The Official Stonycreek River of the Year Celebration will take place in June, but this weekend the annual Stonycreek Rendezvous hits the water. Brad Clemenson is a project manager for the Pennsylvania Environmental Council and an organizer for the River of the Year Celebration. He said each year the Rendezvous draws people from all across the country.
"This year is bigger than ever because we have a release valve that's been put into Quemahoning Dam and that will release 500 cubic feet of water every second for a four-hour period to augment the flow of the river to make sure we have adequate flow," he said.
Stonycreek won the statewide River of the Year contest in part for restoring a fishery, and has been recognized as one of the best whitewater rivers in the eastern United States. After years of coal production wreaked havoc on the river, groups started a project to improve water quality. In essence, they created treatment areas similar to wetlands.
"Where you get the iron to drop out and the other metals to drop out and take out the acidity too, you have to add a lot of alkalinity to neutralize it. Basically we brought the river back and it's now a nice fishery in most every section of it," said Clemenson.
The Stonycreek Rendezvous will take place May 18 and 19 in the water and on the land at Greenhouse Park in Johnstown. It features numerous events including a white water rodeo. The River of the Year Celebration will take place June 16.
