Students test pH with red cabbage juice and learn how abandoned mines affect local waterways.
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!
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.
Multiple organizations came together with Blossburg Borough for a project to stabilize approximately 300 feet of riverbank along the Tioga River in Blossburg’s Island Park.
If you look at the riverbank in the Park you can see the riverbank has been eroding for some time. The roots of the trees at the edge of the Tioga River are exposed and the trees are getting closer and closer to being undermined.
Before: The roots of the trees at the edge of the Tioga River were exposed and the trees were getting closer and closer to being undermined.
While the Park sits on the banks of the Tioga River there isn’t a lot of safe, easy access to the River itself. The banks are steep and there’s a drop from the top of the bank to the edge of the River.
Some people may be wondering why people would want access to the Tioga River since it’s currently impaired by Abandoned Mine Drainage (AMD).
Within the next couple of years the active treatment plant will be up and running and the Tioga River will be flowing with clean water.
Biologists involved with the project expect there to be fish in the Tioga River within a year of the active treatment plant starting operations. This is possible because not all the tributaries to the Tioga River have AMD impacts. There are several trout streams that flow into the Tioga River.
Based on how other Pennsylvania rivers and streams responded to treatment, biologists involved with the project feel fish, including trout, will begin to move from the tributaries they are in now to the Tioga River. At first, they may not spend a lot of time in the River, but as aquatic habitat improves and their food sources can establish, the fish will spend more time in the River.
This project in Island Park is an effort to not only reduce sediment, but to also improve access for anglers, and create fish habitat for the “visiting” fish by using mud sills, log vanes and deflectors.
TU employees install a series of log and rock structures that will not only stabilize the eroding riverbank, but also create fish habitat along this section of the Tioga River.
Log and Rock Structures Stabilize and Create Habitat
Staff from Trout Unlimited (TU) and the Tioga County Conservation District evaluated the site for potential stabilization and fish habitat in November 2022. During the site visit the group determined that Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission approved fish habitat enhancement structures could be used to stabilize the eroding riverbanks while also improving habitat for fish and other aquatic life.
The structures do this as the water flowing downstream comes into contact with the logs used in building the structures. The logs are a hard edge and redirect the flow back towards the center of the river.
“The structures will reduce toe erosion along the banks and maintain the thalweg in the center of the channel.”
The structures are built out of logs and rock. The logs are held in place with rebar and rock provides weight to hold the logs in place, and also provides a surface to regrade to create a sloped riverbank. A sloped riverbank allows higher than normal flows to move up the riverbank and spread out. This will slow down the water which further reduces erosion at the site and downstream.
“We usually are using hemlock or larch logs. People are often concerned the logs will rot away. As long as part of the log is in water, the whole log stays wet. Logs are like sponges that way. A wet log will last longer. The water pushes out the oxygen in the log. Without oxygen it doesn’t decay as quickly.”
Tyler Upham, the Tioga County Conservation District’s Watershed Specialist
Tyler Upham, Tioga County Conservation District’s Watershed Specialist, explains the benefits of using the log and rock structures to stabilize the eroding riverbank.
Island Park holds the high school football stadium, tennis courts (painted with pickleball lines), Little League Baseball fields, softball fields, the pool and splash pad, playground, skate park, and a walking path. This community park is used for Friday night football, the annual Coal Festival, and daily walks. This project will help add to the list of recreation possible in the Park by creating habitat for fish, and better access for anglers.
Island Park is a popular destination for the community of Blossburg. The red star indicates the project site where NPC and partners stabilized a section of eroding streambank and created fish habitat.
“NPC became involved in the Tioga River Restoration when a property critical for treatment was listed for sale. As we learned more about the project we realized the recreational potential for the Tioga River and the need to begin to think about public recreation access. Once there are fish in the River, people will want to fish the River. If there are public access points that make it easy for anglers to get to the River it helps everyone. Blossburg Borough has been a great partner and open to the idea of improving their Park and adding recreation.”
“We’ve been working a long time on getting the Tioga River cleaned up, but it’s not just about clean water. It’s also about having opportunities for the communities along the River to have access and enjoy fishing and swimming once the River is cleaned up. This riverbank stabilization project is a great example of how a lot of partners can do a small part that makes a big project possible.”
Charlie Andrews, president of T4C
Blossburg Borough Council member Jill Nickerson looks forward to the future opportunities the project will bring for the community.
“The river restoration project is a shining example of what we can achieve through collective effort. By restoring the natural beauty and health of the river, we are creating additional recreational opportunities at Island Park that will benefit everyone in our surrounding communities. Whether you love to fish, kayak, or walk along the riverfront, this project will have a positive impact that will be felt for generations to come.”
Trout Unlimited Phil Thomas with TU evaluated the site, developed the design, and is implementing construction.
Tioga County Conservation District Tyler Upham with the District assisted in evaluating the site. He also coordinated the contractor and materials deliveries for the project
Tioga County Concerned Citizens Committee Charlie and Joyce Andrews coordinated communication with other groups in the area to help raise the funding necessary for the riverbank stabilization project.
Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy NPC handled various types of paperwork and permitting. Additionally NPC served as the “banker” for the donations from the other community groups and applied for funds through a grant program.
Financial support for this project is provided by BHE GT&S which is dedicated to the economic, physical and social health of the communities served by BHE GT&S companies. This grant program was administered by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy in commitment to its core mission of conserving Pennsylvania’s diverse ecosystems through science-based strategy, leadership, and collaboration.
Other Information on the Tioga River Restoration
The Susquehanna River Basin Commission’s Tioga River Restoration’s Mine Drainage program is a great place to start.
You can measure progress in a lot of different ways. One way we’re measuring the progress of cleaning up the Tioga River’s Abandoned Mine Drainage is the colors of survey ribbon on the Coal Creek property. The design for the Active Treatment Plant (ATP) for the Tioga River clean-up is underway and you can see signs of the design process in pink, orange, and blue tied to tree branches and pinned to the ground.
With the help and support of our members and the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, we purchased the Coal Creek property in May 2022 to ensure construction access to the largest discharge in the watershed (on a neighboring property). Last week, in January 2023, I spent a little time on the property before a meeting in Blossburg.
The surveyors have been hard at work. There were different colors of ribbon marking roads, paths, and flow paths. I have no idea what they were actually surveying and working through, and that’s okay. I was just super excited to see the ribbon and all the colors of ribbon.
To me, this is the next step. There are people on the ground gathering information and plotting out aspects of the ideas and concepts being considered. Progress!
The engineering firm is on schedule for wrapping up the design work this fall. The Susquehanna River Basin Commission estimates construction of the plant should start next year and cleaner water should be flowing into the Tioga River in two years.
Thank you to all the members and partners that are making this project a reality!
The sunset as I was walking out had similar shades to the survey ribbon!
The active treatment system that will be cleaning up abandoned mine discharge (AMD) from Coal Creek, Fall Brook, and Morris Run will have pipes moving water to the plant for treatment and then back to the streams for release through three municipalities. Recently, representatives from those municipalities and Tioga County were given an overview of the project concept and then visited several sites that will be used in the Tioga River Mine Drainage Treatment System.
Sami explained the overall concept as well as what infrastructure would be in each municipality.
The group began in the community room at Island Park for the overview.
The Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) and their engineers from Kleinfelder explained the current plan for how the water would be collected, conveyed to the treatment plant, and then how it will get back to the streams.
After the overview and some questions the group headed out to see some of the sites being considered for pump stations.
The first stop on the tour was at the largest discharge, the one on Coal Creek. Many members of the group had never seen the discharge before, only heard about it. While the flow was lower than normal, it still impressed many of the attendees with the volume of water coming out of the hillside.
The consultant explained that the entry had collapsed, but had once been the “man entrance” to the mine. After the mining was complete, the entrance had been sloped to make it easier for the water to flow out and other modifications were made to help de-water the area of the mine that was being worked.
Tom (on the left) was explaining to George from Blossburg Borough how the Coal Creek discharge would be captured.
The group then walked down the road to see a potential location for a pump station that will help move the water from the discharge to the treatment plant. The site is along a well-used road. Discussions included known utilities (the consultants will be doing a formal review) and the depth the utilities are set at, as well as conversations related to plowing snow. There will need to be air vents along the lines, and the consultants wanted to ensure the vents won’t damage snow plows or be damaged by the plows.
The old mine road would be reopened to gain access to the Coal Creek discharge. The road the group is standing on would be used to get the water to the active treatment plant. In the next phase of design specific questions will be discussed about how the road will be rebuilt after the pipes are set.
The next stop was Morris Run. The village is named after its stream which is AMD impacted. There are two discharges close together here. These two will be captured and brought together before being conveyed to the treatment plant.
The two discharges in Morris Run are near the Township’s maintenance shop. (which made for easy parking for the tour)
Fall Brook was next. There is a passive treatment system currently treating some of the water from Fall Brook. In a passive treatment system the water flows through a series of limestone treatment cells or ponds. The water slows down and flows through the limestone increasing the pH which allows heavy metals to settle out. The passive system will stay in place and continue to operate with a set volume of water. The flow above that set volume will be directed to the active treatment plant.
The Caribbean blue in the distance, on the left is part of the current passive treatment system for Fall Brook.
The last stop on the tour was the proposed location for the actual active treatment plant. Here questions related to traffic patterns were discussed. There will be materials brought in frequently to keep the plant operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year, for years and years.
Now SRBC and the consultants will begin following up with each of the municipalities and discussing details. These detailed discussions will inform the next phase of planning and design. It’s anticipated the next draft design will be presented to the officials in October.
The excitement about a cleaner Tioga River is building!
