FUTURE'S BRIGHT FOR LOCAL WATERSHED
Millions in settlement funds will be used for stream improvement

Cameron County Waterways Conservation Officer Bill Crisp (standing) was among those who addressed the audience during a Bucktail Watershed meeting Tuesday. Crisp shared the good news that the Fish & Boat Commission plans to spend nearly all of its share of a $6 million settlement locally.

Bucktail Watershed Association (BWA) held a public meeting Tuesday evening to discuss proposed projects for enhancing the waterways affected by a chemical spill that occurred when a Norfolk Southern train derailed near the bottom of the Keating Summit Grade at the McKean/Cameron County line in the summer of 2006.

Norfolk Southern agreed to pay over $6 million in damages to the Fish & Boat Commission (F&BC) and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) as part of a deal struck with prosecutors late last year. The settlement money was split between the agencies and each will use the funds exclusively in the local watershed for improvements.

"They (DEP and F&BC) promised to keep all the money here," Cameron County Watershed Specialist Todd Deluccia said. "They've kept their word and it is going to benefit this watershed for many, many years to come."

Both agencies will place their share (approximately $3.5 million) in interest-bearing accounts, ensuring a "perpetual" funding source for the watershed, Deluccia explained.

The caretakers of the DEP money will be the nine-member stakeholders group recently formed here. That group will give the money out as grants to non-profit groups who apply for stream-improvement or education projects. With an eye toward the future, the group has agreed to never let the account go lower than 90 percent of the original principal.

With the potential to generate well over $100,000 per year in interest, Deluccia said, the stream work that can be performed from that fund alone will be very significant.

"We completed six pretty big projects in 2007 and spent only about $40,000," Deluccia remarked. "So you can imagine what can be done with twice or three times that."

The F&BC meanwhile will manage its own funds, but it, too, will place the money in an interest-bearing account that's only to be used on projects in the local watershed.

F&BC will use approximately $90,000 to pay investigative and legal fees incurred during the aftermath of the spill. It has also earmarked $150,000 to the McKean County Boondocks program, which promotes angling by getting juvenile offenders involved in stream improvement projects. That funding was a way of saying "thank you" to McKean County District Attorney John Pavlock who was instrumental in the prosecution of the case against Norfolk Southern. The remainder will be used exclusively in the local watershed.

Many of the people who attended Tuesday's meeting did so to ask how the settlement money would be used.

"The meeting gave us an opportunity to clear the air about that issue," Deluccia remarked. "I think the people who came have a better understanding of that now."

The forum also gave representatives of the state and local agencies an opportunity to discuss the kinds of improvements that the local watershed most needs.

Perhaps the most necessary projects in the watershed will focus on eliminating the nonpoint source pollution (sedimentation) that enters the watershed from eroding streambanks.

Deluccia explained that stream bank stabilization projects not only help control erosion, they protect streamside real estate and provide excellent habitat for fish and other aquatic species. When streamside plantings are used in conjunction with manmade bank stabilizing features, the stream benefits from shade, which helps cool the stream in the summer when it is stressed from heat and drought. And the roots from the plants help hold soil in place.

"I can think of several areas that need addressed right now," Deluccia commented. "But I'm sure there are many I am unaware of. I can't get out there and walk every square inch of the stream. That's why we are asking for help in identifying areas that need work."

Both the F&BC as well as the DEP could begin taking grant applications for projects later this year.

In the meantime, anglers, streamside landowners and others who wish to lend a hand in identifying potential projects, should visit www.bucktailwatershed.com, click on the "watershed alerts" link on the left and fill out the form.

"This is an incredible opportunity," Deluccia said. "The pollution is gone (sodium hydroxide has no lasting effects). The spill site has been completely restored by Norfolk Southern. Now we have a substantial amount of money to spend on improving an alreadybeautiful watershed."