Posts by popemaster
Watchdog Says PA DEP Is Falling Behind on Reporting Mine Damage to Streams
The Citizens Coal Council, a nonprofit based in Washington County, says Pennsylvania’s most important accounting of underground coal mining damage has taken a serious step backward. The group released an independent review of DEP’s latest Act 54 report, which covers mining impacts from 2018 to 2022, and concluded that it lacks meaningful analysis and contains…
Read MoreWait, You Need a License to Collect Stream Bugs in Pennsylvania?
File this one under things that surprised us. If you want to scoop a net through a Pennsylvania stream and count the mayfly larvae to check on the health of the water, the Commonwealth says you first need a fishing license and a scientific collector’s permit. Yes, really. Macroinvertebrates, the stream bugs, the caddisflies, stoneflies,…
Read MoreData Centers Are Coming to Pennsylvania. What Does That Mean for Our Water?
Data centers are the buildings behind the cloud, streaming, and the current wave of artificial intelligence. They are also some of the thirstiest facilities being built today, and Pennsylvania’s rivers and aquifers are squarely in their sights. Here is what that means for our water, and a free way to learn more this fall. You…
Read MoreOhio River Basin Alliance Summit Set for October: Proposals Due August 10
The Ohio River Basin Alliance’s 2026 Summit takes place October 14 to 16 at the Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio, bringing together watershed groups, agencies, and researchers from across the basin. Groups that want to present a project or facilitate a discussion have until August 10, 2026 to submit a session proposal, with acceptances…
Read MoreReporting: West Virginia’s Flood Prevention Plans Have Sat Unfunded for Two Decades
Mountain State Spotlight reports that July’s deadly flooding hit communities that state flood plans have flagged since 2004, while the Flood Resiliency Office created after the devastating 2016 floods has received minimal funding. A $50 million proposal from the state’s Rainy Day Fund was rejected in 2025, and this year’s legislative session allocated just $5…
Read MoreWest Virginia Still Waiting on Federal Disaster Declaration After Deadly July Flooding
More than a week after the July 21 flash floods that killed two people and destroyed at least 33 homes in Lewis and Upshur counties, no federal major disaster declaration had been approved. Storms dropped 6 to 7 inches of rain in roughly 30 minutes, triggering flash flooding across north central West Virginia. West Virginia’s…
Read MoreComments Due August 10 on Wastewater Permit for Huge New Homer City Gas Plant
Homer City Redevelopment is seeking an NPDES permit to discharge 6.84 million gallons per day of wastewater from a new 4.4 gigawatt gas-fired power plant, built to serve a data center campus, into Blacklick Creek in Indiana County. That is 2.5 million gallons per day more than the old coal plant’s permit allowed. Mountain Watershed…
Read MoreFoundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds Opens Fall Grant Cycle, Including $475,000 for Raccoon Creek
The Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds is accepting applications for its fall 2026 Conservation Grants, which average $20,000 and fund on-the-ground restoration and water quality improvement projects by nonprofit organizations and conservation districts. Typically 15 to 30 grants are awarded per cycle, and applicants need to show match funding. Of special note for our region, the…
Read MoreH2Ohio Rivers Program Puts $87,000 Into Volunteer River Cleanups
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources announced $87,000 in H2Ohio Rivers Program grants on July 30 to twelve canoe liveries and river groups across the state, up to $10,000 each. The funding covers cleanup supplies, special waste disposal events, and promotion of river stewardship efforts. Cleanups supported by the program have pulled roughly 20,000 pounds…
Read MoreNew Resource: A State-by-State Guide to the Contaminants Slipping Through Our Water Rules
The Water Center at Penn has released a new state-by-state report and interactive StoryMap on contaminants of emerging concern in U.S. drinking water.
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