Restoration & Protection
Our Watershed Conservation Program works to restore, protect, and enhance surface and groundwater resources throughout Venango County. We assist landowners, farmers, businesses, and other stakeholders with solving our county's critical resource concerns. We do this by providing technical assistance which can involve project planning, grant funding procurement, and permit application assistance.
Combating nonpoint source pollution is a collaborative fight, as partnerships with landowners, community organizations, government agencies, farms, businesses, and others are crucial to ensuring that clean water remains for wildlife, recreation, and consumption for generations to come.
Below lists types of source water protection projects that our district has been involved in.
Combating nonpoint source pollution is a collaborative fight, as partnerships with landowners, community organizations, government agencies, farms, businesses, and others are crucial to ensuring that clean water remains for wildlife, recreation, and consumption for generations to come.
Below lists types of source water protection projects that our district has been involved in.
Acid Mine Drainage Treatment
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Abandoned & Orphan Well Plugging |
Riparian Buffers
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Streambank Stabilization & Fish Habitat Enhancement
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AMD is formed when water travels through abandoned coal mines and reacts with exposed minerals, thus altering the water's pH and introducing metals into surface waters. Contaminated water pollutes drinking water sources, corrodes bridges and other infrastructure, and is toxis to fish, amphibians and other organisms. Today, there are over 5,500 miles of streams in the Commonwealth that are impaired due to AMD. Remediation can be achieved through passive or active treatment. We work with landowners, consultants, and engineers to design treatment systems for AMD discharges.
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Since Edwin Drake first struck oil near Titusville in 1859, it is estimated that hundreds of thousands of oil and gas wells have been drilled in Pennsylvania. Orphan wells are defined as "a well abandoned prior to April 18, 1985 that has not been affected or operated by the present owner or operator and from which the present owner, operator or lessee has received no economic benefit other than as a landowner or recipient of a royalty interest from the well.” Abandoned wells are wells that have been out of production for one year or more.
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A riparian forest buffer is an area adjacent to a stream, lake, or wetland that contains a combination of trees, shrubs, and/or other perennial plants. They can deliver a number benefits including filtering nutrients, stabilizing eroding banks, filtering sediment from runoff, providing shade and food for aquatic wildlife, providing wildlife habitat and corridors for terrestrial organisms, and reducing flood damage. Often times, we introduce riparian buffers in cooperation with other streamside projects, or landowners request our assistance with completing an individual buffer project on their property.
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Streambank erosion occurs when the hydraulic forces of the water in the stream are stronger than the bank's ability to withstand it. An increase in stormwater runoff can escalate the water's velocity, and the loss of streamside forests can weaken the bank's ability to remain in place. Erosion can cause an increase of sediment into waterways, loss of fish habitat, and stream migration. Our district assists landowners in identifying these problem areas and seeks funding opportunities to design and construct streambank stabilization devices.
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Completed Watershed Conservation Projects
Use this interactive map to explore our projects completed by or in partnership with our Watershed Conservation Program over the last decade. Click on a pin to learn more about a specific project.
Use this interactive map to explore our projects completed by or in partnership with our Watershed Conservation Program over the last decade. Click on a pin to learn more about a specific project.
Grant Programs
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Cost-share programs focused on watershed management not only can protect property and infrastructure, but they also ensure that clean water is available to all through the implementation of Best Management Practices (BMPs). Our Watershed Specialist assists landowners of Venango County by applying for federal, state, or local grants to solve critical water quality problems. The links to the right lists some of the grant programs that we have been involved with.
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Current Projects & Bid Opportunities
We often request proposals from qualified contractors to submit bids to our office for watershed conservation projects. When bids are sought, we publish the request on our website (below), Facebook page, our email list, and occasionally the newspaper (if it is a formal bidding process). We then hold a pre-bid meeting at the project site about a month before the bids are due.
If you have any questions about bid opportunities or would like to be added to our email list, please contact Bailey Kozalla, watershed specialist, by calling 814-676-2832 ext. 2 or emailing [email protected]
If you have any questions about bid opportunities or would like to be added to our email list, please contact Bailey Kozalla, watershed specialist, by calling 814-676-2832 ext. 2 or emailing [email protected]
NO BID OPPORTUNITIES ARE AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME
