An important era of the Somerset County Conservancy came to a close February 25, 2025, when the SCC turned six abandoned mine drainage (AMD) treatment site properties over to the newly formed Bottomlands Conservancy.
When Dave Mankamyer, then a County Commissioner, conceived of the idea of forming a Conservancy in 1994 the principle reason was to hold land to construct treatment sites for the pervasive AMD sites that had fouled our local waterways. An environmental, health and economic disaster, our polluted streams were the legacy of unregulated coal mining practices prior to 1977.
New ideas were being conceived on using passive methods involving water flowing through vegetation, mulch and limestone beds to increase alkalinity, raise pH and drop out metals such as iron, aluminum, and manganese. Various SCC Board members, including Dan Seibert (National Resource Conservation Service), Dave Steele (Somerset Conservation District) and Lenny Lichvar (Southern Alleghenies Conservancy, then Somerset Conservation District) were instrumental in designing and finding funding to construct these systems. Other groups such as the Stoneycreek River Improvement Project (SCRIP) were formed to advocate for and help implement projects on both lands the SCC held and elsewhere.
The first in the nation construction of a so-called SAP system was at our Oak’s Trail Site. An educational trail was installed and over time many visitors, including the Secretary of the Interior and US Senators, toured the site to see this successful method being employed to clean the water. The Hawk View and State site were added close by on the Stoneycreek and an upstream site on the Lambert’s Run was installed. Water quality in the overall Stoneycreek was remarkably improved with the formerly sludgy, orange water flowing past the Borough of Hooversville clearing up to the point trout once again were swimming in the river.
A very large alkaline discharge containing vast amounts of iron discharging into the Quemahoning Creek just upstream from the public water supply in the Quemahoning Reservoir was our next project. Serpentine dikes were constructed to increase retention time allowing the metals to fall out before entering the creek. Our final property on Coal Run near Salisbury was our only active Treatment site. Here a water-powered wheel dispensed lime slowly into an acidic discharge.
The SCC cared for the properties with trimming and mowing trails for many years. Herculean efforts from the Somerset Conservation District, then led by Lenny Lichvar, secured funding and oversaw construction as the systems needed rehabilitated after 15 – 20 years of service. But, as the SCC’s resources and efforts became more focused on the enlarging of Kimberly Run Natural Area, a search for a long-term steward of the AMD sites was initiated.
A winning solution was found when the Bottomlands Conservancy was formed with the focused mission of owning lands where AMD abatement systems are present or could be constructed. A business called InnoH2O will work closely with the new Bottomlands Conservancy to ensure long-term maintenance and updates keep the waters clean. The SCC has great confidence that, in turning over ownership of these six sites, the leaders of the new group, including Lenny Lichvar, Mike McCluskey and Logan Lichvar, will work hard to maintain and restore the valuable water resources of our region.