Important Water Quality Meeting Nov. 10

This Board of Commissioners have stepped up when it comes to

environmental stewardship. Here's just one example.

A group of public water system stewards in Potter County has a jam-packed agenda for its next public meeting. Triple Divide Watershed Coalition (TDWC), comprised of all public water systems in Potter County, will convene at 9 am Wednesday, Nov. 10, at the Potter County Education Center on Water Street in Coudersport, across from the Gunzburger Building.

Guest speaker will be Peter Wulfhorst (shown here), an environmental pollution control educator at Penn State University, who will be discussing the latest options for protection of public drinking water source/recharge areas. TDWC Chairman John McLaughlin said the Sept. 18 chemical release at a Sweden Township gas well site was the impetus for inviting Wulfhorst to address the topic.

Other agenda items for the Nov. 10 meeting will include a review of the response to the release by a JKLM Energy Inc. crew on Sept. 18, as well as updates on some far-reaching groundwater mapping and characterization studies that are being proposed.

TWDC was formed by the Commissioners, Potter County Education Council, Potter County Planning Department, and other partners to assure safe drinking water for the 8,500 residents served by nine public water suppliers. The organization was presented the Pennsylvania Governor’s Award for Local Government Excellence. It recognized that Potter County was the first in the state to have a source water protection plans in place for 100 percent of its public water systems. Meanwhile, a Potter County Water Quality Work Group continues to pursue a number of initiatives, involving regional watershed protection organizations, volunteer surface water monitors and other partners, including the Potter County Conservation District. Also, the Conservation District has in place a Water Development and Water Resources Committee comprised of Trout Unlimited’s Pete Ryan and David Saulter, Commissioner Doug Morley, and Conservation District representatives Jason Childs, Earl Brown and Leroy White.