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A recent article in the Altoona Mirror emphasized the foresight and wisdom of the Altoona Water Authority in acquiring and maintaining forested watersheds around its seven reservoirs supplying water to our region.
Forested watersheds supply the highest quality water to Blair County's drinking water supply and the only maintenance required is to keep them free from degradation and disturbance.
According to the Mirror article; "The water in those reservoirs, which are fed from forested watersheds, is generally high quality, which eliminates the need for large sedimentation basins, which are necessary in some systems with lower quality raw water. Not having to build those saved millions of dollars and also saved on operations."
Forests naturally filter rainwater. Water from a forest is much cleaner than water from urban or agricultural land. Forests provide drinking water to more than 150 million people in the U.S. Forests clean drinking water in a variety of ways: tree leaves and branches slow rainwater down before it reaches the forest floor, preventing erosion, especially during heavy downpours; rainwater is then naturally filtered as it moves through the soil; tree roots keep sediment from reaching streams and absorb nutrients that would otherwise pollute waterways. Even if they are far away from where surface water is pumped to provide supplies, forests help keep drinking water clean and safe.
Many thanks to the Altoona Water Authority for protecting our source waters and doing so in the most cost-effective ways.
Stan Kotala
Altoona