THE PENNSYLVANIA RIVERS CONSERVATION PROGRAM FINAL UPPER WEST BRANCH SUSQUEHANNA RIVER CONSERVATION PLAN Prepared By: The Cambria County Conservation and Recreation Authority August, 2001 UPPER WEST BRANCH RIVERS CONSERVATION PLAN TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 Chapter I. Project Area Characteristics 3 Chapter II. Community Resources 9 Chapter III. Water Resources 15 Chapter IV. Non Point Pollution Sources 21 Chapter V. Education And Public Participation 27 Chapter VI. Issues And Concerns 29 Chapter VII. Remediation Plan 33 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The grant opportunity that facilitated this project was made possible through the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund under the Administration of the PA- Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation. The program was developed to conserve and enhance river resources through preparation and accomplishment of locally initiated plans. The program provides technical and financial assistance to municipalities and river support groups to carry out planning, implementation, acquisition and development activities. A registry is established to recognize local river conservation efforts. In 1999 the Cambria County Conservation and Recreation Authority (CCCRA) applied for and obtained such a grant to conduct a study of the Upper West Branch of the Susquehanna River. The CCCRA has partnered with the Conservation Districts of Cambria and Clearfield Counties, Headwaters RC&D of Clearfield and Southern Alleghenies RC&D in this endeavor. The planning project identifies significant natural, recreational and cultural resources. Issues, concerns and threats to river resources and values are determined locally as part of planning , as well as recommending methods to conserve, enhance and restore . The end result would be a comprehensive watershed plan that would designate segments for the Pennsylvania Rivers Registry. This registry promotes river conservation and recognizes waterways or waterway segments in communities who have completed river conservation plans. It is also an avenue to endorse local initiatives by binding them together in a state wide recognition program. In order for a river to be placed on the registry it must have an approved plan and local municipal support. Registry status must be achieved to qualify for implementation, development, or acquisition grants. Potential projects as identified in the Plan could be for water, waste water, recreational needs, storm water management and abandoned mine discharge remediation. Most of these types of infrastructure projects cannot be done currently at the local level due to the rural nature of the communities in the proposed watershed under current funding sources. As a result, economic development in this region is stagnant. This project was developed as part of an integrated, multi-county approach to monitor, prioritize, and implement a strategic plan for improving water quality in the upper reaches of the West Branch Susquehanna River Basin and tributaries that have severely degraded water quality. In addition to the West Branch of the Susquehanna River from its headwaters, the project includes the tributaries of Chest Creek, Clearfield Creek, Little Clearfield Creek, Anderson Creek, and Moshannon Creek. 3 I. PROJECT AREA CHARACTERISTICS A. GENERAL WATERSHED OVERVIEW The Upper West Branch of the Susquehanna River is located in Central Pennsylvania. The West Branch originates near Carrolltown in Cambria County and drains a 675 square mile watershed in the study area of Cambria, Centre, Clearfield and Indiana Counties. After exiting Clearfield County, the river travels 114 miles further before meeting the North Branch of the Susquehanna River in Union County near the town of Northumberland, Pennsylvania. From here, the Susquehanna travels south another 60 miles where it flows into the Chesapeake Bay at Havre de Grace, Maryland. This study area of this project surrounds the 110 river miles of the mainstem and its major tributaries beginning at the headwaters to the confluence with Moshannon Creek, located 3 miles up river from the village of Karthaus. Throughout the watershed, major tributary waters are received from Clearfield Creek originating in Cresson in Cambria County; from Chest Creek which begins just south of Bradley Junction in Cambria County and confluences with the West Branch in Mahaffey in Clearfield County; from Moshannon Creek which enters the West Branch near the village of Karthaus in Clearfield County; from Little Clearfield Creek which is formed by the confluence of Watts Creek with Gazzam Run near the village of Kerrmorr in Clearfield County; and Anderson Creek, where we see its headwaters flowing southward to the confluence with the West Branch in Curwensville. The Upper West Branch of the Susquehanna River Basin includes parts of four (4) counties which are Cambria, Centre, Clearfield and Indiana. The basin had a population of about 114,939 persons in 1996. The Upper West Branch of the Susquehanna River Basin’s deep canyons and winding characteristics make it a particularly scenic waterway. These rural settings allow for much natural beauty and unchanged environment. The abandoned mine drainage which now is a major factor in the degradation of the river has become one of the main issues among communities throughout the watershed. The first reach of the river represents the upper 50 miles from headwaters at Carrolltown to the mouth of Chest Creek at Mahaffey. The waterway here generally follows U.S. Route 219 North and passes through towns such as Northern Cambria, Cherry Tree, Burnside and Mahaffey. Much of this reach is characterized as severely degraded with the absence of biological communities and high concentrations of aluminum, sulfate, and dissolved solids. It is in this section, a mere 2 miles from the headwaters, that perhaps the largest polluter of the water exists, the Barnes-Watkins coal refuse pile near Bakerton. An 80 year old relic of underground coal mining by-product, this smoldering behemoth contains 1,250,000 cubic yards of abandoned coal refuse and covers about 18 acres of ground. Situated nearly on top of the still small West Branch, this “boney dump” is continually leaching acid and metals into the stream in addition to the runoff of contaminated sediment. 4 The second reach extends approximately 37 miles, from the Chest Creek confluence at Mahaffey to the mouth of Clearfield Creek in Clearfield. The Curwensville Dam is located in this section. Because of the better water quality in Chest Creek and several smaller non-impaired tributaries, the stream sees some improved conditions. Improvements to this sections have been documented over the last 40 years. Most of these changes have been brought about by reclamation of abandoned coal mines. The enhancement of this section of river through Acid Mine Drainage Abatement indicates that the problems that exist upstream could also be alleviated by the same methods. The final reach is from Clearfield to the confluence of Moshannon Creek, three miles upriver from the village of Karthaus. Thirty miles of river comprise this section. Once again, the stream here is severely impaired to a point where no aquatic life exists and dissolved solids, acidity, manganese and sulfate concentrations are high. This is largely due to the Abandoned Mine Drainage associated with Clearfield and Moshannon Creeks. B. TOPOGRAPHY, GEOLOGY AND SOILS The West Branch of the Susquehanna River is located in the low rolling hills of the Allegheny Mountains in Pennsylvania, and flows northeast passing the steep hillsides of the Allegheny High Plateaus Section. At Renovo, the West Branch turns southeast and cuts through the Allegheny Front entering a region of broad valleys separated by long high ridges. Following the northern flank of Bald Eagle Mountain northeastward, the West Branch turns south to its confluence with the Susquehanna River near Sunbury. The topography of the study area is typical of the Appalachian Plateau Province. The general type of topography is narrow V-shaped valleys separated by rolling plateau country extending to the higher ridges and broken uplands. The valleys are from 200 to 500 feet below the plateau, and the higher ridges stand as much as 1,000 feet above the plateau areas. The Chestnut Ridge rises to a maximum elevation of 2,405 feet in Goshen Township, the highest point in Clearfield County. The West Branch of the Susquehanna River leaves Clearfield County in Karthaus Township, in the northeast corner of the county at an elevation of 798 feet, the lowest point in Clearfield County. As the river enters the county in the southwest corner of Burnside Township, its elevation is 1,364 feet, which constitutes an elevation drop of 566 feet as it winds northeastward through the county. This area is located in the Appalachian Plateau’s physiographic province on the Pittsburgh Plateau and is underlain with coal-bearing rocks from the Pottsville, Allegheny and Conemaugh groups, with most of the commercial coals in the Allegheny group. Soils within the study area within Cambria and Clearfield Counties are generally formed from residuum of gray and brown shale, sandstone and siltstone. Soil depths vary between 31 and 60 inches. Slopes vary from 3 to 80 percent, but generally from 3 to 65 percent. The predominant soil types in the study area are of the Rayne-Gilpin-Ernest association, followed by the Udorthents-Gilpin-Rayne, and the Cookport, Hazleton, Clymer association. A large percentage of soils