Mineral City, Ohio (WJER) - Huff Run Watershed Conservancy District officials are still talking about waterway revitalization even in the winter months. 

Coordinator Marissa Lautzenheiser says their winter community meeting is Tuesday, January 15th, at 6 pm inside the Mineral City Fire Station. She says they’ll be talking about reclamation efforts that will reduce acid mine drainage at two abandoned coal mines just outside Mineral City.

“Every time it rains, these voids fill back up with water. The pollution is going to continue to come out for many thousands of years, but what we do is actually build the treatment systems above grounds so once the pollution comes out, we can treat it before it enters the streams,” she says.

Lautzenheiser says AmeriCorps member Brooker Sanderson will also be presenting on low-head dams and how they pose a risk to nature and those enjoying it.

“These low-head dams a lot of times look like little waterfalls and people think that they would be fun to paddle over top of, but they are quite dangerous,” she says.

Lautzenheiser says they will also be hearing about how low-head dams can disrupt fish habitats, and also how their removal can restore areas.

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