The George's Creek Watershed is located in Allegany and Garrett Counties, Maryland. Headwaters for George's Creek begin in Frostburg, Maryland and George's Creek ends as it enters the North Branch of the Potomac River in Westernport, Maryland. The drainage area for the watershed lies between Dans Mountain and Big Savage Mountain. Towns within the watershed area include: Frostburg, Midlothian, Midland, Lonaconing, Barton, Luke, and Westernport. Dans Mountain State Park and portions of the Savage River State Forest also lie within the George's Creek Watershed.
As a young military surveyor, George Washington in 1755 described the terrain around George's Creek, as possessing "the fuel of the future" - so much mineral wealth as to "astonish the countries of the Old World." (Maryland Department of Environment/ Bureau of Mines, 2003)
During the 1830's George's Creek coal industry received a boost from the fist Maryland Geological Survey which reported the area had coal of an extraordinary thickness. By 1881 all of George's Creek could be described as "one continuous street and town, twenty-four miles in length, inhabited by miners and their families" (MDE/BOM, 2003). Deep mining peaked in Western Maryland in the early 1900's with 4.5 million tons of coal being produced annually.
The deep mining that had once almost solely supported George's Creek communities now plagues citizens with iron oxide reminders of their past flourishing coal days. Because of the mountainous topography of the George's Creek area, many of the deep mines were mined "up dip" from the bottom of the hill, allowing mine water to drain out. The water that now drains out from these mines is Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) which pollutes George's Creek and its tributaries. AMD has left portions of George's Creek and its tributaries fishless. This once flourishing trout fishery is now struggles to reestablish.
The George's Creek Watershed Association (GCWA) was formed in 1997 to combat the poor water quality issues effecting George's Creek and its tributaries. The GCWA is dedicated to "improving the quality of George's Creek be being effective stewards to our natural environment. Mill Run, a tributary to George's Creek was inhabited by native brook trout in its headwaters, but became fishless in its lower half due to AMD. In 1996 the Mill Run Watershed Association was formed to solve problems that negatively impact the Mill Run Watershed such as flooding and AMD. Together the MRWA and GCWA have been effective in relieving AMD and flooding issues in the George's Creek area.
Goals and Objectives of the three year OSM/VISTA program at site include:
1. Author a monthly or bimonthly newsletter for the GCWA
2. Assist with monthly and quarterly water sampling.
3. Coordinate sampling of ten stations along George's Creek.
4. Develop a power-point presentation about the GCWA and present it to schools in the George's Creek area.
5. Increase GCWA membership by 20%.
6. Coordinate annual road-side and stream trash cleanups
7. Write articles for local newspapers.
8. Devise fundraising ideas and suggest to GCWA.
Obtain grant awards to help fund GCWA projects.
The OSM/VISTA has been responsible for developing monthly (now bimonthly) newsletters, organizing an annual Arbor Day Tree Planting on reclaimed mine sites, conducting watershed tours with school and church groups, organizing road side cleanups, representing the GCWA at public meetings and community activities, as well as assisting with water sampling studies at current and future project sites.
The OSM/VISTA has also been responsible for acquiring funds for the GCWA through grant awards and fundraising. The first year OSM/VISTA Amy McKenzie applied for two grant awards for GCWA. The Ni-Source Grant was awarded to aid in the GCWA's Knapps Meadow Community Park Project. Amy also applied for a Chesapeake Bay Trust Grant which would fund for trash receptacles for towns along George's Creek. The GCWA is still waiting to hear from the Chesapeake Bay Trust on this grant. Current OSM/VISTA Melissa O'Neal has applied for a Kodak American Greenways Grant to provide more funding for the Knapps Meadow Community Park Project. Melissa is also applying for two Watershed Cooperative Grants and also an EPA Region III Grant to provide funding for two additional AMD remediation projects.
Amy McKenzie, first year GCWA OSM/VISTA was responsible for the GCWA receiving the NiSource Grant Award of $4500 for the Knapps Meadow Community Park Project. Amy also assisted members of the
watershed in stream sampling, publication of a monthly newsletter, authoring various newspaper articles, presenting to schools, organizing the annual roadside clean up, coordinating an annual Arbor Day Tree Planting, and various other tasks. Thanks to Amy, the Knapps Meadow Community Park Project is now underway.
Melissa O'Neal, second year GCWA OSM/VISTA has just begun her work with the GCWA in May 2004. Melissa has gotten off to a busy start with the GCWA. She has already applied for a Kodak American Greenways Grant Award, which if received will help fund the Knapps Community Park Project. Melissa is also working on two Watershed Cooperative Grants through OSM which if received will fund two acid mine drainage remediation projects. Melissa has joined in with MD DNR Fisheries Biologists to assist in their fish survey of George's Creek and will be authoring an article for the newspaper about the event. This looks to be a busy year for Melissa and the GCWA.
