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Dark Shade Creek
Industrial Past – Bright Future
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The economic boom created by the
The Dark Shade Creek Watershed is extractive industry took a heavy toll on
located in Somerset County at the the natural environment of Dark Shade
headwaters of the Stonycreek River Creek. The area was left with
Basin. A trip through the Dark Shed abandoned mine lands and acidic mine
watershed presents a traveler with the drainage polluted waterways.
stunning beauty of remote forested
highlands and the historic remains of Acid Mine Drainage (AMD)
200 years of industrialization. AMD forms when minerals deep
below the earth’s surface are disturbed
The east section of the watershed by mining or some similar activity.
extends out to the end of the Allegheny The disturbance exposes rock to the air
Plateau, which is home to wooded state and water causing metals and sulfur
game lands and a meandering native held within the rock to leach out. The
trout stream, Beaverdam Run. AMD may flow out in tiny seeps or
Industrial Past flow out at the rate of thousands of
The central region of the watershed is gallons per minute. AMD is often
The region has hosted three extractive
home to the communities of Central highly acidic (similar to vinegar) and
industries over the past 200 years—iron
City and Cairnbrook. The village of contains metals such as iron, aluminum
ore, timber and coal. Iron ore was mined
Cairnbrook is a well preserved relic of and manganese. The highly acidic,
and forged at the Shade Iron Furnace. The
the region’s coal mining history. metallic water will no longer support
Shade Furnace opened in 1807 and was the
Cairnbrook is located south of SR 160 aquatic life.
first such furnace in Somerset County.
and is on the National Register of
Historical sites because it is a rare Studies initiated by the Stonycreek
The largest industry at the close of the 19th
example of a well-preserved Conemaugh River Improvement
century was timbering. Dark Shade
Appalachian mining community and Project (SCRIP) identified and
harbored large stands of eastern hemlock
industrial mining complex. analyzed all AMD discharges in the
and hardwoods, such as sugar maple,
beech, red oak and black cherry. These 466 square mile Stonycreek River
The northeast corner of the Dark Shade Basin. The largest and most damaging
towering virgin tree stands inspired the
watershed borders the site of the Shade AMD source identified is located in the
early settlers to call the region Dark Shade.
Iron Furnace built in 1807. Nearby are Dark Shade sub-basin. The discharge
The majority of Dark Shade’s ancient
the remains of an old grist mill and the is located behind the firehouse in
timber stands were cut by 1913.
sturdy stone foundations left from a Central City and flows out at 3,000
logging settlement not reclaimed by a gallons per minute, carrying acidic,
The wealthiest industry in the Dark Shade
hemlock forest. metals-laden water directly into Dark
watershed was coal extraction. Area
geology formed widespread outcroppings Shade Creek. If the Central City
The Dark Shade watershed also bears discharge along with other significant
of coal. The coal extractive industry began
witness to a grassroots efforts to clean discharges in the Dark Shade
on a large scale in 1912 with the opening of
up one of Appalachia’s worst watershed are treated, aquatic life will
the Loyalhanna Coal and Coke Company at
abandoned mine drainage (AMD) return to Dark Shade Creek, Shade
the village of Cairnbrook. In 1919 the
impacted waterways. Local Creek and a significant section of the
Reitz Coal Company opened several mines
participation through the watershed Stonycreek River.
in and around the town of Central City.
assessment and planning process, in
These mining communities prospered
addition to some of the newest and Bright Future
throughout the first half of the twentieth
most innovative AMD treatment
century. By 1957, however, the last major Today Dark Shade’s environment is on
technologies, are making Dark Shade a the road to recovery following a
coal company closed down.
cleanup model for the rest of century of unsustainable use. Scenic
Appalachia. forest stands now cover the ridge tops
of the Allegheny Mountains and
stream valleys, providing hunting and
Stonycreek-Conemaugh River Improvement Project (SCRIP) PO Box 164 Windber, Pennsylvania 15963
www.scrippa.org
hiking areas. Headwater streams are watershed is improved, the following water understanding of the effects of AMD
home to naturally reproducing brown use potentials will be possible: on Dark Shade Creek. SCWA, the
and brook trout. Though nature has Central City Brownfields Project and
been able to heal many of the scars left Fishing—The Dark Shade tributaries of the Somerset Conservation District
by industry, the constant flow of AMD Little Dark Shade Creek and Beaver Dam have put together the Dark Shade
into Dark Shade Creek still remains. Run support native and stocked trout. Due Watershed Restoration Plan. The
Local residents and organizations are to AMD pollutants, the main stem of Dark watershed plan provides a detailed plan
joining together to clean up abandoned Shade Creek supports very little aquatic for restoring and protecting the Dark
mine lands and acid mine drainage in life. Shade Creek that enters the Shade Creek watershed.
the Dark Shade watershed. Stonycreek River at Seanor can be as acidic
as vinegar and supports almost no aquatic There are over 20 AMD discharges in
SCRIP is now finishing a major life. Treating priority AMD discharges in the Dark Shade watershed. Treating
remediation project to clean up six the Dark Shade Creek watershed will create these discharges will require the best in
AMD discharges on Oven Run, which a continuous trout fishery from the AMD treatment technology and a very
enters the Stonycreek River seven headwaters of Dark Shade Creek through creative and collaborative cleanup
miles upstream of Shade Creek. Dark the scenic Stonycreek River Canyon. effort. Smaller AMD discharges may
Shade is the next target for SCRIP’s be treated using a series of wetlands
top down remediation effort on the White Water Rafting—Despite AMD containing compost and limestone.
Stonycreek River. Remediating AMD pollution, canoeists and kayakers float This form of treatment is called passive
in Dark Shade Creek will enable the down Dark Shade and Shade Creek during treatment. Some AMD discharges may
creation of a bass fishery on the periods of high flow. The last two miles of be permanently cleaned up by
Stonycreek River. Dark Shade are a very steep and dangerous removing coal refuse piles or remining
course with Class 4 and Class 5 rapids, old deep mines and removing the acid
Many unique partners have joined which in the region is considered second causing spoil at its source. SCWA is
SCRIP in their effort to cleanup Dark only to Paint Creek in difficulty. Shade finishing construction of an AMD
Shade. One such organization is AMD Creek is an 11 mile Class 3 run that treatment system at the headwaters of
& ART, who initiated local empties into the Stonycreek River just Dark Shade Creek along the tributary
involvement effort including the above the Class 3 and 4 rapids of the stream, Coal Run. The Coal Run
communities of Shade Township and Stonycreek River Canyon. The white water discharge is being treated with an
Central City Borough. With AMD & trek from Dark Shade Creek through the AMD passive treatment system.
ART assistance, communities of the Stonycreek River Canyon is the proposed
Dark Shade watershed were awarded site for a white water park. This park could Resource Recovery—A resource
an Environmental Protection Agency rival that of Ohiopyle, which receives 5 recovery AMD treatment system
(EPA) Brownfields Redevelopment million dollars a year in tourism. neutralized the AMD discharge and
Grant. This was the first time a removes metals such as aluminum and
watershed was designated as a Border Dam—Recreational opportunities iron from the water. The metals are
Brownfield. The EPA Brownfields and improved aquatic habitat are not the then processed and sold. Money from
Projects provides Central City and only incentives driving the cleanup of dark the sale of the metals can be used to
Shade Township with the opportunity Shade Creek. Border Dam, a low head pay for maintaining the AMD
to develop a plan to clean up old wooden dam built on the Stonycreek River treatment system.
abandoned mine lands and AMD in 1908 could potentially provide the
discharges in the Dark Shade Cambria and Somerset County regions with Resource metals recovery could have
watershed. The Department of the 25 million gallons of water daily. Due to potential for AMD discharges that
Interior Office of Surface Mining poor water quality (mostly from Dark have a high metal content. The Central
(OSM) is providing a project advisor to Shade Creek) the dam has not been used for City discharge expels over 450 pulds
assist the EPA with the Brownfields 50 years. Treating priority AMD of aluminum per day into Dark Shade
Project. The Dark Shade Brownfields discharges in Dark Shade Creek will enable Creek. This is the highest aluminum
project is a potential model for border Dam to once again supply industrial discharge in the Stonycreek River
revitalizing the communities and grade water to the region. watershed. A prototype is now being
environment of AMD impacted designed to recover aluminum from the
watersheds throughout Appalachia. Local Initiative—Residents of the Dark Central City discharge and treat the
Shade watershed living in communities of discharge water.
These committed partnerships eager to Shade Township and Central City have
clean up the Dark Shade watershed are formed the Shade Creek Watershed For more information on the SCWA or
fueled by a desire to improve the Association (SCWA). SCWA has begun a the Dark Shade Brownfields Project
health and natural habitat of the water monitoring program for the Shade please call (814) 754-5953.
region’s waterways and to unleash the Creek Basin. SCWA volunteers take water
economic benefits of clean streams and samples at strategic points throughout the
rivers. If water quality in Dark Shade watershed in order to gain a better
Stonycreek-Conemaugh River Improvement Project (SCRIP) PO Box 164 Windber, Pennsylvania 15963
www.scrippa.org