This Conservation Report details heavy metal water quality issues in the Lehigh tributaries in Carbon County.  There are two acid mine drainage impaired tributaries that contain levels of aluminum toxic to aquatic life.  These are Buck Mountain Creek and Black Creek.

The report details measurements made and describes how the aluminum levels attenuate from tunnel discharge where they are above acute toxic levels for aquatic life to lower levels that still remain above chronic toxicity levels as the drainage flows to the Lehigh River and is diluted by other streams. 

It was interesting to learn in the course of doing this study that there have been mountain lion sightings in the area around the Buck Mountain site as well as numerous other wildlife species (black bear, red fox, raccoons, deer, coyotes, fishers, raptors, etc.).   As some of you may know, several years ago my wife and I sighted a mountain lion in a large grassy field (that is now a warehouse) while driving west on Tilghman St west of Allentown - hard to believe but true.

Our work is intended to highlight something that many people may not realize, that we have toxic streams in the midst of our otherwise pristine PA forests and what is being done to ameliorate these conditions.

Report on Metals in Tributaries