Summary: The Clearfield Creek Watershed Association (CCWA) is an all-volunteer organization founded in 2001, working to improve and protect the streams of the Clearfield Creek watershed in Cambria County — a watershed with a significant coal mining legacy and active AMD restoration work. CCWA represents the grassroots practitioner model at the heart of the PA AML network: community volunteers sustaining long-term restoration work in a place that needs it.
Role in the PA AML Network #
Clearfield Creek runs through a corridor of Cambria County heavily mined for clay and coal over the past century. CCWA has evaluated approximately 100 streams in the watershed, constructed AMD treatment systems, and organized clean-up events over more than two decades of sustained volunteer work. The association received a $528,000 Growing Greener grant to support AMD restoration projects — a significant investment in a volunteer-led organization that demonstrates the leveraging power of community-based watershed groups.
CCWA’s inclusion in AML-Connect’s Tier 1 network reflects its role as a model for what sustained grassroots AMD restoration looks like: a small, all-volunteer organization with decades of continuity, real treatment systems in the ground, and deep local knowledge of a heavily mined watershed.
What CCWA Does #
- AMD restoration projects on Clearfield Creek tributaries including Little Laurel Run and Morgan Run
- Stream assessments across the Clearfield Creek watershed
- Construction and monitoring of AMD treatment systems
- Volunteer clean-up events and community engagement
- Youth fishing derby and environmental education programs
How to Connect #
Website: http://www.clearfieldcreekwatershed.org/
Facebook: @ClearfieldCreekWatershed
Location: Ashville, PA (Cambria County)
Related Pages #
- About the AML Network
- O&M Hub
- Where to Get Help
- Organize a Watershed Partnership (Organizational Development)
Source and Last Reviewed: clearfieldcreekwatershed.org; ZoomInfo nonprofit profile; tributedem.com (Growing Greener grant coverage). Last reviewed: 2026-03.
Tags: practitioner, amd, aml, monitoring, pa, watershed-name
