Washington, DC - Congressman Paul E. Kanjorski (PA-11) announced today that the Fiscal Year 2000 Appropriations bill for Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies includes, at his request, $1 million to further the American Heritage River cleanup of the Upper Susquehanna-Lackawanna Watershed.

Congressman Kanjorski remarked, "If a comprehensive clean-up initiative in the 1,800 square miles of our watershed is to succeed, we will need a highly sophisticated tool to gather the necessary information, organize it, and make it understandable so that everyone can understand the environmental and economic problems we face and set priorities to fix them. The tool we will be using revolves around state-of-the-art Geographic Information System (GIS) technology under the direction of the Pennsylvania GIS Consortium, a non-profit organization led by Wilkes University and King's College to promote the use of GIS in the Upper Susquehanna-Lackawanna Watershed. This $1 million federal grant, when combined with $940,000 we have previously obtained for this project, will help us create a world-class data collection system that will not only guide our progress on the environmental clean-up, but will also facilitate attracting industry to Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania."

GIS allows massive amounts of disparate data to be stored in computer systems and then processed in such a way that the data is visualized in thematic maps which are easier to understand and interpret. The GIS project envisioned for the Upper Susquehanna-Lackawanna Watershed will include data on sources of acid mine drainage, sites of mine-scarred land, sewer and storm drainage systems, flood plain maps, transportation infrastructure, and many other items.

The final version of the appropriations bill containing these funds was approved by the House of Representatives today and is expected to be approved by the Senate and the President before the end of the month.

GIS Consortium President/CEO Dale Bruns, a Wilkes University Professor, said, "The Congressman's leadership in providing this funding is much appreciated. These funds will enable the Consortium to continue and expand its efforts to deploy this cutting-edge technology to assist environmental cleanup and sustainable development projects in communities throughout the watershed."

Upper Susquehanna-Lackawanna Watershed River Navigator Alex Rogers, who is responsible for overseeing the daily progress of the local initiative, said, "This measure provides critical funding for our ongoing efforts to develop a comprehensive master plan for the watershed that will serve as an important development tool for environmental restoration and economic revitalization."

The American Heritage Rivers initiative is a comprehensive effort to assist and promote rivers that have important cultural, historical, economic, and environmental value and needs. President Clinton and Vice President Gore have directed federal agencies to give top priority to funding projects located in the fourteen areas across the nation that received the American Heritage River designation. The Upper Susquehanna-Lackawanna Watershed stretches north from Northumberland County to include parts of Montour, Columbia, Sullivan, Schuylkill, Luzerne, Lackawanna, Wayne, and Susquehanna counties.