Did
you ever wonder which part of Huntingdon County has the fewest illegal
dumpsites? Or the most? Or where dumpsites pose significant threats
to surface water quality? Thanks to a grant from the Department of Environmental
Protection, PA CleanWays of Huntingdon County has partnered with the
Juniata Clean Water Partnership (JWCP) to map and survey illegal dumpsites
found along township roads. This effort, know as the Dumpsite Survey,
is part of a regional effort to locate and describe illegal dumpsites
within the Juniata River watershed. Data collected at each dumpsite
include precise location, estimated quantity of trash, type of trash,
and distance to the nearest waterway.
PA CleanWays of
Huntingdon County employed a summer intern, Bill Isenberg, to begin
the survey in the summer of 2003. Bill met with township officials and
concerned residents and spent hours touring the county's township roads
to collect and record data. Currently, Jeff Meitrott of the Huntingdon
County Conservation District and Hillary Bright of the JWCP are following
up on Bill's work and surveying other parts of the county which Bill
did not visit last summer.
The survey will
be complete by the end of 2004 and will provide municipal leaders and
PA CleanWays of Huntingdon County with detailed information on the extent
of illegal dumpsites in the county. Although the survey is not yet complete,
PA CleanWays of Huntingdon County is already beginning to use the data.
Specific granting agencies have funds available for dumpsite cleanups
which meet certain size and location criteria. Because such information
is provided by the survey, the Huntingdon County chapter has been able
to estimate clean up costs and therefore apply for such funding.
Persons interested
in participating in the survey, or who wish to add a dumpsite to the
survey should contact the Huntingdon
Chapter office.
Did
you ever wonder which part of Huntingdon County has the fewest illegal
dumpsites? Or the most? Or where dumpsites pose significant threats
to surface water quality? Thanks to a grant from the Department of Environmental
Protection, PA CleanWays of Huntingdon County has partnered with the
Juniata Clean Water Partnership (JWCP) to map and survey illegal dumpsites
found along township roads. This effort, know as the Dumpsite Survey,
is part of a regional effort to locate and describe illegal dumpsites
within the Juniata River watershed. Data collected at each dumpsite
include precise location, estimated quantity of trash, type of trash,
and distance to the nearest waterway.