Tubmill Creek

Tubmill Creek is a large stream network that lies between Chestnut and Laurel Hill Ridges near Bolivar, Westmoreland County .  The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission designates it as exceptional value from its headwaters downstream to the Tubmill Reservoir.  This four-mile span of stream is also listed as a Class A Wild Rainbow Trout segment by the PA Fish and Boat Commission.  The majority of this span is contained on privately owned hunting grounds.  Below the Tubmill Reservoir, Tubmill Creek is listed as a high quality - trout stocked fishery.  Generations of fishermen have waded these waters, enjoying their sport, generating stories and fond memories to share, and teaching the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts. 

The Kiski-Conemaugh Stream Team is a program of the Conemaugh Valley Conservancy designed to educate and engage citizen stewards in maintaining, enhancing, and restoring the natural resources of the Kiski-Conemaugh River Basin .  This is accomplished through its Environmental Education and Water Monitoring Programs, which were needs identified in the Kiski-Conemaugh River Basin Conservation Plan.  The Stream Team coordinates a corps of approximately thirty volunteers, who monitor waterways in the Basin and collect water samples from abandoned mine discharges (AMD), AMD treatment systems, and streams impacted by AMD.  Data is used to design new treatment systems and evaluate the effectiveness of current systems.  Through its Environmental Education Program, the Stream Team educates students of all ages about a number of environmental issues, particularly of those related to AMD, through hands-on activities, field workshops, presentations, and special events. 

The Tubmill Creek Watershed is a beautiful, pristine watershed, widely utilized for recreation by private landowners and public, community groups, but if smart actions are not taken, its beauty could be gone in a moment.  Non-point source pollution threatens this Watershed.  The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy has targeted this the Tubmill Creek Watershed as one to protect and enhance and are developing an in-house action plan to do so.  The Conemaugh Valley Conservancy and the Department of Environmental Protection have set their sights on an abandoned mine discharge that is degrading the last two miles of Tubmill Creek for treatment.  Construction of a limestone doser will beginning within the next year and effectively treat this discharge boosting the water quality of Tubmill Creek and the Conemaugh River .

This Coldwater Conservation Plan will document the limestone doser's impact, identify and prioritize threats to the watershed, and suggest measures to enhance and protect Tubmill's waterways.  Macroinvertebrate, water chemistry, riparian zone, and visual data will be collected, as well as historical information, to create this Plan, which will be shared with community groups and municipalities.  It will become a reference tool for them and other organizations as we together work to maintain this valuable watershed.  

The Kiski-Conemaugh Stream Team will work with several partners to create a coldwater conservation plan for Tubmill Creek, including: Western PA Conservancy, who will share pertinent data they collected and provide technical assistance as needed; Natural Biodiversity, who will complete riparian assessments at sites throughout the watershed and inventory invasive plants in the Watershed; Forbes Trail Chapter of Trout Unlimited, who will provide volunteers, expertise, and their experiences in the Watershed;  Westmoreland County Conservation District, who will provide technical assistance as needed; and Tubmill Trout Club, who will provide volunteers and knowledge of the Watershed.

For More Information:

Melissa Reckner

Kiski-Conemaugh Stream Team

430 Main Street , 4th Floor

Johnstown , PA 15901

(814) 532-5049

mreckner@kcstreamteam.org

www.kcstreamteam.org