Center for Watershed Research and Service

Nonprofit organizations perform vital service in the restoration of watersheds, both at home and abroad. These nonprofits often affect great positive change with very limited personnel and budgets, impacts that could be amplified with technical assistance, focused research or simply additional manpower.

This is where the Center for Watershed Research & Service (CWRS) is called to serve. The CWRS helps match nonprofit partners in need of assistance with faculty and students from various academic schools and degree programs at Saint Francis University.

Methods

• Real class projects in the service of nonprofit partners.
• Student-professor research teams investigating fundamental and applied research questions of interest to nonprofit partners.
• Service-learning internships pairing student interns and mentoring professors with nonprofit partners.
• Mobilization of the SFU student body for large volunteer events held by nonprofit partners.

CWRS was founded with support from the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds with funds appropriated from the 2011 GenOn Energy Inc. settlement agreement.   For more information, visit the Center for Watershed Research & Service.

Mission

The Center's mission is to provide expert assistance and manpower to amplify the watershed restoration efforts of domestic and international nonprofit organizations and to advance the watershed restoration body of knowledge.

CWRS Personnel

The Center for Watershed Research & Service (CWRS) has a diverse team of faculty that span environmental engineering, chemistry, history, communications, and biology; reflecting the multi-faceted nature of environmental problems and truly sustainable solutions.

Our Partners

The Center for Watershed Research & Service (CWRS) helps match nonprofit partners in need of assistance with faculty and students from various academic schools and degree programs at Saint Francis University. Below are some of the organizations, corporations, and agencies that have partnered with the center.

Non-Profit Organizations

• Kiski-Conemaugh Stream-Team, Johnstown, PA
• Engineers In Action, La Paz, Bolivia
• Natural Biodiversity, Johnstown, PA
• Clearfield Creek Watershed Association, Clearfield, PA
• Shade Creek Watershed Association, Central City, PA
• Norman Rotary Club, Norman, OK
• Rotary International, Evanston, IL
• Stonycreek-Conemaugh River Improvement Project, Johnstown, PA
• Sandyvale Memorial Gardens, Johnstown, PA
• Blair County Conservation District, Hollidaysburg, PA

Private Corporations

• Empresa Minera Agricola Kumurana, Potosi, Bolivia
• Cardinal Engineering, Norman, OK

Government Agencies

• Prefecture of Potosi, Bolivia

Academic Units

• Center for Restoration of Ecosystems and Watersheds (CREW), Norman, OK
• Water Technologies for Emerging Regions (WaTER) Center, Norman, OK
• Universidad Autonoma Tomas Frias Mining Engineering Department, Potosi, Bolivia
• The Pennsylvania State University Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA

The following academic products have been produced by the Center for Watershed Research & Service (CWRS) faculty to address research questions of interest to our nonprofit partners.

Research and Publications

• Strosnider, W.H.J., R.W. Nairn, R.A.M. Peer**, B.K. Winfrey (2013) Passive Co-Treatment of Zn-rich Acid Mine Drainage and Raw Municipal Wastewater. Journal of Geochemical Exploration 125: 110-116. (PDF)
• Peer, R.A.M.**, W. Strosnider, B. Winfrey*, R. Nairn (2013) Passive Co-Treatment of Acid Mine Drainage and Municipal Wastewater: Removal of Less Commonly Addressed Metals at Cerro Rico de Potosí, Bolivia. Proceedings of the International Mine Water Association International Conference.
• Strosnider, W.H.J., F. Llanos López, J.A. LaBar, K.J. Palmer**, R.A.M. Peer**, R.W. Nairn (2013) Cerro Rico de Potosí, Bolivia: Broader Impacts from Unabated Acid Mine Drainage. Proceedings of the International Mine Water Association International Conference.
• Strosnider, W.H.J., T.A. Hughes, R.A.M Peer**, B.K. Winfrey, N.F. Gray, R.W. Nairn (2012) Co-Treatment of Acid Mine Drainage with Municipal Wastewater: A Promising New Approach. Reclamation Matters, Fall ’12: 26-29. (PDF)
• Mignogna L.J.**, W.A. Runyon**, R.W. Nairn, W.H.J. Strosnider (2012) Preliminary Assessment of Floodplain Soil Metal Concentrations: Neosho River, Oklahoma. Proceedings of the American Society of Mining and Reclamation National Conference.
• Neptune, A.A.**, F.S. Llanos Lopez, R.R. Callapa*, K.J. Palmer**, R.W. Nairn, J.Z. Bandstra, W.H. Strosnider (2012) The Pailaviri Tailings Deposit, Potosí, Bolivia: Extreme Acid Mine Drainage Generation. Proceedings of the American Society of Mining and Reclamation National Conference. (PDF)
• Palmer, K.J.**, F. Llanos Lopez, R.R. Callapa*, A.A. Neptune**, C.T. Breazile**, R.W. Nairn, W.H. Strosnider (2012) Preliminary Evaluation of Limestone-Based Passive Treatment Systems for Low-pH Acid Mine Drainage in Andean Bolivia. Proceedings of the American Society of Mining and Reclamation National Conference. (PDF) 
• Strosnider, W.H.J., B.K. Winfrey*, R.W. Nairn (2012) Expanding the Scope of Passive Treatment: Co-Treatment of Acid Mine Drainage with Municipal Wastewater. Proceedings of the American Society of Mining and Reclamation National Conference. (PDF)
• Strosnider, W.H., J. Alvarez*, F.S. Llanos Lopez, C. Breazile**, S. Crook**, P. Monje, T. Cooper, R.W. Nairn (2012) Design and Construction Challenges for Limestone-Based Passive Treatment Systems in the Rural Andes, Potosí, Bolivia. Proceedings of the American Society of Mining and Reclamation National Conference. (PDF)
• Faldetta, K.F.*, D.A. Reighard*, K.L. Dickinson*, C.Q. Wang*, D.R. George, W.H. Strosnider (2012) The Need for Point of Use Water Treatments in Areas of Peri-Urban Poverty: Case Study outside Iquitos, Peru. Proceedings of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Health Annual Meeting. (PDF)

*denotes graduate student author
** denotes undergraduate student author