Impact Grant

Center for Watershed Research
&
Service

St. Francis University

3-year $100,000 Impact Grant (2021-2024)

Center for Watershed Research and SERVIce

st. Francis university [loretto, pa]

Engaging the Community in Remediating Legacy Impacts from Mining in Appalachia

 

The Foundation is proud to support this important project by the Center for Watershed Research and Service at St. Francis University. CWRS will improve water quality in the 2,240-acre Kittanning Run watershed in Blair County, PA, an area severely impacted by legacy acid mine drainage (AMD). The Foundation’s $100,000 Impact Grant will support efforts to remediate the watershed and inspire the next generation of environmental stewards, both in terms of undergraduate students participating in water quality monitoring and remediation efforts and in educating high school students through a variety of programs. The program will also positively impact drinking water availability in the service area of the Altoona Water Authority.

The team will build low-cost sensors recently developed by SFU engineering students to monitor flowrates, temperature, and specific conductivity in watersheds impacted by AMD. Successful demonstrated use could advance watershed education, water monitoring by citizen scientists, and water monitoring in AMD-impacted environments.

center for watershed research & SERVIce

Mission: to provide expert assistance and manpower to amplify the watershed restoration efforts of domestic and international nonprofit organizations and to advance the watershed restoration body of knowledge.

CWRS was founded with support from the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds with funds appropriated from the 2011 GenOn Energy Inc. settlement agreement.

 
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CWRs teaching and research Methods

  • Real class projects in the service of nonprofit partners.

  • Student-professor research teams investigating fundamental and applied research questions of interest to nonprofit partners.

  • Service-learning internships pairing student interns and mentoring professors with nonprofit partners.

  • Mobilization of the SFU student body for large volunteer events held by nonprofit partners.

More information: https://www.francis.edu/center-for-watershed-research-and-service/

learn more about Impact Grant winner CWRS!

CWRS incorporates faculty and student resources at St. Francis University to aid in watershed restoration in the surrounding area.