Researchers find a bounty of fish in Allegheny Township's Pine Run

Trout might be coming to a new section of Pine Run in Allegheny Township after surveyors found a surprising bounty of 15 fish species Friday, including five darter species, which are indicative of good water quality.

The survey was prompted by two Lions Clubs that want to stock a new portion of Pine Run after a successful five years of stocking another section of Pine Run in Kunkle Park, Washington Township.

But the 10 surveyors assembled Friday stressed that the interest in the waterway went beyond stocking trout.

“From a community development standpoint, this is a fascinating project,” said John Turack, a Penn State Extension community development assistant who coordinated the efforts to gather biologists and community organizers.

“Pine Run is on the border of two communities — Allegheny Township and Vandergrift — and within walking distance of youths,” Turack said of the outdoor recreational potential of the area.

Pine Run is eight miles long — from its headwaters near the intersection of Routes 380 and 66 in Washington Township, to its confluence with the Kiski River in Allegheny Township near the Kiski Valley Water Pollution Control Authority sewage treatment plant.

The drainage area that it covers is about 18 square miles.

Friday’s survey was a start to learning more about the waterway,

“We’re excited to see all the different types of fish,” said Chelsea Walker, a watershed specialist with the Westmoreland Conservation District. “It’s a much higher quality of water than we expected because of historical abandoned mine drainage pollution upstream and some agricultural pollution.”

Friday’s electro-shocking fish survey was conducted by Eric Chapman, director of aquatic science the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy.

Walker conducted a water quality survey and still has to do a macro invertebrate survey.

Chris Garbark, program director of the Conemaugh Valley Conservancy, has been organizing the survey efforts.

“First, we want to know if the water quality is good enough for the trout and if there is sufficient food supply there for them,” he said.

The survey also provides a much needed baseline survey for Pine Run, which suffers from pollution near its confluence with the Kiski River, where there is abandoned mine discharge sullying the waterway.

“We’re hopeful, with collection of the macros and the fish survey, we can use the data to help us secure future grant funding to treat the (acid mine drainage) discharge at Pine Run,” said Walker.