Chalfant Run remediation set as transformation of former Churchill Country Club continues

Acid mine drainage has long saturated Chalfant Run with chemicals, harming wildlife and not being particularly good for humans either.

Newly flush with funding, the Allegheny Land Trust aims to turn this frothy stream into clear waters by installing a high calcite limestone filter at the Churchill Valley Greenway.

“The majority of the system will be installed underground, and visitors will see berms surrounding (ponds), limestone beds and clean water flowing to a restored stream,” said Lindsay Dill, senior director of marketing and community engagement for the Land Trust.

The Land Trust purchased the former site of the Churchill Country Club in 2021 for $3 million with help from state agencies, the Allegheny County Redevelopment Authority, charitable foundations and individuals.

It’s now known as the Churchill Valley Greenway and offers a space for local wildlife and residents to find respite from development. Though Churchill is in the name, the greenway also includes parts of Penn Hills.

After purchasing the 151-acre site, the Land Trust got to work with immediate safety needs, such as repairing old golf cart bridges and removing waste.

With that behind them, the Land Trust has turned its attention to more in-depth environmental remediation. Chalfant Run flows cloudy with aluminum, according to Dill, weakening fish and preventing any macroinvertebrate species such as crayfish from taking up residence.

The filtration system will cost $2.7 million, provided by the Pennsylvania Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation. Altogether, the state gave $5.3 million to entities like the Land Trust to clean up undermined lands. Two additional rounds of grants come out later this year.

Along the way, crews will “renaturalize” the stream, Dill said, removing barriers placed by the country club that force the creek down a straight path.

All of this work will give the Land Trust access to wetland tax credits, according to state Rep. Joe McAndrew. He represents the 32nd House District, which includes Penn Hills, Oakmont, Verona and parts of Plum.

These monies are set aside by businesses, such as golf courses, when they fill in wetlands for future organizations to restore the land.

“They weren’t going to reestablish wetlands with water that is poisoned,” McAndrew said. “I’m really glad to see the state is taking an interest in the area and making sure we have a thriving ecosystem.”

Dill expects the project to begin in the fall and take about two years. For a time, parts of this bucolic setting could look more like a construction site.

“In the short term, it will look rough,” Dill said. “We ask people to bear with us during that time, knowing it will again look like a natural, beautiful greenway and be healthier for it.

Even without stream restoration, the Greenway has convinced some residents to move along its perimeter. For Ian Cartwright, a Penn Hills resident and member of Friends of the Churchill Valley Greenway, the area was a selling point as a home buyer.

“We don’t have a central business district. We don’t have a lot of things that young people are looking for,” Cartwright said. “But we do have this really interesting greenway that’s being rewilded, and it’s kind of a feather in our cap.”