Water Protection Abandoned Mine
     Drainage

Erosion/Sedimentation
Nutrient Loading
Current Projects
Stream Data

Land Protection & Conservation

Environmental Education

Community & Membership Outreach

Water Protection

Despite abundant forests and protected land in the headwaters and natural areas throughout its middle section, the Loyalhanna Creek Watershed is impacted by a series of challenges. The major challenges include abandoned mine drainage, sedimentation as a result of erosion, and nutrient loading. Each poses a different problem with a different solution. LWA is involved in projects that are working to address each of those challenges. To learn more about LWA’s current projects, visit the Current Projects page.

     

Abandoned Mine Drainage (AMD)

Most of the Loyalhanna Creek Watershed is underlain with the Pittsburgh coal seam, which is part of the Monangahela formation. This seam of coal was heavily mined in the late 1800s and the early 1900s. Communities throughout the area appeared where coalmines were located. By the 1920s, coal resources were depleted and many mines were abandoned. Water was left to fill and drain from the mines. It is this draining water that created, and continues to create, water pollution problems in the Loyalhanna Creek Watershed.

The formation of AMD occurs when rocks in the abandoned mines are exposed to water and oxygen. Through a series of chemical reactions, minerals from the exposed rocks are dissolved and carried with the water out of the mine. Because of the reactions that occur, the water draining from the mines can be very acidic (pH 2.0-5.0) or close to neutral (pH 6.0-7.0). It will also carry with it different metals in different concentrations. The most common metals found in the Loyalhanna Creek tributaries are iron and aluminum. The characteristics of the AMD will vary depending upon the geology and hydrology of the area from which it originates. To learn more about the chemistry of AMD, visit the Western PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation Website at http://www.amrclearinghouse.org.

   

 

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  Erosion/Sedimentation  
  Erosion is a common problem throughout the entire Loyalhanna Creek Watershed. It occurs where water has the ability to scour away at exposed soil, and will carry it to alternate locations.  The speed of water and amount of plant cover or vegetation both influence the rate and severity of erosion. Sedimentation occurs when excess solids enter waterways due to stream bank erosion, road run-off and soil loss from agricultural areas.

Many streamside landowners have removed streamside vegetation, thus enabling stream bank erosion to occur. Plants and trees growing along stream banks hold soil in place and slow the velocity of flowing water. It is critical to ensure that stream banks are covered with adequate vegetation to help prevent erosion and sedimentation on the stream bottom.

The presence of excess sediment on stream bottoms can cause a variety of problems for aquatic life. It coats habitat and food sources that are critical for fish and insects living within the stream. In addition, sediment will often be deposited in areas that are not convenient causing waterways to seek alternate routes. This may cause flooding or other challenges.

 
 

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  Nutrient Loading  
  Agricultural operations and household sewage contribute nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus to waterways within the Loyalhanna Creek Watershed. Manure and fertilizers found on agricultural lands can make their way to streams through run-off or livestock contact with streams. Household sewage often enters streams from homes with failing or nonexistent septic systems. Both problems are abundant within the watershed. The presence of nutrient growth is noticeable on the cobble and gravel that compose the substrates of many tributary streams.

   
When excess nutrients reach our streams, aquatic plants grow and thrive. This growth can reach levels that are dangerous to other aquatic life. The growing and decomposing plants utilize oxygen needed by fish and insects. In addition, growing plants can crowd habitat and block out sunlight.
 
 

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  Stream Data  
 

Click on the links below to review collected stream/macroinvertebrate data in Acrobat PDF format.

 
 
 

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Copyright 2007, Loyalhanna Watershed Association