Bill Salvage, Head of the Fish and Boat Commission announces his appreciation to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for all of the hard work put into the Stump Creek Acid Mine Treatment Facility.

JONES TOWNSHIP:  One creek can affect millions of people. Not only is water a necessity to life, but also to our pleasure.

It is estimated that the bodies of water contribute to up to four million dollars annually to the state’s tourism.

This was pointed out at an event held yesterday to celebrate improvements to Swamp Creek Treatment Facility. The Department of Environmental protection, along with members of the Fish and Boat Commission were on hand yesterday to celebrate the successful completion of a refurbishing project at the acid mine drainage facility that will maintain a fish population of a popular Elk County lake and two area rivers.

Bill Salvage, Head of the Fish and Boat Commission, spoke of the importance of our waters in relation to tourism.

“Millions and millions of dollars are spent on tourism because of our local waters, and in effect this promotes economic development,” he said.

“The better quality of water brings in animals that were never here like Otters and Bald Eagles, and it also promotes the well being of animals we already have that are a commodity to our area like the Elk,” John Zamen, Land Manager noted.  

“The Swamp Creek acid mine drainage treatment facility has allowed thousands of Pennsylvanians to enjoy fishing on East Branch Lake for nearly 40 years,” said J. Scott Roberts, Departments of Environmental Protection’s Deputy Secretary for Mineral Resources.

Salvage acknowledged DEP’s fine work in helping the Swamp Creek treatment facility become technologically equipped. A new computerized feed system has replaced the old equipment that allows the water to be treated more accurately. The equipment is kept within a silo, which has been around since the early 1970s. The silo holds 19 tons of lime which is used to neutralize the acid mine drainage. The lime is dispersed every four minutes for 15 seconds. The pH of the water before entering the silo for treatment is at approximately a five, and after treatment it is at about 8.5; whenever the water reaches the East Branch dam the pH is 7.5.

An automatic alarm was also added to immediately notify plant operators of any problems.
The commonwealth has operated the hydrated lime treatment facility on Swamp Creek since it funded it’s construction in 1969. Operation and maintenance facility costs about $20,000 a year, which is supported through DEP’s Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation using Abandoned Mine Lands money Pennsylvania receives from the federal government. Up to 30 percent of this money can be used for acid mine drainage treatment.

“The Swamp Creek used to be a Dead Sea between about 1880 and 1969. The silo and treatment facility was added in 1969,” Salvage said. “By cleaning this creek it only betters the rest of the waters because back then everything to the Clarion River was contaminated. Since swamp creek was cleaned up, we in effect cleaned up Toby Creek, the Clarion River, the Allegheny River, and you could go as far as the Mississippi River.”

Gary Fralick, Army Corp of Engineers East Branch Lake said Swais important to the lifeline of our water system.

“This is really a life line of water quality; everything effects downstream,” Roberts said. “The project of Swamp Creek restores and protects our environment, enhances enjoyment of our state’s outdoors, and creates jobs by promoting the tourism industry.”

Financing for the project came from the Scarlift Fund, a 1960s state bond issue administered by DEP.