Completed Projects
The CCRA has established 3 major treatment facilities along the Catawissa Creek, filtering about 85% of the Acid Mine Drainage.
Initial efforts to improve water quality in the Catawissa creek included volunteer water quality monitoring which led to limestone sand dosing of the stream. This process involves dumping hundreds of tons of high-quality limestone. This proved too cumbersome to continue but it did demonstrate the neutralizing capacity of the lime stone on the Creeks facility.
The CCRA now has a PA Department of Environmental Protection approved watershed restoration plan in place. This plan addresses the five mine drainage tunnels that are the sources of AMD pollution in the stream. Since the chemistry of all five discharges were similar (i.e. 4–5 PH, 1–6 milligrams per liter of aluminum, and virtually no iron), limestone-based treatment systems were designed to address the discharges.
Oneida No. 1
The CCRA and partner organizations first received funding for and constructed a $350,000 treatment system for the Oneida number one discharge located within the Eagle Rock Resort community. This simplistic system diverts approximately 2500 gallons per minute (Gpm) of acid mine drainage through three buried beds totaling 9000 tons of high-grade limestone.
Audenreid
The success of the Oneida #1 project resulted in the construction of a $2.1 million system for the Audenreid mine discharge. This system treats up to 9000 GPM of acid mine drainage bypassing it through three large concrete tanks that contain a total of 20,000 tons of limestone.
Oneida No. 3
A third smaller system has been constructed to treat Oneida number three discharge. All three systems include detention/sedimentation ponds to collect aluminum. Aluminum in an acidic water solution, is harmful to most of aquatic life. By eliminating the acidity these systems also collect and eliminate the aluminum.
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Your donation allows us to further the mission of stewarding the creek to clean water and establishing public access for fishing and boating.