COUDERSPORT — Two water monitoring programs to be administered through the Potter County Triple Divide Watershed Coalition will provide data for public water systems and groundwater sources across the county, and are being paid for mostly through grant funding.
Potter County Commissioners discussed the projects Thursday. Employee labor is the only cost to the county.
A state grant will cover the costs of a detailed study to determine where the groundwater comes from, its characteristics and movement patterns. The information can be used by public officials, industrial representatives, regulatory agencies and parties during the planning phases of any county developments.
Approximately 50 private wells will be tested to gather accurate baseline data. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) agency will collect and share detailed data.
The coalition has also been designated to administer $100,000 in funding received through the JKLM settlement following a 2015 gas well incident in which chemicals entered groundwater near residential wells. The Department of Environmental Protection funds are being used to cover installation of monitoring systems for all 11 public water systems in Potter County. The monitors will log water quality data and act as an early-warning system in case of contamination.
The water issues and a number of other topics are covered in depth in the TDWC “Currents” newsletter available on the Potter County website.
Commissioners Paul Heimel and Susan Kefover recently attended the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania conference, and attended a number of different seminars related to county and statewide business.
Heimel discussed a Natural Gas Task Force meeting in which a representative of a company, Epiphany Water Solutions, discussed an offer made to the Coudersport Water Authority to take water from a proposed fracking-water treatment facility that could be built in the Coudersport area.
The company is developing a facility that uses a distillation process to remove salt, heavy metals and other substances from the water.
Pennsylvania is now the second-largest producer of natural gas, falling only slightly behind Texas, Heimel said. Low prices have slowed the industry, but many companies are working to install pipelines and other infrastructure, and a push is being made to connect more Pennsylvania residents to natural gas. Right now, only 50 percent of households have access.
Heimel also attended seminars on courts and corrections, and announced that Pennsylvania has also entered into a partnership with the Stepping Up Initiative, aimed at improving mental health services for individuals involved with the criminal justice system.
Potter County signed on to participate recently, and now has access to information and best practices developed in other partner-areas, along with networking opportunities with professionals across the country.
Kefover attended seminars on community and economic development, and discussed changes in manufacturing and new efforts to build new businesses in areas across the state.
She stated that it seems there has been a change of thinking, and a different type of growth in business, with trends showing a shift by companies from making the cheapest products to making the smartest ones.
Kefover also attended the first Women’s Caucus meeting.
“Everyone there is in a mode of working together, supporting each other and sharing ideas. It’s very exciting,” she said.
A big issue discussed was the effect of a high caseworker-turnover rate on children in placement. Kefover said several ways to help caseworkers be more successful in their positions and remain on the job were discussed and brought back to the county in an effort to improve outcomes. She said there can be seen “a direct correlation to life outcome for the children.”
Commissioner Doug Morley announced the date of the upcoming Early Childhood Expo, set for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 8 at the Coudersport Elementary School.
More than 20 vendors will be in attendance. In addition to games, activities and entertainment, vision and speech and language screenings will be offered. Participating agencies include Cole Memorial Dental, Penn State Extension, Parents-As-Teachers, and Seneca Highlands IU9.
Commissioners approved $5,000 in Act 13 Unconventional Well Drilling funds for the Coudersport Community Pool following a request from the borough’s spool committee.
The borough just reached the $100,000 mark through fundraising and community donations. Additional sums are yet needed to reach the $250,000 needed for matching funds for a grant already applied for. The Coudersport Borough recently pledged to provide remaining funds at the end of fundraising efforts.
Act 13 funds have been used on a number of other community projects, including for the Galeton Borough dam feasibility study, Oswayo Valley School District nature, recreational and environmental conservation trail and safety upgrades on the trail connecting the school district to the borough in Austin.
The next meeting of the Potter County Commissioners will be held at 11 a.m. April 13 at the Gunzburger Building in Coudersport.
