Lackawanna River Watershed Conservation Plan - Appendix B Lackawanna River Watershed Reclamation Programs

Environmental policy in Pennsylvania during the later 1990's and through the beginning of the Twentieth-first Century has experienced a sea change. The legislature and the administration of Governor Tom Ridge reorganized the former Department of Environmental Resources, PA DER into two new Departments, Environmental Protection (PA DEP) and Conservation & Natural Resources (PA DCNR). Programmatic, organizational and funding priorities changed drastically.

The Clinton administration developed the American Heritage Rivers Program in 1997-98. The LRCA participated with other watershed interests in nominating the Upper Susquehanna - Lackawanna River watershed as a unit in the Heritage Rivers Program. This designation covers a watershed region from Bloomsburg through Wilkes-Barre to Pittston on the North Branch Susquehanna and up the Lackawanna River through Scranton and Forest City to it headwaters. To date the designation has been largely thematic. It has involved a broad dialogue of watershed interests, particularly related to mine reclamation. There are several technical programs being developed for GIS resources. There is further potential for programs to develop related to the designation. LRCA and Lackawanna County continue to participate from time to time in meetings of the Heritage River Steering Committee.

In response to a recognition statewide of issues related to watersheds, water resources, economic and community development, abandoned mine lands and industrial sites, there has been an increasing frequency of watershed initiatives and partnerships forming to bring governmental, community and private resources together to comprehensively address these issues.

The work of non profit organizations across the Commonwealth such as the Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers (POWR), the Eastern Pennsylvania and Western Pennsylvania coalitions for abandoned mine reclamation (EPCAMR and WPCAMR), Trout Unlimited, and the growing number of watershed organizations has begun to reap success as watershed conservation and mine reclamation projects of all sizes and types are now being implemented.

Through a grant program known as Growing Greener, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is funding over 450-million-dollars into watershed and reclamation programs. The PA DEP is reorganizing itself to function more effectively at the local watershed level.

In 1990 as part of the Citizens Master Plan, the LRCA recommended the creation of a Lackawanna River Partnership composed of various governmental and private agency participants to act as a coordinating and implementing body to guide the restoration and appropriate stewardship of Lackawanna River resources.

This partnership gradually and informally coalesced and has acquired greater importance with the inception of the Watershed 2000 project by Lackawanna County. A steering committee known as the Lackawanna River Watershed Coordinating Group has been formed to advance the principles of the Lackawanna River Partnership concept. The committee, consisting of staff representing the member agencies have been meeting bimonthly to share information, coordinate watershed assessment and project ranking and to coordinate project development and implementation.

PA Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation

Since 1998 the partnership agencies have cooperated to integrate state and federal programs on a watershed basis. A major programmatic challenge has been gaining the acceptance by a strategic funding partner, US EPA-Region 3, that approximately 20-million-dollars of stream improvement and abandoned mine reclamation funds provided through PA DEP-BAMR, constitutes an effective match for the $20-million in mine drainage project funds being provided by EPA for the Watershed 2000 Program. Another $10-million in this grant program for CSO projects will be matched by local sewer authorities.

The goals of this mine reclamation plan are to integrate the work of public and private agencies in a watershed context. Assessment and project development work is continuous. Somewhat different assessment procedures and assessment criteria are being utilized by different agencies. The major goal is the progressive improvement of water and habitat quality in tributary streams and the river. This goal suggests an upstream to downstream approach.

Two watershed-wide assessments have been or are being completed and form part of the basis for project ranking, selection and development. Three other project-focused assessments have been completed or are underway.

The watershed-wide assessments are the LRCA’s River Reach and Tributary Stream Survey Report (Appendix C) being completed as part of this plan and a water quality and riparian habitat assessment being conducted by PA DEP, Bureau of Water Quality during 2001 in the Lackawanna watershed, as part of the statewide water quality assessment.

Project related assessments are in progress for PA DEP BAMR projects, Watershed 2000 and Corps of Engineers projects.

Some assessment criteria and variables which eventually affect the nature and scope of projects are:

Based on current understanding, review of historical assessments and plan recommendations and subjective application of criteria, LRCA and PA DEP BAMR have developed two priority project lists for subwatershed reclamation work. LRCA’s selections are weighted towards flow loss and overall habitat degradation, while BAMR’s list is weighted towards flow loss and water quality improvement by reduction in AMD generation. Despite these differences there are a majority of streams common to both rankings.

LRCA had identified culm dumps on and along the river and tributary streams as a major source of water quality and riparian habitat degradation. Culm dump issues were further assessed in the 1993 greenway plan and in subsequent discussions among state, federal and local partners during 1994. The channel failure at Grassy Island Creek and related washout of the Rose Pile during the flood of 1996 is an example of the detrimental impact the culm dumps have on this watershed. LRCA recommends culm bank removal or capping to control the negative impacts of these dumps. Removal is the preferred solution with subsequent, flood plain riparian and upland habitat restoration and conservation at most sites. Some sites are appropriate for economic redevelopment on upland portions of the site.

The following list summarizes LRCA recommendations and/or most probable likely future uses of culm dump sites in close proximity to water courses starting upriver. In all cases, the preferred future use of the flood plain and riparian corridor portion of these sites is for conservation and recreation purposes. Upland areas may have a conservation use or an economic development use. (See Maps 4 and 5)

Affected Stream	Rank	Site Name	Municipality	Preferred Future Use Upland Area	Project Status
River	13	Hillside Colliery (Yucca Flats)	Forest City	Industrial / Recreation	R/P/C
River	13	Hillside Colliery (Yucca Flats)	Forest City	Industrial / Recreation	R/P/C
River	18	Vandling Drift	Vandling	Recreation
River	17	Grey Slope	Clinton Twp	Recreation
River	2	Northwest Pile Fell Coal	Fell Twp	Recreation/Residential	R
Wilson Creek	21	Richmondale	Fell Twp	Conservation/Residential
Coalbrook	22	Coal Brook	Carbondale City	Conservation/Residential
Powderly Creek	3	Powderly	Carbondale Twp	Commercial / Conservation	P/R
River	5	Brojack Pile	Jessup	Conservation
Grassy Island & River	1	Rose Pile	Jessup	Conservation	C
Grassy Island & River	6	Pompey Site	Jessup	Multi use	D
Grassy Island & River	7	Sunnyside	Jessup	Multi use	R
Sterry Creek	9	Sterry Creek	Olyphant	Conservation	D
River	12	Olyphant Colliery	Dickson City	Commercial / Multi use	D
Eddy Creek & River	10	Eddy Creek	Olyphant / Throop	Recreation / Residential	P
River	8	Marvine	Scranton	Multiuse	R
Leggetts Creek	4	Marvine #6	Scranton	Recreation / Residential	C/R
Roaring Brook	14	Coons Pile	Dunmore	Residential
River	15	Baker	Scranton	Industrial
Keyser Creek & River	11	Moffat	Taylor	Multiuse	P
St. Johns Creek	20	Sibley	Old Forge	Recreation	R
River	16	Penna. #9	Old Forge	Recreation	P
River	19	Blue Goose	Moosic	Residential/Conservation
Mill Creek	24	Heidelberg	Avoca	Multi use
River	23	Popple / Babylon	Old Forge / Duryea	Multi use

Project status indicates an approximation of the status of activities related to all or parts of a particular site that LRCA or project partners are aware of or involved in. Reconnaissance means some level of interest has been indicated by partners, or others, in a project at the site. Planning status indicates that a publicly funded reclamation plan is being developed or a private reclamation plan or redevelopment plan is moving towards a design and permitting phase. Design indicates that all funding and approvals are being secured in preparation of a project in the next two years. Construction indicates that a project is beginning or is underway as of May 2001.

There are numerous sites where culm piles and associated coal waste piles provide significant environmental impacts which are on upland sites not immediately adjacent to water courses. These sites have not been included in this discussion because they have less of an immediate watershed impact. Some of these sites have advanced successional vegetation or are being redeveloped .

The most recent assessment for mine drainage in the Lackawanna is based on comparisons of sampling data collected by partner agencies during the past ten years with historic data from SCAR LIFT, DER and USGS reports.

The assessments indicate a general trend towards more alkaline mine drainage in the upper watershed and related ability for the rivers natural alkalinity to neutralize the effects of the remaining acidity in the outfalls in the upper watershed. The localized apparent impacts of these outfalls masks the fact that they still contribute undesirable quantities of metals to the river’s base load.

The larger AMD’s at Old Forge and Duryea have a catastrophic effect on water and environmental quality. Due to their size and location, it will require a significant effort to develop the appropriate technological and financial ability to correct the problems they generate. (See Map 3)

The following table lists Lackawanna watershed AMD outfalls by name and volume beginning downstream.

Outfall Name	Discharge Volume
Duryea	30
Old Forge	150
Lackawanna	10
Gravity Slope	30
Gravity Slope Stand Pipe	1
Waddell	1
Dana Tunnel	5
Jermyn	30
Molensky Slope	14
Wilson Creek 1	1
Wilson Creek 2	1
Number 10	1
Beaver	1
Grey Slope	5
Vandling Tunnel	5
Browndale Drift	2

There are only two AMD mitigation projects in the Lackawanna Basin. A set of revolving limestone water wheels have been installed in two concrete basins to neutralize AMD flows into Aylesworth Creek Lake to help maintain a recreational fishery. The operation of these liming wheels by the local recreation board at the Corps of Engineers-owned dam has been problematic. The costs of limestone, maintenance and vandalism repair have often prevented operation. The costs have been met through a special legislative earmark through the assistance of a local legislator. This system has been operational intermittently since the early 1980's.

The PA Department of Transportation, designed and installed a passive AMD wetland system near Aylesworth along the Robert P. Casey Highway in 1997. This system has proven highly effective in neutralizing acidity and sequestering metals.

The following project/agency summary includes all work presently underway or in development in the context of the Lackawanna Watershed 2000 Program. Some of this work is programmatically linked to the US EPA-funded program being administered by Lackawanna County. Other work is thematically linked by advancing the reclamation and/or reuse of abandoned mine lands in this watershed.

Lucky Run: a stream bed sealing and restoration at McDade Park has a goal to seal 800' of stream bed to prevent infiltration of Lucky Run into mine pool at McDade Coal Mine Tour site and to demonstrate the efficacy of naturally analogous stream restoration techniques. Status, nearing completion Spring 2001.

Eynon - Jermyn: Surface reclamation grading and drainage enhancement on 200-plus acres as part of a recreation site development in partnership with PA DCNR and the Borough of Archbald. Status, completing final design.

Mayfield East: A 100-acre surface reclamation and drainage enhancement adjacent to the PA 107 extension. Status, in design and property owner negotiation.

Eddy Creek, Phase I: A 300-plus watershed and stream corridor restoration along 2.5 miles of Eddy Creek in Olyphant and Throop. This project will completely reconstruct 2.5 miles of degraded or nonexistent stream channel and riparian corridor. Status, property owner easements being secured, final design, construction bids by December 2001.

Grassy Island, Phase I: a 400-plus/minus acre surface reclamation culm bank removal, drainage and riparian corridor enhancement along one mile of Grassy Island Creek in Jessup from confluence to Robert P. Casey Highway. Status, in design.

Greenwood Creek: A potential 75-plus/minus acre project to reconstruct three-quarters of a mile of Greenwood Creek corridor from confluence with river to shopping center in Moosic. Status, reconnaissance, preliminary design and discussion with property owner.

Tinklepaugh Creek: Completion of stream flow restoration utilizing precast culverts and rip rap channel. A previous phase of work completed by the Department of General Services constructed three miles of concrete “U” channel on Tinklepaugh and Wild Cat creeks. Benefit, restoration of flow and diversion of 15 to 20 mgd of flow from Gravity Slope AMD. Status, designs complete, difficult property owner negotiations.

Sterry Creek, Phase 2: Previously, the BAMR and Bureau of Stream Improvements had installed concrete “U” channels and rebuilt portions of Sterry Creek using grouted rip rap, gabions, artificial channel liner (EPDM sheets) in a hybrid structural / natural analogous channel restoration. Phase 2 will proceed upstream of Phase I from the Robert P. Casey Highway to seal, grout and restore another 1000' of loosing reach, regrade and re-vegetate silt and culm banks to reduce erosion of these materials into the stream. Status: after nine years, landowner approval has been received, project in design and permitting.

Through the cooperative agreement/grant contract between Lackawanna County and the US EPA, the current work plan for Watershed 2000 is authorized as Amendment Number 4.

The work plan includes a four phase, multi year program targeted towards overall improvements in river water quality in the mid and upper watershed. Phase I, a watershed assessment has been truncated at the request of EPA to the work completed under scope amendments prior to 1999.

Phase 2, project characterization and watershed planning is presently underway. The monitoring programs, quality assurance, quality control plan has been approved. A comprehensive one-year monitoring program is collecting water quality data in dry weather and wet weather in the river and tributary streams. The greater and lesser AMD’s are being sampled and flows are being measured. A biomonitoring program is establishing base line information on macro invertebrate populations at five stations along the river.

A subset of projects related to CSO is being developed with the Lackawanna River Basin Sewer Authority. In the AMD program, several initial AMD demonstration projects have been developed base on field reconnaissance, research of SCAR LIFT and previous assessments and as recommendations from partnership group meetings and input from other local, state and federal agencies.

Leggetts Creek Restoration: The restoration of 3000-linear-feet of stream corridor will remove culm, silt, ash and mine rock, regrade fifty-four acres for recreation, conservation and future residential use. This project is planned as a follow on to an LRCA project (see Growing Greener section).

Aylesworth Creek Restoration: This project will regrade culm and mine waste, and vegetate to reduce erosion of these materials. The project will also install successive alkalinity producing systems (SAPS) to reduce AMD from multiple points.

Powderly Creek Restoration: This will restore 7000' of stream corridor and regrade 50-plus acres of coal waste and silt. Watershed 2000 will conduct a portion of this work, other agencies will also be working on related projects on Powderly Creek. (See Corps of Engineers and private development)

Dana Tunnel Treatment: This project will involve a public-private partnership with PG Energy, a gas utility and electric generator. The high aluminum Dana Tunnel discharges adjacent to the PG Energy Archbald electric generator and flows one-half mile to the Lackawanna. A feasibility study will determine whether a treatment plant or and industrial use of the discharge is possible or if a passive wetland is appropriate. At the conclusion of the feasibility study, the recommended treatment system will be designed and installed.

Lackawanna Outfall Treatment: A feasibility project is proposed to determine the appropriate technologies and costs to treat this AMD outfall in Blakely.

Outfall Remediation Plans: Watershed 2000 proposes to develop remediation plans for several other AMD’s depending on an assessment of data, cost feasibility of appropriate technology and overall water quality benefit. This assessment should be complete by 2003.

Tributary Watershed Analysis and Prioritization: Watershed 2000 will utilize the “Model Plan for Watershed Restoration” as developed by a joint state/federal task force and used for the Swatara Creek Rehabilitation Plan for application to rank and prioritize work in the subwatersheds identified by LRCA and BAMR and additional watersheds surveyed in this report which are in need of restoration work.

This process will take the watershed-wide process being applied by LRCA in this reclamation plan and related river conservation plan and focus a greater level of detail at the mine affected subwatersheds.

This process will become a basis for prioritizing future actions and projects subsequent to the initial Watershed 2000 expenditures and the related BAMR projects. With the Lackawanna Partnership and coordinating group continuing to act as a steering committee, this methodology may be effective in meeting many of the remaining reclamation priorities.

The Corps of Engineers had established an interest in mine reclamation and environmental restoration in the Lackawanna Basin with the Lackawanna River Greenway Reconnaissance Study in 1993. The Corps has become involved in mine reclamation work throughout the Appalachian region. Presently, the Planning Division of the Baltimore District is involved in Section 206, Restoration Planning work for two projects in the Lackawanna Basin. These projects are integrated with the BAMR / Watershed 2000 program of work. Construction is estimated for 2003 -04.

Fall Brook and Murin Run Project: Fall Brook and its tributary Murin Run loose base flow to the underground mine pool in the City of Carbondale. The creeks were relocated to facilitate the fifteen-year long Carbondale mine fire project in the 1960's to mid-70's. The creeks are in artificial channels of rock rip rap. Both creeks loose their entire base flow. The Corps project will excavate both water courses, install channel liner material and replace the stream substrate and structure with a naturally analogous system.

Powderly Creek: A 3-mile reach of Powderly Creek in Carbondale is severely affected by culm, coal waste and silts. The Corps project will be integrated with BAMR and Watershed 2000 project work to remove coal waste, culm and silt from the water course, flood plain and riparian corridor. These materials will be removed from the site if marketable or banked in upland parts of the project site covered with soils, bermed, swaled and vegetated. The water course will be assessed for flow loss reaches, grouted and naturally analogous channel and riparian features will be installed.

Old Forge Bore Hole: There is a separate reconnaissance interest by the Corps at the Old Forge Bore Hole and related discharges at Duryea Outfall on the Lackawanna and Butler Mine Tunnel in Pittston on the North Branch Susquehanna one and one-half mile below the Lackawanna confluence. Watershed 2000 will be sampling Old Forge and Duryea as well as establishing a discharge record. It is anticipated this new information may provide a basis for a larger federal-state-local initiative to develop a treatment and mitigation system for these large AMD flows. A variety of opportunities are present at these sites for a wetlands, SAP passive system and/or a conventional treatment plant system or some combined system. Whatever system meets feasibility requirements, it will be a significant program since this is one of the largest AMD sources in the Appalachian region. The confluence of the Lackawanna and Susquehanna rivers has been called the largest visible point source of pollution in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is funding a number of mine reclamation-watershed restoration grant projects in the Lackawanna Basin. The projects being implemented by local grant recipients are:

Pennsylvania Number Nine Colliery, Old Forge: A 20-acre site with mine structure, culm and coal waste along the Lackawanna River in Old Forge is being reclaimed by the Old Forge Youth Soccer League and Old Forge Borough. The site will be regraded and vegetated for use as a soccer field and riparian access site.

Valley View Business Park, Jessup: The Scranton-Lackawanna Industrial Building Company, an industrial site development affiliate of the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce and the Borough of Jessup are cooperating on implementation of a $1-million Growing Greener grant to regrade abandoned strip mine pits, remove municipal waste dumped in several pits, regrade rock waste piles, culm and silt banks and install surface drainage improvement on portions of the 400-plus-acre site. This work in the upland areas of Grassy Island Creek watershed will help prepare the site for adaptive reuse as a business park.

Additional work will be needed on other portions of the site to address the Sunnyside culm dump and other culm and waste deposits from the Sunnyside and Dolph collieries, which once operated along the Grassy Island watershed.

The LRCA encourages projects such as the Valley View Business Park and suggests closer coordination with SLIBCO on this and future projects in the subwatersheds affected by the development of Valley View Business Park: Grassy Island Creek, Winton Run, Laurel Run and White Oak Creek.

The Vandling Washout: The Rail Trail Council of Northeast Pennsylvania owns the Delaware and Hudson Railroad from Carbondale to Lanesboro, Pennsylvania. Sixteen miles of this 40-mile rail corridor follow the upper Lackawanna River. The Council has developed a construction and management program for the trail, which includes drainage improvements and environmental restoration. Significant sections of the rail corridors grade and embankment material are coal waste. At one site in Vandling there is a serious washout. The RTC has worked with Lackawanna County Conservation District and NRCS to design a bank stabilization project. The project will be installed with a Growing Greener grant.

Leggetts Creek Greenway: Three-thousand feet of Leggetts Creek is affected by coal waste, ash, culm and structural debris related to the Hudson Coal, Marvine Number Six Colliery. LRCA and its land trust affiliate, Lackawanna Valley Conservancy are funded through Growing Greener to regrade and re-vegetate culm and rock wastes on the site. The upland portions of the site will subsequently be prepared for a seventy-lot residential development to infill with adjacent historic neighborhoods.

The riparian corridor along Leggetts Creek will be regraded to remove culm and debris. A grade will be established for a pedestrian - bicycle pathway and the adjacent areas will be hydro-seeded. Additional grants are pending for riparian tree and shrub plantings.

Watershed 2000 is proposing work along the adjoining south bank of Leggetts Creek as well as at several in-stream and stream bank sites where mine waste and mine structures need to be removed.

Marvine Colliery: Lackawanna County is managing a master site reclamation and reuse plan for the Marvine Colliery area, a 400-plus acre area between the Lackawanna River, Interstate 81, Marywood University and the Greenridge residential neighborhood. Carter Creek, a small highly degraded subwatershed and the I-81 drainage system, a newly engineered significant artificial subwatershed are included in this planning area. This plan will function as a reconnaissance study with some preliminary feasibility analysis. The project involves several private property owners as well as county and state owned properties.

Yucca Flats: The Trail Conservation Corporation, an affiliate of the Rail Trail Council is developing a master site reclamation and reuse plan for the 200-plus/minus Yucca Flats (Hillside Colliery) site in Forest City. This project will serve as a preliminary feasibility study and preliminary design plan.

Private enterprise has often been the agency of the reuse of AML’s in the Lackawanna Basin. The benefits are that some reclamation goals are met without the use of public funds. In the past, the less desirable outcomes have ranged from poorly engineered and graded sites to encroachment of mine rock and other wastes into flood plains and water courses of already adversely impacted tributary streams.

The requirements to comply with local ordinances, erosion and sediment control, and storm water management have brought some opportunities to influence the engineering outcomes on private sites. Smaller private developers still cause negative water and habitat quality impacts. Larger private developers will more often have competently engineered plans and work in an environmentally acceptable manner.

There are several private AML sites with some form of reclamation activity underway or planned.

Powderly Culm Bank Removal: Northampton Fuels, an electric cogeneration plant operator is mobilizing to remove and regrade several culm banks at the Powderly Colliery in Carbondale Township adjacent to the Meredith Street Exit of the Casey Highway. There will subsequently be a reuse opportunity for the landowner F&L Realty. This project will compliment publicly funded work in the watershed.

Marvine Bank Removal: F&L Realty and related interests is a significant owner of coal properties including several-thousand acres of Carrier Coal and eleven-thousand acres of Raymond Colliery. Subcontractors working for F&L are presently removing one of the Marvine banks along the river in Scranton. F&L is a partner with Lackawanna County on the Growing Greener reclamation - reuse plan for the Marvine Colliery.

Olyphant Colliery Development: F&L Realty has begun a commercial development of a portion of its Olyphant Colliery site in Dickson City. A supermarket complex is in proposal stage with the municipal planning agencies. Significant other portions of this several-hundred acre site have access problems, which may preclude their immediate reuse.

Greater Forest City Industries: GFCI is developing a small 100-plus/minus acre business park on a portion of Yucca Flats, the Hillside Coal and Iron Colliery site in Forest City.

Breaker Creek: A private residential development is regrading upland portions of the Johnson Number Two culm bank site in Dickson City. Despite its name, there is no creek near the site.

Red Hills of Archbald: A residential subdivision has been redeveloping the Ontario Colliery culm bank in Archbald.

PG Energy Co-gen Park: An electric co-generating plant now owned by PG Energy, a gas utility, has helped reclaim the site of the Gravity Slope Colliery in Archbald. PG Energy may become a partner with Watershed 2000 to treat the Dana Tunnel AMD which originates on this property.

Scranton Craftsman Subdivision: A residential development on 150-acres in Throop is facilitating the work of BAMR on the Eddy Creek restoration project. The private developer is removing, regrading and vegetating upland areas for use as residential lots. The developer has worked pro-actively with BAMR to grant easements for stream restoration and has helped convince upstream and downstream property owners to cooperate with the program as well.

Municipalities have not directly conducted reclamation work. They have often helped to facilitate the work of BAMR. Presently, the Borough of Archbald, PA DCNR - Bureau of State Parks, and PA DEP - BAMR are cooperating on a 200-plus acre recreation site reuse of an AML adjacent to Archbald Glacial Pothole State Park. The Borough of Dickson City proposes an 8.9-million-dollar recreation complex on a 170 acres previously reclaimed site maintained by BAMR as vacant open space.

The Borough of Throop proposes a new municipal garage and DPW yard be co-located with a recreation complex and a senior citizens housing complex on the 200-acre Eddy Creek Colliery culm bank site.

Road and bridge projects, sewer and water pipeline projects, Bureau of Stream Improvement projects and economic development projects often have an ability to address AML and AMD issues in the design and installation of infrastructures. Regrading and capping coal wastes, re-vegetation of installation areas, use of appropriate engineering techniques can have positive impacts on AMD/AML. The design and construction of the Robert P. Casey Highway (US Route 6) between Dunmore and Carbondale by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has provided a series of positive impacts. The highway’s storm water drainage system address a myriad of AML site drainage problems. A passive wetland and AMD system was installed. Culm banks in or adjacent to the highway construction were often vegetated with hydro-seeding or in some cases regraded completely.

Road drainage installations present a few challenges for mine reclamation at several sites in the valley. The Casey Highway and some of its access roads have presented some drainage restrictions to the Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation. Closer facilitation among agencies is needed to resolve these issues.

The PA DEP-Bureau of Stream Improvements which had previously installed highly engineered and expensive concrete culverts and “U” channels is now proposing projects on Springbrook and Racebrook Creek, a tributary of St. Johns Creek using naturally analogous systems.

LRCA Priority List	PA DEP BAMR Priority List
Grassy Island Creek, Jessup	Grassy Island Creek
Eddy Creek, Olyphant / Throop	Eddy Creek, Olyphant
Powderly Creek, Carbondale	Powderly Creek
Sterry Creek, Jessup	Keyser Creek
Keyser Creek, Scranton / Taylor	St. Johns Creek
St. Johns Creek, Old Forge	Spring Brook, Moosic
Greenwood Run, Moosic	Roaring Brook, Scranton
Coal Brook, Carbondale	Laurel Run, Archbald
Wilson Creek, Fell Township	White Oak Run, Archbald

Section B.4 Lackawanna River Watershed Reclamation Programs