Alphonse makes a play

In March, this blog described a “bureaucratic version of the Alphonse and Gaston routine” – “After you, Alphonse.” “No, you first, my dear Gaston.” – in which two units of Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) were pointing to each other as the responsible regulator while failing to prevent polluting discharges of eroded sediment from a parcel of land in Fayette County known as the Curry site. Cast in the role of Alphonse was the Waterways and Wetlands (W&W) Program in DEP’s Southwest Regional Office in Pittsburgh, and playing the role of Gaston was DEP’s Mining Program.

As noted in the earlier post, baseball broadcasters describe two fielders who both shy away from a catchable fly ball as “pulling an Alphonse and Gaston.”

An update is required: Alphonse has stepped up and made a play!

PennFuture learned last week that on June 19, the W&W Program issued Compliance Orders to Appalachian Timber Company (available here) and Curry Lumber Company (available here) for failure to implement or maintain effective erosion and sediment control best management practices at the Curry parcel, in violation of DEP’s regulations.

The orders state that the cited violations have resulted in sediment pollution entering Morgan Run, a stream running along part of the western boundary of the Curry site that is entitled to special protection as a “High Quality Cold Water Fishery.” The remedial actions required by the orders include submitting a revised erosion and sediment control plan to the Fayette County Conservation District by June 27 and implementing specified best management practices by July 1.

Recent seeding operations and other activities at the Curry site suggest that W&W’s orders have had a beneficial impact, but the permanent stabilization of disturbed areas required by W&W’s compliance orders takes time, so there may be more tell about this part of the story.

There is another part of the story, however, that does not appear to be covered by W&W’s compliance orders. The biggest erosion and sedimentation problems observed at the Curry Site during the last several months have been outside the Morgan Run watershed. Citizens and the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement have documented problems on eastern portions of the Curry site that drain directly into the High Quality waters of the Youghiogheny River through several eastward-flowing unnamed tributaries. This photo, taken from the Great Allegheny Passage bike trail last November, shows a distinct, milky plume of sediment pollution carried into the Yough by one of those tributaries. Photos taken on New Year’s Eve show the muddy waters of one of the Curry site tributaries, which contributed to a similar plume of sediment pollution in the Yough. (All photos are used with the permission of the Youghiogheny Riverkeeper®.)

When performing follow-up inspections to assess the companies’ compliance with its June 19 orders, W&W should make sure that the conditions on the eastern side of the Curry site are not causing or contributing to sediment pollution in the Yough through the eastward-flowing tributaries.

Having called out W&W for inaction in March, we now give a shout out to W&W for the actions it has taken – a tip of the (Pirates) cap to you, Alphonse.

But our commendation comes with a qualification: The game is not over, and there are more plays to make. Keep stepping up and catching the ball, Alphonse!

Kurt Weist is senior attorney for PennFuture and is based in Harrisburg.