Goff Station was identified by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) as a priority area for remediation within the headwaters of the Slippery Rock Creek. The Goff Station Restoration Project was a comprehensive restoration effort that involved the removal of coal refuse (gob), the collection and passive treatment of contaminated mine discharges, the construction of wetlands, riparian restoration, provision of wildlife habitat, and public outreach. This project was funded under a Watershed Restoration Assistance Project grant and a Growing Greener Grant administrated by the DEP.

Prior to initiating the Goff Station Restoration Project, an assessment was conducted to document the natural resources within the project area. The investigation identified small isolated pockets of wetland vegetation resulting from seepage associated with upslope impoundments and abandoned mine drainage. To obtain the restoration waiver for the project, water samples were taken to determine the extent to which the water resources had been impacted by the abandoned mine drainage throughout the site. Conductivity, pH, and temperature were determined in the field and samples were sent to a lab for analysis of pH, acidity, alkalinity, aluminum, iron, and manganese.

Gob encroaching on Murin Run	Mine drainage discharge area

During the completion of the Goff Station Restoration Project, an estimated 87,000 cubic yards of coal refuse were removed from the site. The coal refuse, which was encroaching on Murrin Run, was taken to another abandoned mine reclamation site, where it was neutralized with coal ash and placed in an abandoned mine cut to return the site to its approximate original contour. Multiple passive treatment systems were installed for the remediation of five abandoned mine discharges within the project area. The effluent from each of the passive treatment systems is collected and guided into a final finishing wetland.

Murin Run after gob removal	Wetland for treating mine drainage

Aquascape was involved in the design, construction and construction supervision, planting, and monitoring of the approximately four acres of wetlands within the Goff Station Restoration Project. The design of each of these wetlands incorporates recommendations originating from a thorough literature review and extensive field experience. At their inlets, the basins of the larger wetland areas were designed and constructed to provide a sediment trap, or drop area, which allows sediments to drop before flows pass through these wetlands. Grade was monitored with a laser during construction of the wetlands to maintain a level basin. The laser level was also used in the creation of topographic irregularities to provide varying hydrologic levels that would allow for a greater diversity of vegetation and to avoid excessive depths that would prevent the growth of selected wetland plant species. The wetland basins were covered with high quality organic substrate, facilitating the establishment of planted and volunteer hydrophytic vegetation and resulting in a demonstrated improvement in water quality. These wetlands provide water treatment by maximizing the retention time of the incoming water, resulting in the deposition of suspended solids. Pollutant removal is also facilitated through biological uptake by, and physical deposition onto, the dense and diverse plant communities that have been established.

A wetland monitoring plan has been developed and first-year monitoring of the wetland areas has been conducted. A total of ten monitoring stations have been placed in the Goff Station wetlands to monitor the success of the wetland establishment and functions. All vegetation within a 15-foot radius of the plots was identified, and percent coverage was determined within one square meter plots. Water conductivity and pH were measured and photopoints were established at each monitoring station. Monitoring of the substrate, macroinvertebrates, and hydrology will be done for a five-year period with continued monitoring and photographic documentation of vegetation and water quality.

Following removal of the coal refuse and construction of the final "polishing" wetland of the passive treatment system, restoration was begun on the riparian area of Murrin Run. In addition to providing bank stabilization and erosion control, the riparian area provides a diversity of hydrologic regimes, habitat, and vegetation. Bank stabilization and erosion control are provided through the establishment of vegetation, the use of erosion control fabric, and the implementation of bioengineering techniques such as using willow wattles to provide dense root masses and shrub habitat in erosion sensitive locations of the streambank. The riparian area has been designed and configured to consist of wet slopes, vernal pools, and dry upland areas to encourage a diversity of vegetation that will provide food and habitat for a variety of wildlife.

Installing temporary safety gate at bat hibernaculum	Installing duck box

Large woody debris and structures; including bluebird boxes, duck boxes, and bat boxes; were placed in and around the wetlands of the Goff Station Restoration Project to create additional habitat opportunities for wildlife. Significant other efforts, including planting trees and constructing a bat hibernaculum, to incorporate habitat enhancements into the restoration of upland areas were made.

The bioswale is a vegetated drainageway that conveys the treated flows from three of the seeps at Goff Station to the final "polishing" wetland. The bioswale replaced the originally proposed limestone-lined drainage ditch in order to provide a variety of services the limestone would not. The vegetation within the bioswale will provide treatment functions through the biological uptake of nutrients and metals and through the provision of increased surface area for the retention of suspended solids. The vegetation within the bioswale will also provide food and cover for wildlife. Two small pools were included in the construction of the swale to retain sediments, reduce the energies of high volume flows, and provide habitat for macroinvertebrates, amphibians, and other wildlife. A small waterfall, followed by a section of limestone cobble, in the lowest section of the bioswale aerates the flow before it enters the polishing wetland.

Bioswale	A tour of Goff Station

Public outreach and education has also been a significant part of the Goff Station Restoration Project. Several tours have been given, both during the construction of the treatment systems and following completion, to groups ranging from local grade schools to an international group of experts on passive treatment systems. On multiple occasions, Aquascape has provided field portions of DEP training programs such as Stream ReLeaf and the Watershed Academy. These tours and programs have been a continuing effort on behalf of all partners involved in the Goff Station Restoration Project to include the local community in our projects, as well as to provide educational opportunities for interested groups and individuals.

• Slippery Rock Watershed Coalition
• Stream Restoration Inc.
• Watersheds.TV
• post-gazette.com
• Watershed Weekly