conservation/conservation.asp Liberty, PA 16930 instinctively look for fish, but www.angelfire.com/pa4/BlockhouseCreek/ Restoration Association D.S. index.html 12 Paul Street they will not be found if the Ashland, PA 17921 “food web” is disrupted. The food web is the cycling Lawshe Run Watershed Association www.columbiapa.org/ccra PO Box 526 of energy and nutrients within a stream. Jersey Shore, PA 17740 Watershed Association 420 Dutchtown Road The food available in a stream comes from sources Watershed Association Ashland, PA 17921 P.O. Box 173 like aquatic algae and decaying leaves that fall into the Cogan Station, PA 17728 Northern Watershed stream, where it is further made available by the Association Pine Creek Preservation Association 629 Mountain Road decomposers such as bacteria and fungi. This food web PO Box 11 Pine Grove, PA 17963 Waterville, PA 17776 www.nscwa.homestead.com eventually produces food for the fish!

Montour Conservation District Schuylkill Headwaters Association 112 Woodbine Lane, Suite 2 51 N. 4th Street • Algae, fungi, and bacteria live on the leaf & rock Danville, PA 17821 Cressona, PA 17929 Phone: (570) 271-1140 surfaces. E-mail: [email protected] Tri-Valley Watershed Association • Macro-invertebrates graze on these leaf & rock 425 E Main Street Chillisquaque/Limestone Watershed Asso- Hegins, PA 17938 surfaces. ciation 1086 Whitehall Road Sullivan Conservation District • Minnows & larger fish eat macro-invertebrates. Danville, PA 17821 RR#2, Box 2022B Dushore, PA 18614 Northumberland Conservation District Phone: (570) 928-7057 RR #3, Box 238-C E-mail: [email protected] Sunbury, PA 17801 www.angelfire.com/biz/ • Fish swallow just Phone: (570) 286-7114 ext. 4 SullivanConservation E-mail: [email protected] about anything that www.northumberlandccd.org Eagles Mere Lake & Watershed Committee moves! 2 Sullivan Avenue Limestone Run Watershed Project Eagles Mere, PA 17731 S. Bastian 700 Mahoning Street Milton, PA 17847 5 Lackawanna Conservation District Tri-County Association NPS Non-Point Source Pollution 1300 Old Plank Road P.O. Box 107 Mayfield, PA 18433 Elizabethtown, PA 17022 A well-balanced water cycle and food cycle produces a Phone: (570) 281-9495 [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] pristine and productive watershed. Here fish can feed www.lccd.net Trout Unlimited - Tulpehocken P.O. Box 91 upon macro-invertebrates, swim in cool waters under Countryside Conservancy Shillington, PA 19607 P.O. Box 55 the shade trees, and spawn on sandy bottoms, but this La Plume, PA 18440 Quittapahilla Watershed Association fish habitat can be degraded rapidly when the natural [email protected] 610 E Walnut Street Annville, PA 17003 water cycle is disrupted. Many watersheds suffer from Corridor Association www.community.pennlive.com/cc/ P.O. Box 368 quittiewatershed deforestation because of logging, nutrient runoff Scranton, PA 18501 because of farming, storm runoff because of urban www.lrca.org Luzerne Conservation District 485 Smith Pond Road areas, untreated municipal , industrial pollution, Lebanon Conservation District Shavertown, PA 18708 Lebanon Valley Ag. Center Phone: (570) 674-7991 and mining. This array of non-point source (NPS) 2120 Cornwall Rd. E-mail: [email protected] water pollution is caused when accelerated runoff Lebanon, PA 17042-9788 Phone: (717) 272-3908 ext. 4 Friends of the Nescopeck causes erosion and sedimentation into your stream. E-mail: [email protected] P.O. Box 912 www.lccd.org Conyngham, PA 18219 Three types of NPS pollution degrade our streams: E-mail: [email protected] • Watershed Association www.friendsofthenescopeck.org Sediment- irritates fish 21 Buch Mill Rd. gills, kills macro invertebrates Lititz, PA 17543 Hicks Creek Watershed Association www.dep.state.pa.us/growgreen/hosting/? P.O. BOX 91 & smothers fish eggs! ID=132 West Pittston, PA 18643 E-mail: [email protected] Watershed www.hickscreek.org • Nutrients– manure or Association 132 Deck Road Huber Breaker Preservation Society fertilizers containing Myerstown, PA 17067 101 South Main Street and nitrogen Ashley, PA 18706 Furnace / Segloch Run Watershed Alliance www.huberbreaker.org create algal blooms and 110 Yummerdall Road Lititz, PA 17073 Wyoming Valley Watershed Coalition deplete oxygen. 175 Main Street Stony Creek Anglers Association Luzerne, PA 18709 P.O. Box 1855 E-mail: [email protected] • Toxins- chemicals and Norristown, PA 19404 www.wvwc.org metals may poison waters and www.stonycreekanglers.org MMC be caught up in the food Swatara Creek Watershed Association 2501 Cumberland Street, Suite 2 chain. Lebanon, PA 17042 6 Appendix AMD Abandoned Mine Drainage Conservation Districts and Watershed Associations

In Appalachia alone, more than 7,500 stream miles are

Bradford Conservation District Tobyhanna / Tunkhannock Creek Water- degraded by abandoned mine drainage (AMD) from coal mines. Stoll Natural Resource Center shed Association In Pennsylvania, where the is the state fish: RR#5, Box 5030C P.O. Box 796 • over 4,500 stream miles are impaired by NPS pollution Towanda, PA 18848 Pocono Lake, PA 18347 Phone: (570) 265-5539 www.tctcwa.org • over 2,500 stream miles are degraded by AMD.

Lanning Creek Watershed Association Wildlands Conservancy R.R. #5, Box 5561 3701 Orchid Place Towanda, PA 18848 Emmaus, PA 18049 www.wildlandspa.org Penn-York Bentley Creek Watershed Asso- ciation Columbia Conservation District RR 5, Box 5030C 702 Sawmill Rd., Suite 204 Towanda, PA 18848 Bloomsburg, PA 17815 Phone: (570) 784-1310 Satterlee Creek Watershed Association MMC 184 Herrick Ave Fishing Creek Watershed Association Sayre, PA 18840 702 Sawmill Road, Suite 204 Bloomsburg, PA 17815 Watershed Association Although this environmental problem is large, the RR #2, Box 292 Dauphin Conservation District Towanda, PA 18848 1451 Peters Mountain Rd. clean-up efforts of students, watershed groups, and Dauphin, PA 17018 Watershed Association Phone: (717) 921-8100 government agencies are making a difference. In RR#5, Box 5030C Pennsylvania, the Growing Greener grant program has Towanda, PA 18848 Watershed Association P.O. Box 61674 empowered watershed groups to clean up hundreds of Watershed Association Harrisburg, PA 17106 P.O. Box 131 stream miles! As students you can become a dynamic Wyalusing, PA 18853 Powell/Armstrong Creek Watershed Asso- force to energize the watershed movement. Look ciation Watershed Association 556 Hemlock Rd. through this manual and find some topics you are P.O. Box 174 Halifax, PA 17032 Rome, PA 18837 interested in. Then, call a watershed group in the Restoration Association appendix of this manual, and tell them you are Carbon Conservation District 1021 East Market St. 5664 Interchange Road Williamstown, PA 17098 interested in doing a project on their stream. Lehighton, PA 18235 Phone: (610) 377-4894 ext. 4 Watershed work will make your senior projects, merit [email protected] badges, and college credits an experience to remember! 7 1. Water Cycle Projects: The water cycle of rainfall to runoff to evaporation and back to rain clouds is well

known because it affects the streams we live by with bank erosion, , and stream flow. This

cycle offers students many topics for projects that would benefit their local watershed.

J. Emerick

Field Trip with Class: • Survey the stream macro-invertebrates. • Tour passive treatment system ponds. • Catch some fish and trap minnows.

Summer Intern on a Stream: • Formulate a fisheries plan. • Complete a stream assessment. • Create a display board for watershed conferences. Ground Water Protection: • Write your own grant application – it’s easy.

· Forested recharge areas Fulfill Educational Requirements: · Public water supplies • Senior project · Homeowner wells • Science fair project • College Internship · Urban runoff • Boy Scout – merit badge/ eagle scout project • 4 – H Club activity

Educational Center: • Build field-trip pavilion. • Design a trail. • Install an interpretive trail along a stream.

8 17 MMC K-C Stream 5. Educational Opportunities: Every cause and effect within Drinking Water Cycle: the watershed can be a learning moment. The goal is to learn through doing, to transform the field trip into a work experience, to perfect learn- ing by service. Through the helping hands of students, real ENERGY · Community water supplies is added to the watershed enabling the stream to do more WORK…. · Municipal sewage system · Ground water protection ---- More trees, cleaner water ---- more macro-invertebrates · NPDES Regulated discharges ---- more minnows trout and fish ---- more diversity / creates greater use ---- more recreation / land values go up ---- quality stream resource !!!

So go to it! Get a project! Have some outdoor “watershed fun”

J. Emerick

Kiski-Conemaugh Stream Team Non-point Source Pollution (NPS) :

· Agricultural sources · Mining sources-abandoned mine drainage (AMD) Partner with a Watershed Group: · Small business pollution • Look at the last eight pages! · Runoff and sedimentation • See the Appendix for a listing of hands-on groups. · Sewage • Post watershed signs at stream crossings. • Publish a monthly newsletter for the watershed group. · Timber and logging roads

16 9 2. Public Awareness Projects: Progress doesn’t happen until Fishery Plan: two or more people get together. So getting yourself and oth- ers involved is vital. If you partner with your local Watershed · Develop a fisheries management plan. group or start your own, there are several proven ways to mobi- · Construct trout habitat improvements. lize the community: · Stock fish in steams. · Develop public access to streams.

MMC

PA Fish & Boat Commission

Pollution Clean-up: Partner with Watershed Groups: · Look into local, regional, and statewide watershed groups. · Apply for watershed grants. · Adopt a stream and form your own informal group. · Research stream bank stabilization methods. · Participate in watershed conferences, Earth Day, youth · Add alkalinity to the streams to mitigate AMD and acid field trips! rain impacts. · Construct passive treatment systems. · Maintain AMD treatment systems.

S.Bastian Put up Signs: · Highway signs – “You are Entering – ... Watershed”. · Stream crossing signs – use eye catching logo. · Project signs – at stream improvement construction sites.

10 J. Emerick 15 4. Stream Restoration Projects: Once the stream assess- ment is done you can use your findings to develop a clean-up strategy and apply for grants. This is where the potential for success motivates hard work. Watershed groups can use a lot of helping hands at this stage: S.Bastian

Public Events:

· Organize a streamside cleanup day. · Schedule a bus tour of your watershed. · Host a watershed picnic and canoe event. · Participate in your county Envirothon.

Connect with Public, Press, and Government Officials: · Publish a watershed newsletter or create a website. · Operate a phone bank or press release for watershed activities.

· Visit your Supervisor, Commissioner, and lawmakers. D. Steele

Connect Locally: Riparian Plantings: · Canvass streamside landowners with NPS brochures.

· Encourage historic preservation/industrial heritage. · Plant trees for shade and bank stabilization. · Create a display board for local events like firemen’s · Raise wildlife plantings, duck boxes and feeders. jubilee, fairs, craft days. · Get ambitious - Create a wetland! · Fence off a stream bank to livestock.

Municipal Participation:

· Improve dirt & gravel roads. · Control Sewage. · Lean how storm water is collected . · Eliminate garbage dumping. · Develop storm water management plans.

11 14 3. Stream Assessment Projects: Once you get students mov-

ing on watershed issues, the first task is to map the watershed

and assess the stream’s condition. Students can help their local Association compile this background information. An assess- ment will qualify your watershed for many stream improvement grants!

J. Emerick

In-Stream Biotic Assessment of : · Identify algae, diatoms, & other aquatic plants / animals. · Locate macro-invertebrates such as stoneflies and

mayflies.

· Set minnow traps and electro-fish. · Assess habitat for fish.

K-C Stream Team Stream Side Inventory:

· Assess riparian plants and Water Sampling: animals · Schedule a field trip to test water quality parameters · Check for stream bank erosion such as pH, acidity, metals, and other pollutants. · Review and find developmental · Collect water samples on your stream pressures: · Sample the pollution discharges such as: - urbanization - abandoned mine drainage - housing projects - industrial pollution sources and sewage (with caution) - loss of agricultural lands · Measure flows and calculate pollution loads. - mining, industry, malls, high- ways, etc. K-C Stream Team 12 13