Juniata Watershed Journal
Juniata Watershed Journal
Quarterly Newsletter of the Juniata
Clean Water Partnership
Volume 1,
Issue 1 Summer 1999
Local Communities Express Concerns About the Juniata River Watershed
Sprawl, poorly planned development, rapid and unregulated growth, loss
of prime farmland. Whatever one calls it, residents of the Juniata
River watershed don’t want it to happen here. The lack of quality
land use planning was identified as the number one environmental problem
in the region at a series of nine public meetings sponsored by the Juniata
Clean Water Partnership (JCWP). At the meetings, held throughout
the seven major counties of the Juniata River watershed (Bedford, Blair,
Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Mifflin, and Perry), the JCWP asked residents
to list and prioritize environmental problems that affect local land and
water resources. In addition, residents were asked to identify political
and social issues that impact efforts to improve the quality of the watershed,
and to list positive characteristics of their communities. The public
meetings, held from January to March of this year, began a planning process
that will result in a comprehensive watershed management plan.
Across the whole watershed, other high-priority environmental
problems include:
- Inadequate sewage facilities
- Illegal dumping
- Large production animal farms
- General water quality and quantity problems
- The lack of stormwater management
- Flooding
- Erosion and sedimentation
- Nutrient pollution
-
Need for more environmental education.
- Lack of coordination among local governments
- Need for better land use planning
- Need for more environmental education of residents and local officials
- Lack of funding options
- Poor economy
-
Inadequate and disrespected regulations.
- Good environmental education programs
- Abundant recreational opportunities
- Improving water quality
- Natural beauty
- Conservation organizations
- Agricultural preservation programs
- Public involvement/civic pride
- Clean-up efforts
-
Best Management Practices
Watershed residents will have another opportunity to be involved in the JCWP planning process. A second round of public meetings will begin in January 2000. At these meetings, the draft watershed plan, including potential project ideas, will be presented to community members for their feedback. “Anyone concerned about the quality of life in their community should come to the meetings,” said Hockman-Wert.
Once the watershed plan is completed, the JCWP will apply to place the Juniata River watershed on the Pennsylvania’s Rivers Conservation Registry. Registry status will enable participating municipalities, community groups, and non-profit organizations to receive funding for implementing the recommended projects identified in the plan. Potential projects could include recreational improvements, conservation education programs, open space preservation, wetland restoration, stormwater management, and non-point source pollution prevention.
Top Environmental Issues by Meeting Location:
Bedford:
Land Use Planning and Development
Large Production Animal Farms
Sewage and Septage
Dumping, Trash, and Debris
Deer Management
Hollidaysburg:
Dumping, Trash, and Debris
Erosion and Sedimentation
Land Use Planning and Development
Stormwater Management
Flooding
Huntingdon:
Large Production Animal Farms
Sewage and Septage
Herbicide and Pesticide Use
Fisheries Management
Land Use Planning and Development
Lewistown:
Land Use Planning and Development
Large Production Animal Farms
Dumping, Trash, and Debris
Sewage and Septage
Riparian Buffers
Mifflintown:
Land Use Planning and Development
Nutrient Pollution
Water Quality and Quantity
Environmental Education
Dumping, Trash, and Debris
Newport:
Land Use Planning and Development
Large Production Animal Farms
Sewage and Septage
Stormwater Management
Water Quality and Quantity
Orbisonia:
Flooding
Stormwater Management
Land Use Planning and Development
Environmental Education
Floodplain Management
Robertsdale:
Water Quality and Quantity
Flooding
Acid Mine Drainage
Dumping, Trash, and Debris
Sewage and Septage
Tyrone:
Sewage and Septage
Wetlands
Floodplain Management
Nutrient Pollution
Logging
Coordinator’s Message
By Deb Nardone
The Juniata watershed is a magnificent source of natural beauty,
recreation, history and culture. Breathtaking forests, scenic and
productive farmland, expansive mountain ridges and panoramic valleys make
up the 3,400 square miles of the Juniata watershed. All of these
are important ingredients to the quality of life for the 350,000 residents
of the Juniata watershed.
In addition to these qualities, the Juniata region plays
another essential role in a larger living ecosystem. The resources
within the Juniata watershed provide healthy water quality for everyone
downstream, providing an improved quality of life for those along the Susquehanna and the Chesapeake
Bay.
However, as pollution increases, the resilience of an
ecosystem decreases, which in turn adversely affects the local economy
and the quality of life in a region. In a recent poll conducted by
the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, about one in four (26%) Pennsylvanians say
that the environment where they live is getting worse. Moreover,
about half (46%) think that the state’s air and water will be more polluted
twenty years from now. So what’s happening in our watershed to prevent
this from happening?
For the first time, a partnership among a seven county
region (Bedford, Blair, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Mifflin and Perry
counties) is working together to plan for a safe and healthy environmental
future. This partnership, the Juniata Clean Water Partnership (JCWP), has tackled many obstacles and accomplished many goals. The
first step to a healthier environment is to properly and sustainably plan
for its future. Therefore, the JCWP set out to begin compiling a
comprehensive watershed plan that outlines citizen concerns and management
projects that improve watershed health. The JCWP is the largest watershed
planning initiative ever to be funded in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR)!
Also, in order for the JCWP to obtain watershed planning
money from the DCNR, it had to collect support from more than half of the
170 municipalities that make up the Juniata watershed. The JCWP currently
has almost 60% municipal support. That is truly an achievement in
itself! The JCWP will continue to collect support throughout the
planning process. Municipalities that have chosen to sign letters
of support or resolutions are eligible to receive future funding for projects.
Lastly, the JCWP held nine very successful public meetings.
A total of 215 people took advantage of an opportunity to voice their concerns
about the environmental issues and problems that plague their communities.
This input will be the springboard from which management projects will
be developed. A second round of public meetings will be held in January
of 2000 for public comment on the draft watershed plan.
All of these accomplishments tie together some very important
factors. Throughout this process, the JCWP has built awareness and
educated watershed residents about issues that affect stream and watershed
health. Dialog among municipalities, communities, and individuals
is fostering communication and cooperation for natural resource improvement
projects. Most importantly, this collaborative watershed effort allows
citizens at the grassroots level to be the effective catalysts for change
in the types of policy and projects that improve watershed health, and
therefore our quality of life.
At a time when our environmental future is at a crossroads,
it is admirable to see so many residents and decision-makers concerned
and involved in environmental issues. The choice has been made –
our environment is what we do with it - and we’ve decided to ensure that
its quality improves.
The Juniata Wetland
Monitoring Project
By Becky Albaugh
The Juniata Wetland Monitoring Project is a two-year effort to determine the ecological condition of wetlands in the Juniata River watershed. This
project is sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA)
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP). This project
will be coordinated by the Southern Alleghenies Conservancy and Penn State Cooperative Wetlands
Center in cooperation with local, state and federal organizations.
These include the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Juniata Clean Water Partnership,
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental Protection and county conservation districts.
Through this program a “report card” will be created that
shows the health of the wetlands in the Juniata watershed.
The information gained can help to establish correlations between wetlands,
rivers and streams, water quality and the quality of biological and
human life.
It can be used by local communities to complement and to evaluate the
effectiveness of past, present and future watershed planning and conservation.
Southern Alleghenies Conservancy (SAC) will be informing
members of the community about the project, recruiting and training volunteers,
and coordinating field activities. The Penn State Cooperative Wetlands
Center is developing and testing the research methods that will be used
in gathering data on randomly selected wetland sites. SAC staff and trained
volunteers will conduct field surveys with interested landowners.
This year’s field study will involve locating wetlands
and piloting the research procedures in the Tuscarora/Buffalo Creek and
Little Juniata areas of the Juniata River watershed. Owners of land
at randomly-selected points where there is a high probability of wetlands
occurring are being contacted by Southern Alleghenies Conservancy representatives.
Property owners are being asked to allow field teams access to their property
to verify the presence and determine the condition of wetlands. Field
teams consist of student research interns from area colleges and universities
supervised by SAC and PA Department of Environmental Protection staff.
On wetland sites selected for further study, ecological conditions will
be determined by making various measurements to map the wetland, examining
soils, identifying vegetation and recording other observations about the
biological community.
Information gained through this year’s pilot in the two
sub-watersheds will guide the study next year, when the project will expand
to cover wetlands throughout the entire 3,400 square mile Juniata River
watershed. The acceptance and support of local organizations and
individuals are important to the project’s success. For more information
or to become part of the team, contact project coordinator Becky Albaugh
through Southern Alleghenies Conservancy at (814) 623-7900 ext. #5 or E-mail
at sac@nb.net
Re-Connections: A Pittsburgh-to-Harrisburg Greenway
By John H. Turner
The Allegheny Ridge State Heritage Park is part of the
statewide Heritage Parks Program administered by the Pennsylvania Department
of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR). State Heritage Parks
are large, officially designated geographic regions or corridors of the
Commonwealth that span two or more counties. These areas contain
a multitude of cultural, historic, recreational, natural and scenic resources
of state and national significance that collectively exemplify the industrial
heritage of Pennsylvania.
Allegheny Ridge Corporation (ARCorp) is a private, non-profit
corporation charged with developing, interpreting and preserving the historic
and cultural resources of the Allegheny Ridge State Heritage Park in Cambria,
Somerset, Blair and Huntingdon Counties.
Among many other initiatives, ARCorp Executive Director
Jane Sheffield and the ARCorp Board of Directors have established a Trails
Headquarters office, in partnership with the National Park Service.
The Trails Headquarters facilitates greenway and trail development throughout
the State Heritage Park and beyond.
Of special interest to friends of JCWP is a proposed Pittsburgh-to-Harrisburg
Greenway that would include trails, river access points, interpretive sites,
links with downtown areas, and strategic conservation / riparian buffer
zones along the historic corridor of the Juniata and Kiski-Conemaugh Rivers—the
same corridor once traversed by the PA Mainline Canal System. The
corridor will offer a variety of recreational and educational experiences
while serving as an important tool for conservation and economic development.
Situated halfway between the population centers of Pittsburgh and Harrisburg,
the Allegheny Ridge State Heritage Park is the logical “keystone” for such
a project.
ARCorp Trails Headquarters and DCNR/AHDC Circuit Rider
Dave Sewak are leading the drive to form a broad Greenway Alliance of groups
and individuals along the entire corridor in support of this project.
Once formed, this alliance will develop and manage the individual projects
which will compose the Greenway. Needless to say, two key players
in the project will be JCWP and the Kiski-Conemaugh River Basin Alliance.
This is an ambitious vision. It will take time and
effort to see it fulfilled, but more importantly, it will take the involvement
of a wide variety of partners and interest groups. We need you!
If you or your organization would be interested in finding out more or
getting involved with this initiative, please contact John Turner, Community
Greenways Consultant, Allegheny Ridge Corporation, artrails@penn.com,
Community Workdays in The Mid-State Region
By Spring Reilly
The Mid-State Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D)
Council coordinated five community workdays this summer within the Mid-State
region. Workdays were at three Mid-State RC&D projects: Ard’s
Ridge, Tall Timbers Natural Area, and Faylor Lake.
Ard’s Ridge is privately owned land located in Lewistown,
Mifflin County, that is currently being developed into a natural / education
area for the local community. A total of 20 volunteers put in 70
hours in building and constructing the access trail to the nature trail
on Saturday, May 1 and June 5, 1999. This 16-acre tract provides a spectacular
view of Lewistown and the surrounding land. Ard’s Ridge is located
behind the Mifflin County Library and will be the site of two overlooks
and a nature trail. Donations were made by Dunkin’Donuts.
On Saturday May 15, 1999 C.O.R.E. Susquehanna AmeriCorps
held a workday at Tall Timbers as their Service Saturday. C.O.R.E. Susquehanna AmeriCorps partnered with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation
and Natural Resources (DCNR) Bureau of Forestry and the Mid-State RC&D to “spruce
up” the Tall Timbers Natural Area. Thirty volunteers maintained the
trail, mulched the picnic areas, replaced grills and made minor repairs
on the pavilions. A total of 135 volunteer hours went into the project.
Tall Timbers Natural Area is located in the Bald Eagle State Forest, five
miles west of Troxelville, Snyder County. Donations were made by Weis Markets,
Burnham and Tender Corporation.
On June 5 and June 12, 1999, workdays were held at Faylor
Lake, Snyder County. A total of thirty-two volunteers picked up fifteen
bags of trash and lined parts of the existing nature trail. A total of
150 volunteer hours went into the project. Donations for the workday
on June 5 were made by Weis Markets, Burnham and Tender Corporation. The
Mid-State RC&D and Tender Corporation made donations for the June 12
workday.
Micronursery Established for Restoration Projects in Juniata Watershed
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s (CBF) Juniata Project, in partnership
with the Trough Creek Youth Forestry Camp #3, recently announced the establishment
of a micronursery in the Trough Creek State Park. The purpose of
the micronursery is to grow tree seedlings that will be used for streambank
and wetland restoration projects within the Juniata watershed.
“The micronursery was established so that CBF could continue
partnering with other organizations and community groups to achieve one
of its goals to plant buffers along 1500 miles of streams, rivers, and
shoreline by the year 2005,” said Deb Nardone, CBF’s Juniata Project Coordinator.
“We’re very excited about this partnership because trees play a vital role
in water quality, the health of a stream, and ultimately, the health of
the Chesapeake Bay.”
CBF’s Juniata Project was established in 1997 to promote
efforts to improve, protect, and enhance the Juniata River and its watershed.
CBF’s Juniata Project works with many environmental organizations and agencies
on projects that improve the overall health and quality of the Juniata
River and its watershed.
“Trees along a streambank or wetland act as habitat and
food for fish and other animals that live in and around the water,” said Nardone. “Trees also provide shading to maintain
healthy water temperatures. Flooding and stormwater runoff can also
be greatly reduced by planting trees near streams and wetlands.”
In partnership with CBF, the Youth Forestry Camp #3 has
assisted with the establishment of the micronursery. The Youth Forestry
Camp #3, located in Trough Creek State Park, is an institution run by the
PA Department of Public Welfare that rehabilitates adjudicated youth.
Students at the Youth Forestry Camp helped pot more that 3,500 seedlings,
and will be responsible for the maintenance and care of these trees.
The students will also serve as a volunteer workforce to help plant on
restoration sites.
“This is a good opportunity for these kids to learn some
real life skills,” said John Dickinson, Acting Operations manager at the
Youth Forestry Camp. “This project also allows them to help
the environment and experience first hand how to help improve our watershed.
Working in this kind of atmosphere helps them to build self-esteem knowing
they were part of a larger initiative and helps them see the connection
to the water they drink everyday.”
Trees are free to organizations, agencies, and community
groups interested in planting along wetlands and streambanks. For additional
information, please contact Deb Nardone, Juniata Project Coordinator, at
(814) 627-5082 or dnardone@savethebay.cbf.org.
Spotlight on Community Watershed Associations: Muddy Run
For over 75 years the Muddy Run area, located in Huntingdon Borough,
has had extensive flooding problems. Over the years, the watershed,
floodway and floodplain of the Run were developed. Mistakes such
as filling wetlands, channel relocation and covering portions of the Run
with inadequate enclosures have all led to serious flooding problems.
After increased stormwater problems in 1996 the borough council appointed
a committee in charge of finding solutions to these problems. This
committee is the Muddy Run Advisory Committee.
The first step the committee took was to apply for a grant
from the Pennsylvania League of Women Voters to host an educational meeting
concerning stormwater and water quality issues affecting the Muddy Run
Watershed. The grant was received and in April of 1988 the
committee held its first town meeting at the Huntingdon Area Middle School.
There were approximately 100 people in attendance. The town meeting
set the stage for an ambitious strategy to address the many problems associated
with the Muddy Run.
The Muddy Run Advisory Committee is coordinating an effort
to improve the water quality and stormwater carrying capacity of Muddy
Run. Projects in planning stages include bank stabilization with
rip-rap and gabion baskets, establishments of riparian buffers, deposition
and debris removal, protection of existing riparian buffers, and other
bioengineering projects. A local partnership has been formed to apply
for grants through the U.S. Forest Service, the Western Pennsylvania Watershed
Protection Program, and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
Partners in the effort include the Huntingdon Area Middle School Environmental
Club, Huntingdon Borough, the Juniata College Conservation Club, the Huntingdon
County Conservation District, the U.S.D.A. Natural Resource Conservation
Service, and the Southern Alleghenies Resource Conservation and Development
Council and Southern Alleghenies Conservancy.
The Muddy Run Advisory Committee initiated a streambank
inventory of the total length of Muddy Run to locate areas of the streambank
that need stabilization work. The survey also noted areas of needed
debris and deposition removal. Deposition and debris accumulations
in the Run caused by streambank erosion, along with the decreased stormwater
carrying capacity of the stream channel, contributes to the existing flooding
problems. The Muddy Run Committee is actively pursuing grant money to fund
a streambank stabilization demonstration project somewhere along the Run.
The project would demonstrate the use of rock rip-rap, gabion baskets,
or natural vegetation as a means of streambank protection.
The committee continues to develop project proposals,
locate funding sources, promote local partnerships and plan for the construction
of measures to alleviate flooding and improve the water quality of the
Run. For additional information please contact Andy Patterson at
814-627-1627.
Find out where the Muddy Run is located in the Juniata Watershed (Click for larger image)
Click here for a closer look at the Muddy Run Watershed