National Fish Habitat Action Plan

Williams Run is a tributary of South Sandy Creek in Venango County, PA.  Aquatic habitat in Williams Run has been severely damaged since coal mining activities produced acid mine drainage in the stream. Water conditions were degraded with a very low pH, no alkalinity, and both iron and aluminum contamination. This point-source pollution left the stream uninhabitable for brook trout and other aquatic life.  Williams Run is currently listed on the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s 303d List of Impaired Streams.

Williams Run represents waterways across the country, including lakes and reservoirs, that are improving through the conservation efforts of the National Fish Habitat Action Plan—a bold initiative to reverse persistent declines in aquatic habitat.

In 2005, in recognition of the need to address regional and range-wide threats to brook trout, a group of public and private entities formed the Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture (EBTJV) to halt the decline of brook trout and restore fishable populations of this iconic species. The EBTJV directs locally-driven efforts that build partnerships to improve fish habitat, working to ensure healthy, fishable brook trout populations throughout their historic eastern United States range.

www.easternbrooktrout.org