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Road program funding increases 714 percent; objective is clean water

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Matt Golden, left, erosion control technician and Ashley Wilmont, dirt, gravel and low-volume road coordinator in the Washington County Conservation District office in Chartiers Township go over some of the possible projects to be scheduled this spring under a program that received increased funding.

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Oak Leaf Road, Hopewell Township, was sending large amounts of sediment into Cross Creek lake until the problem was remedied in 2012.

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Oak Leaf Road, Hopewell Township, was sending large amounts of sediment into Cross Creek Lake until the problem was remedied in 2012.

Not many people have the word “dirt” in their official titles, but Ashley Wilmont is proud to call herself “the dirt road queen of Washington County.”

In the county Conservation District, Wilmont actually has two titles: dirt, gravel and low-volume road maintenance program coordinator, and erosion and sedimentation control technician.

Washington County’s program to keep sediment out of waterways usually ran on about $70,000 annually from fees associated with motor vehicle licenses and an allocation from the state’s transportation improvement fund, but because of the Pennsylvania gasoline tax, the amount recently jumped to approximately $500,000.

Wilmont wants county residents to know that they are the eyes of the community when it comes to reporting problem dirt, gravel and low traffic-volume roads that are sending water-borne soil into streams, lakes and ponds, especially when rain falls.

“Low-volume roads are something I’m very excited about because it’s brand new,” Wilmont said. Cities and boroughs that don’t have dirt or gravel roads can now qualify for conservation district review under certain circumstances.

Because this part of the program is so new, the conservation district does not have an estimate of how many low-volume roads might qualify, Wilmont said.

“With funding, we can do more,” Wilmont said. She’s spreading the word, visiting nine of the county’s 66 municipalities in the past week and she plans to meet with more.

Bob Kipp, manager of Canonsburg, said borough officials will begin identifying roads that could qualify for the program as soon as the snow thaws. He said he believes a few low-volume roads will be eligible for grant money, but can’t say for certain yet.

Canonsburg was among the first round of municipalities Wilmont visited and Kipp said the borough plans to act fast.

“It sounds like a really great program,” Kipp said. “We’re going to try to work on this quick before everybody else gets there before us.”

People who drive the roads should report problems to the municipal officials of the area because municipalities might qualify for funding through the conservation district. Low-volume road are traveled by 500 car trips or less per day. If the state Department of Transportation has completed a traffic count, the municipality can submit that as evidence. In the absence of a traffic study, a municipality can conduct its own count during morning or afternoon rush hours.

Potential projects don’t necessarily involve entire roads, but problem areas where sediment is washing into streams.

The solution may be to resurface that part of the road using what is known as driving surface aggregate, a mix of limestone and other materials that compacts to a hard surface that rain will run off without taking soil with it.

Another solution is to build drainage along the road.

The Washington County Conservation District identified more than 200 road sites that could qualify for the program because they need work. This effort was initiated by Trout Unlimited members in northcentral Pennsylvania in 1991. The program was enacted into law in 1997 and since then, the Washington County Conservation District repaired 48 sites.

Counties in Pennsylvania had an increase in funding based on their number of dirt roads.

Money for the project comes from the state conservation commission, which has a dirt and gravel road maintenance program as part of the state Agriculture Department. According to this agency’s website, Pennsylvania has more than 25,000 miles of unpaved roads, about 17,500 of which are owned by local municipalities that provide access not only to homes but agriculture, mining, forestry and tourism.

Sediment and dust from these roads is known as “non-point source pollution,” and the state Department of Environmental Protection blames to this type of pollution for 88 percent of impaired stream miles in Pennsylvania.

“There’s a lot of local control in this program,” Wilmont said. “Do you have any roads that need help that are close to a stream? We can help them fill out an application,” available on the county conservation district website, www.pawccd.org.

Rushing sediment can damage or clog the gills of fish and small aquatic creatures and its presence increases water temperature, making it difficult for aquatic organisms to survive.

“When these roads wash out, it increases the maintenance costs for municipalities,” Wilmont explained. “They have to clean out culverts if they become choked with sediment and they also have to fix the road surface. And if there are drainage issues with the road, it could be very icy and very dangerous.”

The conservation district’s quality assurance board, which meets three to four time per year, will review applications at a date to be determined, likely in April. Board members will visit sites with the highest potential or the areas that need the most help.

The municipality will have to provide a list of expenses, and each road would be a separate contract.

One requirement of the program is that municipal employees who will be in charge of work plan development and implementation must attend free training in environmentally sensitive maintenance, with certification lasting for five years.

“They have to complete training before entering into a contract with us,” Wilmont said.

Matt Golden, erosion control technician who has run the program for the past three years for the conservation district, told of a 2012 project on Oak Leaf Road in Hopewell Township that was done to keep sediment from pouring into Cross Creek Lake. A geotextile was placed over the graded surface, drainage ditches were dug and an aggregate surface was put in place with paving equipment by Michael Facchiano Contracting Inc. of Pittsburgh. State taxpayers contributed $64,000 toward the project through the conservation district, and county taxpayers footed an additional $66,000.

The conservation district lists among its ongoing projects Hickory Road in West Pike Run Township, $32,491 for culverts and road base driving surface aggregate; Grable Road, West Bethlehem Township, $48,760 for the same aggregate; and Sphar Street in Dunlevy Borough, $54,336 granted for aggregate and drainage improvements.

Greene County has also seen a significant increase in its funding.

For the current fiscal year, the Greene County Conservation District will be receiving $420,263 to improve dirt and gravel roads and $108,893 for low-volume roads, which can be tar-and-chip or paved, but they must impact a stream.

Averages for the past few years totaled $89,0000, according to Lisa Snider, manager of the Greene County Conservation District.

Staff writer Emily Petsko and Greene County Bureau Chief Jon Stevens contributed to this story.

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