Watersheds PROJECT SPOTLIGHT Yellow Creek QHUP “Nature is always lovely, invincible, glad,
whatever is done and suffered by her creatures. All scars she heals, whether in rocks or water or sky or hearts.” - from John of the Mountains: The Unpublished Journals of John Muir, (1938), p. 337. The quality of the Yellow Creek watershed has suffered from the pollution of abandoned mine drainage (AMD)over many years. As a result of high acidity levels and heavy metal concentrations, streams in this watershed have been devoid of macroinvertebrates and other aquatic life. A team of staff and volunteers have conducted quarterly water sampling events throughout the watershed to determine sources of AMD pollutants and the severity of impairments. Hedin Environmental is currently working to compile this data and provide a detailed assessment of the watershed’s health. Once completed, ICCD will use the water quality assessment to develop a remediation plan designed to restore Yellow Creek’s natural vitality and ability to sustain a variety and abundance of aquatic life.
Map of Yellow Creek Watershed
Yellow Creek Lake
FUNDING SOURCES AND PROJECT COSTS $83,624— Department of Environmental Protection Growing Greener Plus PROJECT PARTNERS
Blacklick Creek Watershed Association, Indiana County Conservation District, PA Department of Environmental Protection, Saint Francis University Center for Watershed Research and Service, Conemaugh Valley Conservancy, Pennsylvania Mountain Service Corps AmeriCorps, Hedin Environmental, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana County Chapter of Pennsylvania Senior Environment Corps.
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2021 Annual Report
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