Abigail Pattishall knows the Lehigh River watershed better than almost anyone.

As Wildlands Conservancy’s vice president of conservation, Pattishall has extensively studied the 1,300 square miles of land from which water empties into the Lehigh River. Her organization recently wrote a conservation management plan for the Lehigh watershed.

So as Carbon County residents gathered Tuesday night to kick off a fund dedicated to the preservation of the watershed, they listened closely to what she had to say about the health of the river.

Pattishall said that the river, once referred to as “black flowing lava” because of its poor quality, has rebounded tremendously. But there is still much work to be done to prevent continued damage from abandoned mine drainage, urban runoff and farming.

“More and more people are seeing this watershed as a recreational resource, as an economic resource and really contributing to our quality of life,” she told an audience at the Lehighton Outdoor Center.

The Carbon County Community Foundation invited Pattishall as they kicked off the Lehigh River Watershed Fund, which will connect philanthropists with the organizations who are working to preserve natural resources in the area and ultimately enhance the quality of the Lehigh. Following the talk, they took a ride on the D&L Trail thanks to Lehighton Outdoor Center.

All four local rafting companies are helping kick off the fund. Four more events will take place through July 2.

Dennis DeMara, a lifelong conservationist who previously served as director of Mauch Chunk Lake Park, was the first donor to the fund and has helped guide its creation.

DeMara said there is still much work to be done to protect the river — reducing abandoned mine drainage, preserving land in the headwaters and improving stream buffers.

“People see that the river is relatively clean, and that’s a good thing. But I’m concerned that they think ‘well, the work is done, there’s nothing else to do,” he said.

The Lehigh River watershed contains 109 municipalities and 2,000 miles of streams. Wildlands has been active in preserving watershed throughout.

More than half of the stream miles in the watershed are considered high quality under federal regulations, and about 10 percent is considered exceptional value, meaning it gets extra protection from the federal government.

On the other hand, Pattishall said, 26 percent of the stream miles in the watershed are considered impaired. In the Lehigh Valley, the main causes are farming and urban runoff. In Carbon County, however, abandoned mine drainage is the primary concern when it comes to pollution.

There are eight abandoned mine tunnels which empty into the Lehigh watershed.

In the heyday of underground mining, the mines would flood. The solution was to dig tunnels to drain them.

However the combination of acid rain and underground minerals means that discharge is highly acidic. Also, the tunnels produce thousands of gallons per minute. As a result, Pattishall said, it’s estimated that 2 million pounds of pollution enters the watershed from the mine tunnels.

“Everybody who created this problem is long gone. This is a legacy water quality problem. It’s something that I like to talk about as a cautionary tale as we step into our next set of legacy water quality problems,” she said.

Two tunnels have “passive treatment systems” which treats the mine water with lime, but it has been recommended that they be replaced. Wildlands and Weatherly Borough recently received a grant to rehabilitate the Quakake Tunnel using a newer technique which looks promising.

The Lehigh River Stocking Association maintains the treatment system at the Lausanne Tunnel on behalf of Wildlands. Steve Chuckra, the group’s vice president, said his organization’s goals are in line with the new watershed fund.

“If this fund can just contribute a little toward those issues, I think we can do a lot more with our water quality monitoring program,” Chuckra said.

In other areas, like Monroe County, watershed conservation has run up against opposition from businesses that say it is anti-development. DeMara said he is not anti-development, however he believes projects should be done in a way which doesn’t negatively affect the local environment.

“We want development to occur, but we want it to occur in a balanced way where it won’t degrade the streams that are already degraded. We don’t want to go backward, and it takes diligence,” he said.

Upcoming events

• River Explorers Family Rafting Trip, 11:45 a.m.-5 p.m. at Pocono Whitewater Rafting. Reservations $39.99-$49.99. Leisurely 1.5-2 hour rafting ride between Jim Thorpe and Lehighton. Picnic lunch included. Wildlands Conservancy will lead snorkeling and an aquatic wildlife survey. Call 1-800-WHITEWATER (800-944-8392) or 570-325-3654. Mention the Carbon County Community Foundation Trip.

• Long Pond Barrens Nature Walk, 7-8:30 p.m. June 20 at Long Pond Preserve. Free, but space is limited. The barrens hold the highest concentration of globally rare species in the state. Registration: email jcase@tnc.org, or call 570-643-7922, ext. 325.

• Premier Whitewater Rafting, 9:40 a.m.-2:40 p.m. June 23 at Whitewater Challengers. Registration is $65, lunch is not included. Ages 9 and up. Dam release whitewater rafting on exciting class II-III rapids in Lehigh Gorge State Park. To register, call 800-443-8554 and mention event code CCCF2019.

• Cookout at Whitewater Rafting Adventures: 4:30-7:30 p.m. July 2. $25 for kids, $50 for adults. Unlimited zip line rides (ages 10 and up), stand-up paddle board demos, live music by Sound Birds and Friends, smoothies and Picnic-style food all included. Registration: https://bit.ly/2MrTxzi.