Published in the Citizen Standard, by Vicki Terwilliger

January 30, 2014

Five for five.

That's great odds for the Schuylkill Conservation District which sought and received grants this year for five watershed improvement projects, reeling in nearly $1.2 million.

Among the projects in The Citizen-Standard coverage area are: flood plain restoration along Swatara Creek near Guilford Performance Textiles in Pine Grove and an expansion of a mine pool water treatment system at Keystone Potato Products (KPP), LLC in Frailey Township.

"There's an obvious need in this county due to abandoned mine drainage. We do put in for a lot of grants and this year, we just got lucky," Wayne G. Lehman, County Natural Resource Specialist with the Schuylkill Conservation District, said.

Governor Tom Corbett announced Jan. 22 that the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will invest more than $20.65 million in watershed protection projects to improve watersheds, reduce stormwater runoff and acid mine drainage (AMD), and support educational programs, among other environmental efforts.

Five projects in Schuylkill County and two in Northumberland County will be receiving funds. There were no recipients listed from Dauphin County.

Preparation

"We do a lot of up front planning before we submit," said William E. Reichert, Schuylkill Conservation District Watershed Maintenance Technician and Long Term Flood Recovery Manager.

"We've done a lot of projects and they know we're going to do a good job," added Lehman. He noted the county has several hundred abandoned mine discharges and maybe as many as 100 miles of impaired streams.

Lehman said once the grant money is obtained, recipients usually have three years to use all the funds and there is a matching component to the monetary awards. He expects paperwork from DEP will be finalized within the next month or two, and work on most projects could begin as early as this spring.

Projects

Projects slated to receive funding include: the Oneida #3 Acid Mine Drainage Treatment System Optimization in North Union Township, $157,505; Dandelion Farm Best Management Practices installation in South Manheim Township, $144,000; Swatara Creek Floodplain Restoration Phase #1 along the Swatara Creek, $300,700; West Creek flow loss assessment and remediation plan in Cass Township, $302,006; and Mine Pool Treatment System Expansion in Frailey Township, $293,898.

In Northumberland County: Northumberland County Conservation District, Carbon Run Passive Treatment System, $90,339; and Rockefeller Township, Dirt and Gravel Roads Improvement, $35,829.

Keystone Potato

Cory Schlegel, General Manager for Keystone Potato Products (KPP), said the Schuylkill Conservation District was Keystone's sponsor for the DEP grant. Schlegel explained the reason for KPP's grant application.

As a food producer of dehydrated potato flakes and refrigerated dices and fries, the company uses an average of three million gallons of water per month during production. Because public water was not available at the firm's Frailey Township site, in 2004, KPP drilled a well directly into abandoned underground mine workings to harness the water there. That well water (mine pool) had very high levels of iron and manganese which had to be reduced through the use of greensand filters and chemicals. After using the water in the plant, Schlegel noted the "dirty" process water is then sent to an on-site wastewater treatment plant where it is treated and then discharged to the Upper Swatara Creek Watershed.

With the grant, a more effective treatment system could be obtained before the water ever gets to the greensand filters. The proposed system would use "aeration, mixing, and an incline plate clarifier" to "drop the solids out" into a sludge. The sludge (of iron and manganese) would then be sent to a filter press and the resulting filter cake would be disposed of in a landfill. The clarified water would be sent through the existing greensand filters for any needed final polishing. Funds would also be used to construct a 3,800-square-foot building addition to house the new equipment and supplies. The total project cost is estimated at $590,000.

Guilford

Meanwhile, the announcement of the grant awards also came as good news to officials at Guilford.

"We're very excited," said Scott Benfield, Pine Grove Site Manager. "I have a lot of confidence that the state is willing to step up and protect the livelihoods of not only our employees, but the community as well," he said.

The flood in September 2011 affected 95-percent of Guilford's assets, but the company was able to rebound.

Lehman worked closely with Guilford's Facilities Engineer Tim Williams in writing the grant request. Funds will be used to develop a flood plain design and for permitting. Lehman said they took a "green" approach to come up with long-term solutions that will be less costly to maintain.

Cooperation

Members of Schuylkill County's delegation to the General Assembly released a joint statement on the allocation.

"These grant awards are a direct result of the cooperation and hard work of the Schuylkill Conservation District, local residents and state and local elected officials," said Sen. David G. Argall, R-29. "These funds will go a long way to protect our county's natural resources for future generations."

Rep. Mike Tobash, R-125, said, "I am happy with the environmental improvements that we have seen happen over the years in both Schuylkill and Berks County waterways. The funds allocated to this program are important to ensure that we continue down the path of improvement."

Growing Greener

According to a release from the governor's office, this year, the Growing Greener program, funded by the Environmental Stewardship Fund, will award $15,120,608 for 97 projects around the state. Four additional projects, funded by the Surface Mining Conservation and Reclamation Grant, will receive $1,953,947. Two additional grants, totaling $406,975, are funded by the AMD Set Aside Program.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Section 319 Nonpoint Source Management Program, that was created through the federal Clean Water Act to help reduce water pollution from nonpoint sources, is funding 15 additional projects, totaling $3,174,807.

These projects will reduce nonpoint source pollution in impaired streams by implementing agricultural and stormwater best management practices (BMPs); developing, repairing or installing passive systems to treat AMD; and supporting the establishment of riparian buffers, among other methods.

Two of the primary goals under Pennsylvania's Growing Greener Program are to invest in projects that protect watersheds from impairment due to nonpoint source pollution and to restore waterways damaged by non-point source pollution. Some examples of priority activities are restoration work to reduce pollutant load in impaired watersheds for which total maximum daily loads have been developed; projects in priority watersheds that would reduce the source of impairment; and priority activities that lead to water quality restoration and protection.

In this latest grant round, 162 eligible applicants requested about $41.8 million. Applications came from counties, authorities and other municipalities; county conservation districts; councils of governments; watershed organizations that promote local watershed conservation efforts; and other authorized organizations involved in restoring and protecting the environment.

"Maintaining water quality and protecting Pennsylvania's resources is an important focus of my administration," Corbett said in a prepared, written release.

For more information about Growing Greener or to see the complete list of grant recipients, email [email protected], call 717-705-4500 or visit DEP's website at www.dep.state.pa.us, keyword: Growing Greener.

(Vicki Terwilliger, "Corbett announces $20.65 million to protect, improve watersheds," 1/30/14)