Economic Impact of Conservation

Somerset County Conservation District

Somerset County Conservation District offers two reports on the economic impact of conservation.

• Economic Overview
• Economic Development

West Branch Susquehanna River Watershed

Streams across the West Branch Susquehanna River (WBSR) watershed, which encompasses about 7,000 square miles in central Pennsylvania, are still polluted from abandoned mine drainage (AMD) from old coal mines. Cleaning up these impaired waters will cost millions of dollars, but these expenditures will provide a tremendous boost to the largely rural local economy. This report describes and quantifies the local and statewide economic benefits stemming from remediation of the WBSR watershed.

West Branch Susquehanna River Watershed: Mine Drainage Remediation

Read our Success Profile

Roaring Run Recreation Area: A Profile in Environmental Restoration