Lackawanna River

Paddle down the Lackawanna River, test your knowledge at trivia night and learn about coal mining history in NEPA.

Environmental News covers a lot of ground. Community News covers it all. January began with the shooting of a Scranton Police officer who made a miraculous recovery. In between, more trail projects began or continued. Community members pressed on to come up with innovative ideas and events, while solutions were sought for environmental issues.

Pennsylvania American Water has completed dredging Roaring Brook Creek for sediment that was accidentally released into the water by the utility in early February.

Pennsylvania American Water will not pay a state penalty for polluting Roaring Brook and the Lackawanna River. Instead, the utility company will put money back in the community.

Pennsylvania American Water (PAW) acknowledged what the company is calling an “unanticipated discharge” of sediment into Roaring Brook in Lackawanna County. That’s in a response letter to a notice of violation of the state’s Clean Streams Act.

Pennsylvania American Water (PAW) responded to a notice of violation from the state’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The DEP said the utility company violated Pennsylvania's Clean Streams Law during dam upgrades in Dunmore. The agency is currently reviewing the response, according to DEP spokesperson Colleen Connelly. PAW's response is not yet available to the public. In early February, a heavy load of sediment was released into Roaring Brook during construction of the dam. The sediment flowed from Roaring Brook into the Lackawanna River. The DEP said the water company failed to notify the state agency about the pollution and And that the discharge was not permitted. The utility company was notified of the violation on March 7. They had 15 days to give DEP the cause of the discharge and answer why they did not notify the agency immediately.

Riders can meet up the second Tuesday of each month for a speaker series and group ride in Scranton.

Pennsylvania American Water violated the state’s Clean Streams Law during dam upgrades in Dunmore. The state’s Department of Environmental Protection officially notified the water company of the violation on Thursday.