CAMBRIA COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation has won an award for the reclamation work they have done on the Little Conemaugh River.

The 2020 Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation Awards awarded the national award, which recognizes the overall highest-rated reclamation project to the Ehrenfeld AML Pilot Reclamation / Recreation & Watershed Improvement Project.

In this project, 70 acres of coal refuse piled along the Johnstown Path of the Flood Trail were removed. The coal refuse clogged a tributary to the Little Conemaugh River and highly acidic water impaired local streams.

The project improved the Little Conemaugh watershed and resulted in new opportunities for recreation and tourism, including a new community park and safer walking trails.

The awards will be presented in a virtual ceremony in September.