Peters Creek WatershedUsers Manual

a citizen’s guide for a healthy watershed

What is a Watershed?A watershed is all of the land area that drains to a single body of water; be it a stream, lake, wetland or under-ground aquifer. A watershed is often referred to as a drainage basin.

Watersheds can be quite diverse in terms of shape, size, topography, population, land use patterns and wildlife in-habitants. But one thing remains the same from watershed to watershed. The actions of the people living within a watershed have an important impact on the health of the waters that drain through it. .

A User’s Manual helps us to understand how a valuable possession works. It also explains proper maintenance proce-dures so that we can keep our possession in top operating condition for years to come.

In Pennsylvania, we, the citizens, are collectively the owners of the Commonwealth’s water resources. It is our hope that this user’s manual will help us to become better stewards of this valuable possession.

This pamphlet has been funded by the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania Citizen Education Fund through a Section 319 Clean Water Act grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency administered by Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

Peters Creek WatershedThe Peters Creek watershed is all of that land that drains to Peters Creek. It is a diverse fifty square miles in southwest-ern Allegheny County and northeastern Washington County. There is heavy industry in the east where Peters Creek enters the Monongahela River, a large commercial district along Route 51, densely populated northern suburban com-munities, and a rapidly developing but still farming south.

This sixteen-mile creek has its headwaters in Thomas, Washington County and drains all or parts of 13 municipalities as it winds its way to the Mon River in Clairton. Some of the communities in the valley are built out while others are undergoing rapid development.

The corridor surrounding the creek and its tributaries provides many recreational and conservation opportunities. Hunting, fishing, nature study and biking are popular in the valley and along the creeks many wooded slopes. The water-shed also harbors areas of especial biological significance. A number of emergent wetlands contain plant and animal species that are endangered or rare in Pennsylvania.

We depend on the waters of Peters Creek and its tributaries to provide us with many services. These waters depend on us to make sure that they remain healthy and unpolluted.

Pollution problems threatening watershed streams

Abandoned mine drainageMost of the Peters Creek watershed is underlain with high-quality, easily mined coal that outcrops on the slopes of many of the stream valleys. The close proximity of these valuable deposits to Pittsburgh area coke ovens and steel mills led to extensive mining throughout the watershed during the early 1900s.

Little coal is mined in the Peters Creek watershed today but the legacy of our coal min-ing history is still evident in the form of “gob” or overburden piles, streams polluted with abandoned mine drainage (AMD), mine subsidence and coal patches throughout the watershed.

Many of Peters Creek’s tributaries run orange and white with heavy deposits of iron and aluminum precipitate. Here’s a simple explanation of how abandoned mines pollute our streams. The actual chemical reactions for a given discharge can be quite complex.

Abandoned mine workings partially flood with water which reacts with pyrite (FeS2), a common mineral often associated with coal seams. The combination of pyrite with water and oxygen can create very acidic water (pH 2.0-4.0). This acidic water has a great capac-ity to dissolve other minerals such as aluminum, iron and phosphorus. During heavy rain events these mineral-laden waters overflow into our streams and can kill off much of the life in the stream. The same process occurs when rainwater percolates through pyrite-laden, unreclaimed overburden piles from strip-mining or earth moving activities.

What you can do about abandoned mine drainage

• Join you local watershed group. Membership dollars contribute to projects that eliminate AMD from local streams• Get involved and volunteer. AMD projects require a variety of skilled and un-skilled labor. • Support legislation that maintains state and federal funding of AMD treatment

Nutrient Overload

Aquatic organisms require adequate nutrients to maintain health. But an overload of nutrients, especially nitrogen, phosphorous and organics, can cause major problems. Excess nutrients cause algae and other plants to grow in an out-of-control fashion; often leaving little room for other organisms. When this Algae dies and decays, most or all of the oxygen can be depleted from a section of stream or lake. Few aquatic or-ganisms can survive in this low oxygen situation and the water body loses it ability to support a diverse community of fish and other animals.

This nutrient overload can come from many sources; runoff of excess fertilizer from residential lawns, lawn clippings dumped down storm sewers, farm field runoff, inef-ficient sewage plants, improperly maintained septic systems, AMD, etc.

Nutrient overload is often the result of the cumulative effect of many small and di-verse contributions.

What you can do about nutrient overload

• Don’t over-fertilize your lawn. Encourage your neighbors to fertilize properly• Landscape with plants adapted to our local climate and soil conditions• Compost or leave grass cuttings on lawn (grass clippings do not cause thatch)• Maintain septic system properly and/or make sure you local sewage plant is efficient

Iron-laden AMD polluted Lick Run tributary

Algae choked tributary

Peters Creek, its many tributaries, lakes, ponds and wetlands are a tremendous treasure. These waters provide our drinking water, source water for various farming and industrial activi-ties, a means for disposing of our wastewater, and many recreational opportunities. We often take these resources for granted except during times of flooding. But, in fact, the health of these waters is essential to our health as well as the vitality of our communities.

Our collective activities within the watershed, both historical and present day, influence the ability of these waters to provide us with the utility we have come to expect.

Here are some of the most important problems degrading the health of our water resources.

Stormwater, Flooding, Runoff, Erosion & Sedimentation

Stormwater management is not a very exciting subject but it is an extremely important one. Flooding is a natural process but our activities can have a significant impact on the degree and frequency of flooding within the watershed.

Effective stormwater management requires a watershed perspective, a plan and a coor-dinated effort. Floodwaters are no respecters of municipal boundaries, yet, decisions affecting flooding are often made with little regard for downstream communities.

A number of changes occur as an increasing percentage of land area within our water-shed is transformed from natural vegetative cover to impervious surface (roads, roof-tops, parking lots, etc.) that does not absorb rain water. The amount of stormwater run-off increases, groundwater recharge decreases, flooding frequency and degree increase, and erosion and sedimentation within stream channels increases. Lack of an adequate, coordinated, watershed-wide plan to manage these changes can lead to devastating eco-logical, human and economic consequences.

What you can do about stormwater• Don’t dispose of anything down storm sewers. They connect directly to watershed streams.• Install rain barrels and plant rain gardens to capture stormwater runoff from your house and driveway.• Keep as much of your property in natural vegetation as possible. Maintain vegetative buffers along streams.• Volunteer for stream bank stabilization projects and natural vegetative buffer plantings.• Support efforts to develop a Stormwater Management Plan for the watershed.

Sewage Related Problems

Three large sewage facilities and numerous individual on-lot septic systems oper-ate within the Peters Creek watershed. Efficient sewage treatment is essential to the health of our streams and anyone who depends on them. Malfunctioning sew-age plants can raise bacterial levels, cause nutrient overload and fish kills in the receiving stream.

Sewer lines connecting houses and businesses to these sewage plants must be ad-equately maintained. Broken sewer lines can foul the watershed’s streams with raw sewage. They can also allow thousands of gallons of water to enter the sanitary sewer system. Malfunctioning sewer lines not only pose a health risk but can greatly increase the cost of sewage treatment.

What you can do about sewage• Conserve water• Don’t dump toxic chemicals, paint, used drugs, oil or antifreeze down the drain• Volunteer to monitor water quality in the watershed’s streams• Properly maintain your on-lot septic system• Support efforts to upgrade and properly maintain sewage facilities

Illegal DumpingIllegal dumping is a sad and pervasive problem throughout the watershed. All imaginable types of trash are left to litter our valleys and despoil the landscape. This abandoned trash reveals a total lack of personal responsibility in some of our neighbors. They are willing to risk the health of our children to save a few dollars.

This is not just an issue of aesthetics. Much illegal dumping involves toxic chemi-cals that end up in our streams and poison our source of drinking water. Tires pro-vide a breeding ground for mosquitoes that carry the West Nile virus and rotting deer carcasses increase bacterial levels in our waters. Public work crews expend many hours and taxpayers dollars cleaning up trash when they could be working on other projects.

What you can do about illegal dumping• Dispose of all of your trash in a responsible manner• Report illegal dumping to local police departments• Support efforts to develop and enforce litter ordinances• Volunteer for clean-up efforts in your community

Pleasant Hills Authority Outfall Lick Run

Illegal Dump along Peters Creek

Eroding Stream BankLewis Run

Solutions from around the Peters Creek WatershedIndividuals, businesses and local governments throughout the Peters Creek watershed are finding ways to protect our water resources. Below are just a few of these notable efforts. When taken together, they help to sustain the unique nature of the Peters Creek corridor and maintain the livability of our communities for future generations.

Natural Stream Channel Design In 2005, Jefferson Hills was confronted with an emergency sanitary sewer repair. The sewer line had failed where it crosses Peters Creek along the Montour Trail due to eroding stream banks.

The borough and their engineer, Gateway Engineers, fixed the problem and protect-ed the sewer line using natural stream channel design; a best management practice (BMP) design technique that works with nature to provide a long-term solution to stream bank erosion.

This design method has many benefits over traditional techniques. It maintains the natural aesthetics of the surrounding area, decreases long-term maintenance costs, decreases the amount of siltation and sedimentation downstream, and cre-ates habitat for fish and other aquatic organisms.

A planting of native trees and shrubs (riparian buffer) along this section of re-graded stream bank also helps to further stabilize the soil and filter pollutants from stormwater runoff. The shade provided by the planted maples, oaks and syca-mores will help to lower water temperatures in the stream and provide food and habitat for wildlife. This area has become a favorite stopping spot for trail users and their pets.

Natural Stream Channel Design ProjectPeters Creek - Jefferson Hills

Environmental Quality Boards (EQB’s)Environmental Quality Boards (EQB’s) provide a way for citizens with an interest or expertise in environmental issues to serve their communities. EQBs advise their municipalities elected officials and commissions on matters concerning the protection, conservation, management and use of the municipality’s natural resources.

Peters Twp and Jefferson Hills both have EQB’s that have helped with a wide range of environmental and quality of life issues within their communities.

Peters Twp’s board has been instrumental in development of the township’s recycling program and has helped to devel-op its MS4 Stormwater Management Plan. The board also deals with deer management and farmland preservation issues and has helped to craft the township’s Comprehensive Plan.

Jefferson Hills EQB has taken a lead role in the establishment of the Peters Creek Greenway and promotes development of the Montour Trail within the borough. It has also advised council on issues concerning fly ash, coal refuse piles, abandoned mine drainage and erosion & sedimentation issues within the borough.

A watershed-wide EQB is permitted by law and would provide an excellent vehicle for dealing with watershed issues such as stormwater management and flooding.

Field Habitat ProjectSouth Park County Park is a 2000 acre multifunction park within the Peters Creek water-shed. It comprises approximately 1/16th of the watershed’s total land area. Land use deci-sions within the park have a significant impact on the overall health of our watershed.

Allegheny County Parks is allowing many acres of lightly used parkland to revert to old field. Increasing the acreage of old field within the park helps to protect Catfish Run by decreasing runoff entering the stream and by filtering pollutants from this runoff. An acre of old field can absorb thousands of gallons more stormwater than an acre of mowed grass. In fact, mowed grass is not much better at absorbing rainwater than bare soil.

This additional old field also provides habitat for native pollinators. Native pollina-tors are important to anyone who enjoys eating fruits and vegetables and have become increasingly important due to the recent die-off of honeybees.

This project also serves as a model for landowners who can protect our streams by al-lowing part of their property to revert to natural vegetation.

Environmental Education In Our SchoolsLocal teachers are finding fun and innovative ways to educate our children about real-life environmental issues.

South Park Middle School teachers Josh Cramer and John Dieterle developed “Trout in the Classroom” to provide a hands-on, collaborative experience for their 6th grade students. This program helps to connect the classroom to the real world.

Trout eggs are hatched in the classroom. Students observe and care for the trout as they grow from eggs to fry and learn about the technologies required to provide a suitable environment in which the fish will thrive. They study stream habitats, fish and wildlife issues, fish anatomy and biotechnology. Know-ing that the fry will eventually end up in Peters Creek leads to discussions of real-world issues such as water quality and pollution in local streams.

The program concludes with a field trip to Peters Creek in the spring. Demon-strations and guest speakers further the student’s understanding of the envi-ronment, fishing and biotechnology and they stock Peters Creek with the fry they raised from eggs.

Jennifer Cramer, 7th grade science teacher at the Pleasant Hills Middle School, partnered with the Pennsylvania Resource Council and the Peters Creek Water-shed Association in an effort to involve her students with environmental issues impacting Peters Creek and its tributaries. Classroom presentations and web-based materials were used to prepare for field trips in April of 2007. Some students stud-ied runoff problems impacting Catfish Run while others helped to plant a ripar-ian buffer of native shrubs and trees along Peters Creek in Jefferson Hills.

Linda Fetchen, Gifted Support Teacher at Ringgold High School, prepared two teams of students to compete in the 2007 Washing-ton County Envirothon. One of these teams placed first and represented Washington County in the Pennsylvania Envirothon. Envirothon is a fun, academic event that challenges high school students to think critically about the natural world and their role in it.

The Washington and Allegheny County Conservation Districts conduct Envirothon competitions in April of each year. Student teams from high schools and other organizations are eligible to participate. To learn more about the Pennsylvania Envirothon visit www.envirothonpa.org .

Conservation EasementsWooded slopes, wetlands, natural floodplain, old fields and other types of green open space provide a wide range of benefits. The valuable service this open space provides in terms of protecting our drinking water supply, reducing flooding potential and providing recreational opportunities is often underappreciated until it is too late.

Municipalities can help to protect our streams by knowing where these valuable resources exist within their communities and by developing com-prehensive plans and ordinances that protect them.

South Park Twp is working to protect their streams by encouraging con-servation easements for properties within the floodplain. These easements are voluntary, restrict land use activity and can provide tax benefits for landowners. Keeping the floodplain in its natural state provides many ecological and economic benefits. Tree and shrub roots help to stabi-lize stream banks. Wetlands act as sponges, soaking up great quantities of floodwater. Overhanging trees shade the creek and help to moderate water temperatures during hot summer months. This helps Peters Creek and Piney Fork Run maintain their designated use as Trout Stocked Fisheries.

Riparian Buffer Planting DayPeters Creek - Jefferson Hills

2007 Washington County Envirothon Champs

Working to Keep the Peters Creek Watershed Clean

Cooperation between local organizations and municipalities is essential to the well being of our watershed. Two local groups have shown an ongoing commitment to keeping the banks of Peters Creek and Piney Fork Run free of il-legally dumped tires, litter and trash.

The Tri-Community Anglers and South Hills Friends of The Montour Trail sponsor two stream clean-ups annually in cooperation with South Park Twp and Jefferson Hills Borough. Thousands of pounds of garbage and hundreds of tires have been removed due to these groups efforts and the willingness of local officials to find funds to dispose of the garbage.

South Park Twp Supervisor Walt Sackinsky with South Hills Friends of the Montour Trail VolunteersTrash & Tires removed from the banks of Piney Fork Run

For More InformationNon-profits working for the Peters Creek watershed Peters Creek Watershed Association www.peterscreek.orgMontour Trail Council www.montourtrail.orgTri-Community Anglers tcaa.peterscreek.orgAllegheny Land Trust www.alleghenylandtrust.orgWestern Pennsylvania Conservancy www.paconserve.orgPennsylvania Biodiversity Partnership www.pabiodiversity.orgThree Rivers Wet Weather www.3riverswetweather.orgWater Resources Education Network wren.palwv.orgPennsylvania Resource Council www.prc.orgStudent Conservation Association www.thsca.orgWestern Pennsylvania Watershed Program www.wpawp.orgPA Cleanways www.pacleanways.orgWashington County Watershed Alliance 724-228-6774Pennsylvania Environmental Council www.pecwest.org

Tri-Community Angler’s “Fishing For Kids Day”

Agencies responsible for watershed health Allegheny County Conservation District accd.pghfree.net Allegheny County Health Department www.achd.netAllegheny County Parks Department www.alleghenycounty.us/parksWashington County Conservation District 724-228-6774PA Department of Environmental Protection www.depweb.state.pa.usPA Department of Conservation & Natural Resources www.dcnr.state.pa.usPA Fish and Boat Commission www.fish.state.pa.usPA Game Commission www.pgc.state.pa.usUS Environmental Protection Agency www.epa.govUS Army Corps of Engineers www.usace.army.milUS Geological Survey Water Resources water.usgs.gov

Student Conservation Association work crew removing Multiflora Rose, an invasive, from along Piney Fork Run

Water, the elixir of life. Nothing is more important to our existence than a dependable, unpolluted source of freshwater. Few things can be stated with such certainty. Yet, we have come to take it for granted.

Only you, and we collectively, can assure an abundant and healthful supply of water for our children and grandchildren. We are the difference.

We hope that you have enjoyed this User’s Manual; its short introduction to the problems threatening our waters and ongoing efforts to make sure that our watershed remains healthy. For more information on these subjects vis-it www.peterscreek.org . We welcome your feedback and encourage you to contact us with questions or comments.

Peters Creek Watershed Conserve Protect Enjoy

www.peterscreek.org

Peters Creek Watershed AssociationP.O. Box 18007Pittsburgh, PA 15236-0007peterscreekwsa@verizon.net

Peters Creek Watershed

A citizen’s guide for a healthy watershed

Users Manual