Gnolli, the Tioga River Gnome, recently joined the 2024–2025 class of the Tioga County Partnership for Community Health’s Youth Leadership Program at their final session. High school juniors and seniors from across Tioga County spent the day learning about watersheds, water quality, abandoned mine drainage (AMD), and the importance of community involvement in conservation.
Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy (NPC) Board Member and former Southern Tioga School District science teacher, Julie Weaver, led students through an activity exploring water pH.
pH is a measure of how acidic or basic water is. Because pH is affected by the chemicals present, it’s an important indicator of whether the water is undergoing chemical changes. The pH level also determines how much of a substance can dissolve in the water and how accessible that substance is to aquatic life.
pH is one of the key indicators used when studying abandoned mine drainage.
Metals like aluminum become more toxic at lower pH levels because more of the metal dissolves into the water under acidic conditions.
After discussing how abandoned mines can affect water quality, students used red cabbage juice to test the pH of various liquids. One of the samples was water from Coal Creek. Other samples included lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, milk, pond water, rainwater (there was plenty of that this month), baking soda, and soda pop. In case you’re curious, Coal Creek’s water typically has a pH between 2.7 and 3.0, according to Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) data. For comparison, baking soda has a pH of 8.5, and dairy milk has a pH of 6.5.
When red cabbage juice was added, acidic liquids turned red, while less acidic (more basic) substances turned blue.
The amateur scientists walked away with a better understanding of pH and how water can be impacted by abandoned mines—and Gnolli had a chance to make some new friends!
Thank you to the Tioga County Conservation District, Tioga County Commissioners Shane Nickerson and Sam VanLoon, and Blossburg Mayor Tim Martin for including NPC—and Gnolli!
Coal Creek Connections: How NPC Is Helping Restore the Tioga River
For years, abandoned mine drainage has flowed from closed coal mines into the Tioga River from at Fall Brook, Morris Run, and Coal Creek. To support long-term restoration efforts, NPC acquired the Coal Creek property. This key site provides access to the largest mine discharge in the Tioga River watershed. That access is essential to designing and implementing real solutions to clean the water and restore aquatic life.