The Monastery Run Improvement Project:
A Community Initiative To Reclaim our Streams

1997

2002

After decades of living with orange streams that mine water had made uninhabitable for fish and unusable by humans, a group of local people got together to do something about it.  In 1993, more than 50 area community and government agencies, industries, and individuals formed the Loyalhanna Creek Mine Drainage Coalition to help clean up the Loyalhanna Creek. 

For the first time, the technology had made the fight to clean up mine drainage both affordable and effective.  The group built three wetland on 20 acres of land dedicated for this purpose by Saint Vincent Archabbey.  Combined, the three wetlands are designed to improve 2.4 miles of Four Mile Run, and in turn, improve the quality of the stream it flows into, which is Monastery Run.  The improvement to Monastery Run, likewise, positively impacts the stream it flows into - the Loyalhanna Creek. 

Mission StatemenT

    Years of mining the rich coal seams in Western Pennsylvania left a legacy of vast underground caverns that became flooded with groundwater after the mining stopped.   This water leaches minerals, such as iron, from the surrounding rock.  The iron contained water works its way to the surfaces and pollutes streams and rivers, adversely affecting biological conditions in the waterways.

Our Vision

    A beautiful and clean stream running through Latrobe nurturing wildlife and beneficial to the community.

Our Goals

• Clean up serious mine drainage problems in the Four Mile Run and Monastery Run watersheds, which pollute several miles of Loyalhanna Creek as it flows through downtown Latrobe.

• Develop effective design and engineering models of wetlands for natural treatment of mine drainage.

• Show how coalition-building can profoundly impact the environment.

• Create unique education partnerships and opportunities by combining college faculty, technical experts from governmental agencies, conservation organizations, business leaders, school students, and the community at large.

• Improve water quality which will enhance aquatic life and recreation opportunities.

• Remove an eyesore and health hazard that damages this community's image.

Our Team

• The Loyalhanna Creek Mine Drainage Coalition is a group of more than 50 individuals, businesses and corporations, community and conservation organizations, colleges and universities, governmental agencies, and private and public foundations.

• The Steering Committee of the coalition has leadership from Saint Vincent College and consists of representatives from the Westmoreland Conservation District, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Western Pennsylvania Abandoned Mine Coalition, the Loyalhanna Watershed Association, and the Latrobe Foundation and knowledgeable individuals.

• The Technical Needs Committee combines college faculty and students, graduate students and key individuals from numerous governmental agencies, who work collectively to develop appropriate and timely solutions to the mine drainage challenge.