Support the Republican Newspaper! It’s only $9.95/year for the online edition!
Jul. 28, 2011
The Youghiogheny River Watershed Association (YRWA) and the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) – Abandoned Mine Lands Division will hold a public information meeting on the Casselman River Watershed Remediation Plan next Thursday, Aug. 4, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Grantsville Town Hall, 171 Hill Street. All interested persons are invited to attend.
The meeting will focus on the plan developed by the MDE Baltimore staff in conjunction with the Abandoned Mine Lands Division (formerly the Bureau of Mines). According to James “Smokey” Stanton, YRWA chairman, the plan provides a comprehensive watershed restoration strategy for the Casselman River Watershed with respect to non-point sources of acidity. The intent of the plan and associated projects is to establish a comprehensive approach to assessment and eventual pollution abatement and mitigation of existing water quality problems, Stanton said.
The MDE – Abandoned Mine Lands Division expects work to begin in the watershed this fall, as early as October. Representatives of the Abandoned Mine Lands Division will present the watershed restoration plan in a brief PowerPoint presentation. Representatives of MDE from the EPA 319 grant program in Baltimore will participate and be available to answer questions.
The Casselman River flows north from its headwaters near Savage River State Forest to the Pennsylvania state line, and lies within the Monongahela River Watershed, a part of the Ohio River drainage basin. The Casselman is a high quality mountain stream noted for its populations of brook trout, stonecats, and hellbenders in the less impaired parts. The tributaries of the Casselman Watershed have shown significant reductions in the native brook trout population as a result of acid mine drainage from abandoned mine discharges, as well as episodic atmospheric deposition.
The Casselman River Watershed Remediation Plan consists of several phases, including identifying sources and major discharges, generating a list of impaired stream segments, developing a database of segments, prioritizing impaired streams, and developing solutions to correct the impairments.
Buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland? Call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues!
