Montour Run Watershed Assessment & Implementation Plan

study that examined the possibility of Montour Run for
fish stocking (Smith and Lorson 2000). Urea, propylene
glycol, and ethylene glycol were used as de-icing
chemicals, producing toxic chemicals and excessive
bacteria growth that decreased habitat quality.
Habitat improvements observed in a follow-up study in
2002 led to the beginning of fish stocking in 2003 (Lorson
and Smith 2002). The follow-up study also documented
the change to more environmentally friendly de-icing
chemicals used by the Pittsburgh International Airport
beginning in 1997.
A River Conservation and Land-use Plan for the Montour
Run Watershed was written in 1999 in response to
dramatic changes in land development within the
watershed when it became clear that water quality and
biological resources were being degraded.
The Montour Run River Conservation and Land Use
Plan detailed cultural, historical, and natural resources,
impairments within the watershed and provided
management recommendations (1999, KCI Technologies,
Inc). While some recommmendations from this plan have
been implemented, others remain unchanged and just as
relevent today when the plan was written.
In 2003, BIOMOST, INC., in conjunction with the
Montour Run Watershed Association, published the
Abandoned Mine Drainage Cleanup Plan, an assessment
of abandoned mine discharge sites that affected stream
water quality. This plan identified thirteen abandoned
mine drainage sites in the watershed and evaluated
twelve of those sites for potential treatment options.
These early assessments provided the groundwork for
this Watershed Assessment and Implementation Plan. This
assessment seeks to improve water quality by examining
the watershed as a whole, identifying pollutant sources
across the landscape, and defining mitigation strategies
to address these contaminants.
Impaired and Un-impaired Stream Reaches in the
Montour Run Watershed
The DEP developed TMDL’s for stream sections that were
identified in the 1996 Pennsylvania Section 303(d) listing
of impaired waters (PA DEP 2004). In all, the PA DEP
classified 48 stream miles in the Montour Run Watershed
as “non-attaining” and 16 mile as “attaining” and the
remaining small streams are unclassified (Figure 1.3.1).
The impairments identified by the PA DEP and their
current TMDL status are discussed below (Table 1.3.1),
with text outlining current status of these impairments
and efforts to remediate them. It is noteworthy that the
TMDL document only establishes limits for abandoned
mine related problems such as acidity and metals, while
stating that the other impairments should be studied
more in-depth and evaluated for TMDL at a later date.
Table 1.3.1-Causes of Impairments for Reporting Year 2004. From the (“Waterbody Quality Assessment Report |
Water Quality Assessment and TMDL Information | US EPA” n.d.)
Cause of Impairment Cause of Impairment Group State TMDL Development Status
Ammonia, un-ionized
Ammonia
TMDL needed
Metals (other than Mercury)
Metals (other than Mercury)
TMDL completed
Nonpriority Organics
Toxic Organics
TMDL needed
Nutrients
Organic Enrichment/Low
Dissolved Oxygen
Siltation
Nutrients
Organic Enrichment/Low
Dissolved Oxygen
Sediment
TMDL needed
TMDL needed
TMDL needed
pH
pH/Acidity/Caustic Conditions
TMDL completed
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