MORRIS RUN – A new $2.7 million water treatment facility on Fall Brook has been completed and is up and running near here.

The opening of the new facility, which treats about 2 miles of a tributary that is polluted with acid mine damage from abandoned coal mines in the area, was celebrated with a ribbon cutting ceremony in May and an open house for the public is set for today, weather permitting.

Representatives from a coalition of state agencies, non-profit organizations and Southwestern Energy Co. gathered May 21 to celebrate the completion of construction and successful start-up of the facility.

The facility was totally paid for by Southwestern, the third largest producer of natural gas in the United States, which also oversaw the construction of the two “passive treatment” systems in the vicinity of Welch Mountain and River roads in Ward Township with funds from its ECH2O initiative, Energy Conserving Water.

Additional funds were contributed to establish a trust dedicated to funding ongoing maintenance and operations, which will be needed about every three years.

According to Christina Fowler, communications adviser for Southwestern Energy, the company worked with all the partners in the project to ensure it was done as economically as possible including not only the construction but also the cost for on-going maintenance.

“What is most important about the project, and our preferred focus, is the long-term value to the community in recreational value and the value of having clean water,” she said.

Southwest Energy first became aware of the project in the fourth quarter of 2013, Fowler continued.

“From that point, we worked with numerous agencies and partners throughout 2014 and into early 2015 to develop the idea, complete the design and gain final approval,” she said.

The official groundbreaking happened in June 2015 and construction was completed before the end of that year.

“Our official dedication of the project was in May of 2016,” she said.

The Fall Brook tributary is listed by the state Department of Environmental Protection as a regional watershed priority because of the severe impacts from acid mine drainage and its location in the Susquehanna River Basin, which serves as a major water source for the Chesapeake Bay.

From Fall Brook to the Tioga/Hammond Dam Complex, the waterway is acidic with excessive concentrations of iron, manganese and aluminum, with little to no aquatic life.

Studies will be conducted in the future to determine the return of macroinvertebrate populations to the Fall Brook tributary, which are necessary to support and sustain aquatic life.

Charlie and Joyce Andrews, of the Tioga County Concerned Citizens Committee, said the Fallbrook facility is only the first of such treatment plants the organization hopes to see established to eventually totally clean up the Tioga River.

“Fall Brook is the first of four major tributaries contributing to acid mine drainage pollution in the Tioga River that has left approximately 13 miles of the river void of aquatic life. Because of this facility, 2 miles of Fall Brook and 3 miles of the Tioga River will be restored to a condition that will support stocked trout populations. It will also reduce pollution loads in the main stem of the river all the way to the Tioga/Hammond Dam complex and will lay the groundwork for future reclamation projects,” said Charlie Andrews, president of TCCCC.

“We are hoping to establish three more with assistance from state grants and, hopefully, more corporate funding,” Joyce Andrews said.

The three future endeavors would include Morris Run Creek, Coal Creek and Bear Creek tributaries, all polluted with AMD. All three also empty into the Tioga River.

The organization has received a $230,000 state Community Development Block Grant to start the next endeavor, cleanup of the Morris Run tributary, and also may seek help from the larger PennVEST funding stream.

The Fall Brook facility consists of three limestone beds, where water from the mine discharge is piped. Once it is filtered, it is flushed one at a time into a polishing pond, where more sedimentation and harmful materials are flushed out, and then the largely cleaned water is released back into the Fall Brook tributary, Charlie Andrews explained.

“The limestone will need to be replenished as it dissolves over time and the ponds flushed out to keep the system operating at peak performance,” he said.

The main Fall Brook system treats on average 1,000 gallons of water per minute, sending 333 gallons to each limestone treatment bed. It is controlled by a computer program to automatically pipe water to the flushing pond once a week at three-day intervals, so the pond is not overwhelmed with water, Andrews added.

A second, smaller system across the road from the main system handles three smaller discharges that handle 200 gallons per minute average flow, Joyce Andrews added.

When the two settling ponds begin to fill up with solids, they will be drained, the accumulated solids will be removed, dehydrated and disposed of in a landfill.

According to Fowler, following construction of the treatment system for Fall Brook, “we have continued to maintain our strong relationship with TCCCC to help them pursue funding for on-going projects on the Tioga River.”

“We created a fundraising brochure for them that highlights the additional Save the River projects and created a video they will use to help with the on-going work as well,” she added.

The Fall Brook project has created awareness among other businesses in the region that now are considering helping fund other segments.

“We have not committed to directly fund additional projects at this time, although we will continue our commitment to maintain our ECH2O objective through conservation and strong water stewardship,” she said.

The ECH2O initiative is Southwestern’s industry-leading program designed as a holistic approach to water management with four key areas of focus – protection of water, innovation, reduction in water use and conservation.

Southwestern has set a goal to become fresh water neutral in their operations by the end of 2016.

For more information about the Fall Brook Acid Mine Drainage treatment and restoration project, contact Charlie Andrews at charlie@tcccc-inc.org.

Hedin Environmental, of Pittsburgh, was contracted for the engineering and design of the facility, and Blossburg Municipal Authority has been contracted to oversee maintenance of the site.

In April, Southwestern Energy was presented with the Northeast Pennsylvania Manufacturers and Employers Association Employers Excellence Award for energy and environmental improvements for the company’s financial and technical support of the Fall Brook AMD Treatment Plant and Restoration project.