This program was started by a few people genuinely concerned about the water quality of the rural streams and watersheds in Pennsylvania. Many of the people involved in this project come from a background of coal mining - whether in their families or in their communities - and are working hard to clean up the remnants of the rural, abandoned, and mostly forgotten coal mining industry.
As I traveled the Commonwealth, I was impressed by the concern for the plight of not only the anglers who can no longer fish in the native brook trout streams, but of the communities plagued by orange water for generations. It has affected their recreation, their economies, and their community pride.
This is a story of what's being done about Abandoned Mine Drainage (AMD), some of the projects aimed at cleaning it up, and what's being done to raise the awareness of the scope of the AMD problem for our children, hopefully to ensure a cleaner water environment for future generations.
The goal of the program is to alert Pennsylvania citizens about what can be done, and what must be done - getting involved, locally and statewide - and supporting granting organizations and public agencies to continue and broaden the work of many, many projects around the state like the few that are highlighted in this program.
I spoke to dozens of people, and this program includes parts of my conversations with 22 individuals, representing 17 different organizations - from volunteers in grassroots watershed associations, to energy companies, to the Secretary of the Pennsylvania DEP.
Each has a unique story to tell and a vital role to play, as each piece of the puzzle is important to the mission of returning Pennsylvania waters to their clean, proud, heritage.
You can read the full transcript of many of these conversations elsewhere on this web site, you can watch the segments, and you can also link to many of the web sites associated with the different projects and locations in this program.
Jerry Sawyer, Producer
Penn State Public Broadcasting