Blue Valley plant still at risk of shutting down
08/01/2009
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ALTERNATIVE FINANCING — Currently, the Toby Creek Watershed Association is looking for alternative forms of funding to finance the Blue Valley active treatment plant, such as: Finding alternative uses for the sludge bi-product it takes from the water; raising fish for food and recreation; and trading water to the Marcellus Shale drillers for donations.  
BRANDY CAMP - After a two-and-a-half week shut down, Blue Valley water treatment plant is up and running again, however Bill Sabatose of the Toby Creek Watershed said lack of funding potentially puts the plant "right on the edge" of another shut down.
In 1966 Toby Creek Watershed was formed, and its goal was to clean up the Toby Creek and portions of the Clarion River. Sabatose admits this was a lofty goal, but with three active water treatment plants (Coal Hollow, Brandy Camp, and Blue Valley) online the goal has nearly been attained and the water just keeps getting better.
"Back then, you could say we were radical because we were trying to clean up the creek," Sabatose said.
The three plants, in total, require $750,000 in operation and maintenance fees per year, Sabatose said. In turn, 30 miles of the Toby Creek are cleaned, 52 miles of the Clarion River are affected, and the plants even help to improve the Allegheny River. Of that total, it takes about $85,000 to operate Blue Valley.
"For a $750,000 investment, there is a $20 million payback. It's estimated over $20 million in tourism dollars stem from fishing, boating, and other water recreation in the area," said David Strong, a member of the Citizens Advisory Council to the Department of Environment Protection.
To which Sabatose said, "Just imagine what would happen if the water turned red again."
At the time the watershed was started, approximately 112 sources of acid mine drainage were found coming into Toby Creek, giving it a reddish tint and leaving it devoid of life for more than 100 years. For the last 20 years, life has been slowly returning to the creek and it just keeps getting better.
"The problem now is trying to maintain what we have," Sabatose said. "The system is made to fail. That's how I look at it."
Sabatose said when the plant was merely an idea, there was a plethora of funding sources from which the watershed could go to to get it up and running - particularly Growing Greener funds. Now, whenever grants are applied for using the two "dirty words" - operation and maintenance - a red flag goes up and the watershed is denied.
Another issue with Blue Valley is there is no formal contract which designates whose responsibility it is. The plant was funded through state and federal dollars, however the watershed holds the deed to the property.
"I guess the watershed owns it," Sabatose said, in a quizzical tone. "Actually, I don't know who owns what."
He stressed that DEP has been very helpful and supportive of the plant, and the watershed has a good working relationship with them.
Ultimately, Sabatose believes the plant should be a part of the state budget.
"When you have to worry about every penny and where it comes from, what's the future going to look like," Sabatose said.
To which Strong replied, "What are we supposed to do? Have a bake sale every 10 minutes to support this thing."
While a bake sale is one option to save Blue Valley, a lot of research is going into other alternatives.
Sabatose said he has been sending out buckets of the sludge, which is cleaned from the water, for testing. He hopes some of the materials contained within the sludge can be marketed to certain industries to make products such as paints or powdered metals.
Thus far, the U.S. Geological Survey has said the iron hydroxide in the sludge may be able to be dried and used to take out the phosphorous in the Chesapeake Bay.
If the plant can raise more fish than it currently has the capacity to, their excretion could be marketed as fertilizer. Meanwhile, the fish could be raised and taken to urban areas and marketed as "organic" fish.
"These fish have been analyzed for everything and they are some of the cleanest fish in the state," Strong said. "The fish advisories across the state have said it is unlimited to how many fish you can eat from a facility like that (Blue Valley)."
Strong also has the idea of having a "Fish for Fun" facility at the plant, to capitalize on the PA Wilds tourism initiative. The fish would be raised within the plant and people could come to a pond on the plant's grounds to fish and pay per pound.
"I think people would rather come to a place like Blue Valley and spend $25 to catch something significant, like a bass they can mount," Strong said.
Marcellus Shale frac water is another avenue the watershed is exploring to save Blue Valley. Sabatose said receiving a check from a drilling company for its water was the saving grace which got Blue Valley back online this time around.
He said when Marcellus Shale drillers get water from Blue Valley they may need upwards of 2,000,000 to 3,000,000 gallons at a crack. The companies cannot be charged for the water, Sabatose said, they are asked to make a donation.
While the future of Blue Valley is unclear, Sabatose, Strong and others who have fought to clean up Toby and beyond aren't quitting.
"We're not going to give up here, we're going to stay regardless of what they do to us," Sabatose said.
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Reported by Katie Weidenboerner, Tri-County Sunday. Email: katiew@thecourierexpress.com.





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