Little Laurel Run flows into Clearfield Creek about two miles north of Ashville. Because of acid mine drainage from the long-abandoned Klondike Mine, the creek was devoid of life.
But thanks to the work of the Clearfield Creek Watershed Association, funding from the Environmental Stewardship Fund, and dedicated volunteers, there are now two low-cost, low-maintenance treatment devices that utilize stream or mine water to create a bed of fluidized limestone for the treatment of streams impacted by acid mine drainage. The implementation and use of these devices has improved five miles of stream to the point that both feeder fish and trout are now thriving.
