Local Water Protection Efforts

Americans take much in their lives for granted, especially when it comes to resources that we use, consume and sometimes abuse.  Perhaps the most overlooked and underrated of those resources is water.  In these parts, it's abundant and, when we take care of it, of high quality.  Sometimes we forget we use water for far more than just drinking, cooking and washing.  We swim in it, float on it, catch fish from it, wash stuff with it, grow things with it, wash things away with it, transport goods over it and use it to manufacture things we use every day.  Sometimes we just like to look at it, listen to it or toss handfuls of it on ourselves to refresh us.

Important as it for so many things, we struggle to protect the surface watersheds and groundwater recharge areas from which we draw it.  What's more, we let it runoff our fields, roads and parking lots too fast with too many nasty things in it.  Our region is not immune from these challenges nor the apathy and ignorance that complicate them.  But those in Blair County responsible for overseeing our water resources have taken steps and made real progress in reversing some of those trends.

The Altoona Water Authority's Source Water Protection Committee brings together a number of environmental professionals and dedicated volunteers to address the problems and work together to figure out regulatory challenges.  The committee is led by the Altoona Water Authority, but the work done by the group goes far beyond the authority's reservoirs and treatment plants.

• Altoona Water Authority – The authority's Tobias Nagle, Amy Sipes, their staff and water testing volunteers have undertaken a host of protection efforts for their 66 square miles of watershed.  Their forest preservation programs have been especially important in maintaining the high quality water that is characteristic of all of Blair County's surface reservoirs.
• Intermunicipal Relations Committee & Keep Blair Beautiful – Cleaning up and preventing the illegal dumping of trash stops a potential serious source of water contamination.  The Intermunicipal Relations Committee's Katrina Pope has led the IRC's efforts to clean up dumps not just in the watersheds but throughout the county.  Among a loyal group of volunteers are former PA Cleanways of Blair County president Mike Union and former county solid waste director Terry Stacey.
• Little Juniata River Association –  Association president Bill Anderson has been a dynamic organizational leader, putting together massive river cleanups, researching and planning for riverbank restoration and riparian buffers and working to protect the rivers fisheries.
• Blair County Conservation District – The Conservation District helps with those watershed protection efforts and oversees the county's storm water management and erosion and sedimentation planning efforts.  The water-related programs are led by Watershed Specialist Jim Eckenrode and Environmental Educator Jody Wallace.
• The MS4 Work Group – A number of municipalities and engineering firms work together to address municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4s) in response to concerns over regulations and pollution from storm sewer runoff.  Work group member Scott Campanaro from the City of Altoona's Engineering Department has been especially active on the Source Water Protection Committee.

These folks who work and volunteer for these groups are exceptional guardians of our most important resource.