Environmental Clean Up of Lamberts Run Tributary to Benefit Flight 93 National Memorial and Surrounding Area

Date: October 9, 2012
Contact: Keith Newlin, National Park Service, [phone]
Contact: Marjorie Hall, National Park Foundation, [phone]

        Office of Surface Mining Grants $312,000 to Fund Environmental Effort

Shanksville, PA, (October 9, 2012) - Today, the National Park Service (NPS) announced the continued effort to improve the water quality of Lamberts Run, a stream bisecting the Flight 93 National Memorial that flows into the Stonycreek River in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. A $312,000 grant from the Department of Interior's Office of Surface Mining to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources will ultimately construct a settling bed to filter iron and manganese from the pumped well discharge. A great enhancement to the surrounding community, the resulting clean, treated water will also be able to be used for greywater as part of the operation of the Flight 93 National Memorial.

Lamberts Run has long been polluted by acid mine damage from underground mines that were abandoned prior to World War II. Several partners including the National Park Service, the Somerset Conservation District, the Somerset Conservancy, the Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement, and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the Families of Flight 93 have joined in the effort to clean up this tributary stream.

Improving the water quality in Lamberts Run is, however, only part of a broader commitment by the National Park Service to act as responsible environmental stewards of the memorial. In addition to treating mine discharge, NPS is working to: conserve on-site wetlands; plant thousands of trees as a reforestation initiative; remove exotic and invasive plant species; and restore native wildlife habitats.

Working with the National Park Foundation, the non-profit partner of the National Park Service, several private sector supporters are investing in this effort including the Alcoa Foundation, GenOn Energy, Rosebud Mining Company, Roy A. Hunt Foundation, and the UPS Foundation. Additional participating organizations include: Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Forestry, Appalachian Regional Commission, and Green Forest Works.

For more information about the Flight 93 National Memorial and how to support the campaign, please go to www.honorflight93.org. 

ABOUT THE FLIGHT 93 NATIONAL MEMORIAL
On September 24, 2002, President Bush signed into law the Flight 93 National Memorial Act. The Act created a new national park unit to commemorate the passengers and crew of Flight 93 who, on September 11, 2001, courageously gave their lives thereby thwarting a planned attack on our nation's capital. The memorial is near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where Flight 93 crashed with the loss of its 40 passengers and crew. For more information about the Flight 93 National Memorial, please visit www.nps.gov/flni. For information on how to make a donation and help build the memorial, go to www.honorflight93.org.     

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