CURRENT PROJECTS
River Conservation Plan
Canonsburg Lake Project:

PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE OF CANONSBURG LAKE.

Completion of the Master Site Recreational Plan for Canonsburg Lake marks the beginning of a long-range effort to restore the Lake. Other studies and improvements will be undertaken as funds become available.

To see the Master Site Plan for details, click here.



TRAIL IMPROVEMENTS AT CANONSBURG LAKE.

Work on improving existing trails began in 2006 on the eastern side of the lower lake as Junior Girl Scout Troop 1942, under the leadership of Bridget Kirwan, began a significant Community Service project. Their immediate goal: improve the existing 1/4 mile trail that connects the two parking lots on the Peters Township side of the lake. At that time, the scouts and community volunteers also created a low-maintenance perennial garden and installed memorial benches at lakeside.

Work on the trail on the North Strabane side of the Lake will begin in 2008 with the installation of a footbridge across a shallow gully. The footbridge will be constructed as an Eagle Scout project. Cost of the footbridge and other trail work is funded by a grant from the Abernathy Fund of the Washington Community Foundation.
ONGOING PROJECTS


Implementation of River Conservation Plan.

Association projects have been, and will continue to be chosen to address the goals of the River Conservation Plan.

The River Conservation Plan for the Upper Chartiers Creek Watershed in Washington County, Pennsylvania, was completed in 2002. The project was undertaken by the Chartiers Creek Watershed Association (ChCWA) and the Washington County Watershed Alliance (WCWA). Development of the River Conservation Plan was funded by a grant from the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), combined with matching funds from other local organizations and volunteer time worked by members of the project’s Steering Committee, ChCWA, and WCWA.

Website Development

The website was originally developed with funding provided by a Fiscal Year 2000/2001 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) Growing Greener Program, combined with matching funds from Crouse & Company (the website developer) and volunteer time worked by members of the ChCWA.

Financial support for this project is also provided by the Dominion Foundation which is dedicated to the economic, physical and social health of the communities served by Dominion companies.

This grant program is administered by Western Pennsylvania Conservancy's Watershed Assistance Center. Through the Center, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy committed to its core mission of conserving water, land, and life.

This web site is currently being maintained by Richard R. Dupree of Dupree Solutions
Website Information
Remediation of the Molycorp Site in Canton Township.

Molycorp has made significant progress since its last update to the Chartiers Creek Watershed. As of Dec. 31, 2007, more than 85,000 tons of tar material had been shipped safely to Arden Landfill and nearly 103,000 tons of slag had been sent by rail to a permitted disposal facility in Idaho. Molycorp has also been able to begin restoration efforts in areas that had been excavated early in the project.

This site contained hazardous and radioactive materials left over from early industrial operations. Cleanup and disposal of these materials, in accordance with regulations of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, have been an essential prelude to redevelopment of the area.

In 2008 Molycorp will achieve two important milestones. In the spring, Molycorp will complete the excavation and disposal of the final 20,000 tons of MGP tar, which was left over from an earlier industrial operation. Excavation of the remaining 38,000 tons of slag requiring off-site disposal is expected to be finished by early summer. When these two phases of the project are completed, it is estimated that approximately 105,000 tons of MGP tar and 140,000 tons of slag will have been excavated from the site and disposed of.

Once all excavations are complete, and the necessary approvals are obtained from the state and federal regulatory agencies, Molycorp's work will focus on restoring the property. Molycorp will remove sheet piling along Chartiers Creek and backfill excavated areas using imported soil and on-site material as allowed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Backfilled areas will be vegetated to prevent erosion and sedimentation.

The site is located in Canton Township, bordering Chartiers Creek. The Molycorp plant there produced a ferroniobium alloy from an ore that contained natural thorium with some uranium. The operation resulted in the production of thorium-bearing slag that was used as fill over portions of the site. Tar materials, left from an earlier industrial operation, were found on the site and have also been removed.

The Association has been supportive of the decommissioning process so that this important former industrial site can become a keystone gateway site for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as indicated in the Canton Township Comprehensive Plan Amendment Ch 28. The site is in a Special Development District which is within a day’s drive (500 miles) of:

  • 63% of the national industrial output.
  • More than 53% of the U. S. Buying Income.
  • 20 Metropolitan areas each exceeding 1 million people.
  • 49% of the U. S. Population.
The site is capable of creating over 1,000 family sustaining jobs and is a proposed important flow smoothing area retention area and bio enhancement zone for the future of the watershed, providing the best in land use for economic development and watershed management.