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About TCWA
One of the first grassroots watershed organizations to be formed in western Pennsylvania, the Turtle Creek Watershed Association (TCWA) began meeting in 1968, was incorporated in 1970, and received its non-profit status in 1971. Our members have worked since that time to address watershed issues and improve water quality in the 147 square-mile area of eastern Allegheny and northwestern Westmoreland Counties drained by Turtle Creek and its eleven major tributaries.
Diversity is our hallmark. Our watershed is a diverse mixture of land uses from heavy industry to corporate and commercial to urban and suburban residential to rural agriculture to forests. Our 193,000 residents are also a diverse mixture - cultural, ethnic, racial, socio-economic, and educational. Continuing the expression of our diversity, a few of our streams are high quality,some are marginally impacted by mine drainage contamination or sediments, and some are heavily polluted.
TCWA is a qualified IRS 501(c)(3) tax exempt nonprofit partnership of area citizens, businesses, organizations, municipalities, foundations, and local, state, and federal agencies. The group's initial focus was on solving soil erosion, flooding, sewage, and abandoned mine drainage problems. In subsequent years, the TCWA also became involved with projects which addressed recreation, environmental education, and natural resources conservation throughout the watershed.
Today, our organization is actively pursuing abandoned mine drainage remediation, streambank stabilization, multi-municipal stormwater management and flood prevention, municipal assistance with MS4 implementation, and water quality monitoring. Since 1999, TCWA has been awarded a total of over $1 million in project grants, and we continue to explore opportunities to make water quality and quantity improvements across the watershed. Other parts of this website provide more information about our work.
