State may fund cleanup of Millers Run
Creek discharges iron in watershed
The state may fund a treatment plant that would remove 690 pounds of iron pollution per day from Millers Run Creek in South Fayette.
The iron in Millers Run, a tributary of Chartiers Creek, comes from an abandoned coal mine in the Gladden area of South Fayette, which, according to the township, is the largest source of iron discharge in the 139-square-mile Chartiers Creek Lower Watershed.
In a July letter to the state Department of Environmental Protection’s Bureau of Abandon Mine Reclamation, the township said it is committed to work with the South Fayette Conservation Group to support ongoing maintenance costs of a treatment facility. The support could include providing in-kind labor, contributing to a trust fund and/or helping to find third-party resources.
In the letter, South Fayette manager Ryan Eggleston said the township lacks the resources to pay for the Gladden Discharge Treatment Project and added that the cleanup would enhance health and safety and bolster community and economic development.
The township has also submitted to the DEP a final report and remediation plans for the old Star City Cinema property, which was once part of the former Mulach Steel site.
The property, which is adjacent to the Bridgeville exit of Interstate 79, remains under sales agreement with Horizon Properties Group LLC for $5 million, Mr. Eggleston said. The DEP has 90 days to review the final report and take action. It is unclear who will pay for the remediation.
The township recently received a second grant for additional smart technology traffic lights along Washington Pike. South Fayette must provide a 20 percent match for the $77,500 grant. According to Mr. Eggleston, it will contribute the $15,500 from the capital fund.
The Atwell engineering firm told the township it plans to submit a plan to the DEP on behalf of Peoples Natural Gas to relocate natural gas pipelines to make room for the construction of the Southern Beltway. If approved, the pipeline south of Bowman Road and Coal Pit Run would be relocated.