News

Scroll down for an update on our conservation work, our ongoing campaigns, our upcoming events, our volunteer opportunities, and press.

A Laurel Highlands Springtime in a Changing Climate

By Hannah Spencer / April 22, 2021

Spring has sprung in the Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania. The ephemeral streams are flowing, the hillsides and valleys are blanketed with native spring wildflowers, and the neo-tropical migratory birds are…

Resident Loses Water After Mariner East, Gets No Help From DEP

By James Cato / April 22, 2021

Large shale gas pipelines like Mariner East tend to skirt densely-populated urban centers, instead snaking through rural areas to avoid large numbers of people. This strategy makes sense from a…

Invenergy Power Plant Air Permit Released — Make Comments!

By James Cato / April 21, 2021

The comment period for the draft air permit for Invenergy’s proposed shale-gas fired power plant, also called the Allegheny Energy Center, is now open. The Chicago-based private company, Invenergy, has…

What is your favorite type of river trash?

By Eric Harder / April 19, 2021

Spring is here and river cleanup season is upon us. Many communities are hosting cleanups throughout southwestern Pennsylvania. Connellsville has an annual citywide cleanup coming up. Dunbar Township has made great improvements…

Do You Live Near a Fracking Waste Site And Have Something To Say About It?

By Melissa Marshall / April 12, 2021

On March 20, 2021, the Department of Environmental Protection released 49 residual waste permits, which are now up for public comment. These permits are for facilities that store and process…

Stream Insects Indicate Water Quality

By Hannah Spencer / March 30, 2021

On a warm morning in early Spring, Mountain Watershed staff made their way north on the Indian Creek Valley Trail, carrying a net, a measuring tape, empty mason jars, metal…

When Water, Ecology, and Agriculture are Left Out: What You Need to Know About the Proposed PA Science Standards

By Hannah Spencer / February 5, 2021

This week, an email came through my inbox from the PA Association of Environmental Educators with the subject, “TOMORROW – Town Hall: PA Proposed Science Standards.” My interests were peaked.…

February 17: Public Hearing on Shaw Coal Refuse Site

By James Cato / February 2, 2021

Join MWA stand up to the proposed Shaw Mine Coal Refuse Site by attending the virtual public hearing February 17. This proposed site would add a 131-acre dump site for…

Subsidence is Damaging Properties in Footprint of Rustic Ridge Deep Mine

By Stacey Magda / January 30, 2021

“I have been fighting this mine since before it was put in the ground and now I am falling into it,” noted one resident who lives in the footprint of…

Land Donation for Public Use

By James Cato / January 20, 2021

            Mountain Watershed Association has received a donation of a twenty-one-acre stretch of undeveloped land along the Indian Creek Valley Trail to be incorporated into the hiking and biking path. The…

Row rect Shape Decorative svg added to top

Blue Hole Creek still polluted, but no further action from PA DEP (ACTION ITEM)

April 30, 2026

A whole year after MWA learned about lead pollution in Blue Hole Creek in Forbes State Forest, this once-pristine stream remains contaminated…

Your Water Bill Could Go Up — Here’s What That Letter Really Means

April 27, 2026
|

Recently, many Indian Creek Valley Water Authority (ICVWA) customers opened their mail and found a “Rate Impact Notice” about possible future rate…

MWA Files Appeal After $2.8M Cut to Mine-Damage Protections

April 21, 2026
| |

MWA has filed an appeal challenging a decision to cut millions of dollars in financial protections for damage from underground coal mining…

Happy Egg Season! What’s About to Hatch?

April 10, 2026

It’s my favorite time of year! EGG SEASON. No, not just Easter egg hunts. But the time of year where some birds…

The Vernal Pool, a Salamander Nursery!

April 3, 2026

I’ve been seeing a ton of social media posts about vernal pools, but, what are they?  What is a vernal pool? It’s…