Moshannon Group

The Sierra Club is a dedicated grassroots environmental organization inspired by and pursuing John Muir’s goals: to explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the Earth; to practice and promote the responsible use of the Earth’s ecosystems and resources; and to educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment. The Sierra Club Moshannon Group serves eleven counties in Pennsylvania: Bedford, Blair, Cameron, Center, Clearfield, Elk, Huntington, Jefferson, Juniata, McKean and Mifflin Counties.

PFAS Surface Water Survey, Spring Creek and Bald Eagle Creek

Spring Creek and Bald Eagle Creek Surface Water Survey for Per and Poly Fluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) 2022- 2024

by David Thomas Roberts, Sierra Club Moshannon Group

INTRODUCTION

The goal of this survey is to help determine the extent and sources of PFAS contamination in the surface waters of Spring Creek and Bald Eagle Creek, two important water resources for outdoor recreation, trout fly fishing, tourism, water supplies, industry, families, communities, businesses, and aquatic and riparian natural environments of Centre County Pennsylvania.

Spring Creek is a high-quality cold water native trout fishery featuring Fisherman’s Paradise - the oldest fly fishing only water in the US, major springs including Benner Spring and Big Spring, the historically and ecologically significant Spring Creek Canyon, several parks, hike & bike trails, and two trout fish hatcheries. The productive limestone and dolomite aquifers of Spring Creek provide cold water to major and diffuse springs essential to local trout populations. Spring Creek is in need of constant conservation efforts to preserve its aquatic and riparian ecosystems, native cold water trout habitats, scenic recreational areas, and public water resources.

Bald Eagle Creek is a popular warm and cold-water fishery sourced by tributaries from the Allegheny Front Plateau and the Appalachian Ridge and Valley Province running along the base of the plateau in Bald Eagle Valley from Tipton to Loch Haven, PA. Bald Eagle Creek gains cold water from Spring Creek at their confluence in the water gap at Milesburg.

The karst aquifers, springs, streams, rivulets, groundwater recharge areas, and swallow holes of the Spring Creek watershed are particularly susceptible to toxic contamination from PFAS and other pollutants. “Karst aquifers are a vital groundwater resource …created in soluble limestone and dolomite characterized by distinctive springs, caves, sinkholes …and unique aquifers that are highly productive but extremely vulnerable to contamination.” Karst Aquifers, USGS

PFAS have been found in Spring Creek and Bald Eagle Creek by the United States Geological Survey, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and the Sierra Club Moshannon Group at levels exceeding EPA health guidelines and Pennsylvania State Drinking Water Regulations. 

PFAS are a large group of fluoro-carbon, perfluoroalkyl chemical compounds causing widespread persistent toxic contamination of our soils, waters, foods, and air. PFAS have been linked to cancer, childhood development problems, negative reproductive health, problems with endocrine heath, immunological health, kidney function, thyroid function, and other metabolic processes.

PFAS are persistent “forever” anthropogenic pollutants entering the environment via pathways such as the use of fire-retardant aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) near airports and military bases, municipal waste disposal, waterproof clothing and food packaging, manufacturing waste discharge, wastewater treatment plant effluent, and contaminated bio-solid application. 

The extent of PFAS contamination in the Spring and Bald Eagle Creek surface waters has been somewhat determined by this survey. The main plume of PFAS originates from and may be traced to the use of Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) at the State College Regional Airport owned and operated by the Pennsylvania State University and the Centre County Airport Authority.

This survey identifies four source waters flowing into Spring Creek that contain PFAS including water from Benner Spring, stormwater from the State College Regional Airport, effluent from the Bellefonte Borough Wastewater Treatment Plant, and effluent from the University Area Joint Authority Wastewater Treatment Plant. 

The presence of PFAS in Benner Spring shows that the Mines Member aquifer of the Gatesburg Formation is contaminated. Contaminated groundwater outflow from wells and springs along Spring Creek Canyon and contaminated stormwater from the Airport have formed a spreading plume of PFAS traveling down Spring Creek Canyon through Fisherman’s Paradise to Bald Eagle Creek and beyond into the Susquehanna River Basin and the Chesapeake Bay.

Drinking water wells of the Walnut Grove community in Big Hollow and commercial wells along Fox Hill Road and High Tech Road adjacent to the airport are contaminated with PFAS. Although interim mitigation is offered by PADEP to families with contaminated wells, connection of homes to a safe public water supply is needed to properly remediate exposure to well water contaminated with high levels of toxic PFAS compounds. 

The PFAS in Bald Eagle Creek appears to be come from Spring Creek as no PFAS was detected upstream of their confluence in Milesburg. 

Read the full report here:  PFAS

 

 

 

 

 

 

Future events

Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival on Friday April 4th and Saturday April 5th at 7 pm at the State Theatre.   Get your tickets now.     Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour - The State Theatre, State College, PA

Watershed clean-up with Clearwater Conservancy on Saturday, April 12, 2025. 

Stay tuned for details of our 2nd annual Environmental Leadership Gathering, hosted by SCMG and NVEC.  (Late April or mid-late May)

 

 

 

Recent events

First annual Environmental Leadership Gathering
 

Over 20 local groups came together in March 2024 to introduce themselves and talk briefly about their mission.  

group picture

 

 

Legacy Tire Clean-up with CCRRA and local volunteers, Dec 2023

On Saturday, December 16th, 9 volunteers worked with the landowner and two CCRRA employees to clean up an old tire dump site in the Bald Eagle Valley. The site was located about 1/3 mile from the Soaring Ridge Wetland project. This cleanup was complicated by access and the fact that most of the tires were larger truck tires. An excavator and dump-trailer were used to expedite loading and unloading. In the end, 3 roll-offs of tires and 1 roll-off of scrap metal were filled.  CCRRA coordinated the proper disposal of these materials and reported a total weight of 27,420 pounds and 153 tires for the cleanup.  

 

Amongst the participants were several conservationalists working to create the Bald Eagle Conservancy (see the link above to a draft flyer describing their vision). 

A special thanks to Triangle True Value Rental of Bellefonte for a discounted rental rate on the dump trailer used. 

 

Legacy tire clean-up
Legacy tire clean-up
Legacy tire clean-up
Legacy tire clean-up
Legacy tire clean-up
Legacy tire clean-up

Earth Day - a fun watershed cleanup on the river with SCMG 2023.

Earth day 2023 pics and captions
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