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History at the Heritage Program Highlights Cleanup of Schuylkill River

by Berks County Parks and Recreation Department

Jul 26, 2022

Learn more about the project that restored the major waterway in our County at August’s History at the Heritage program on Saturday, Aug. 6 at 10 am. This program is free and open to the public. It will be held regardless of weather in the barn at the Berks County Heritage Center.

August 6: 10 am | History of the Schuylkill River Project

After the extraction of coal began in its headwaters in the early 1800s, the Schuylkill went from being considered waters of ‘uncommon purity’ to being called this country’s dirtiest river by the 1900s. That distinction resulted in the Schuylkill River becoming the focus of a precedent-setting river cleanup effort in 1947 known as the Schuylkill River Project. Without the Schuylkill River Project, a very different river would flow through our communities today.

Chari Towne, Director of Grants and Operations with the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, has researched the Schuylkill River Project. In this presentation, Towne will tell the complicated story of how the Schuylkill was allowed to become so polluted. She will detail efforts by those who worked to restore the health of the river and discuss how that project still resonates today. Towne is the author of A River Again: The Story of the Schuylkill River Project. This talk is sponsored by The Consortium for Scientific Assistance to Watersheds.

More about the speaker, Chari Towne: Towne joined the Delaware Riverkeeper Network (DRN) in 1996 to oversee the organization’s Schuylkill programs. She continues to act as DRN’s Schuylkill watershed specialist, but now serves as Director of Grants and Operations. From preparing comment for decision makers, to writing grant proposals, to overseeing many of DRN’s daily business activities, Towne has broad responsibilities with DRN. She also develops and organizes programs around watershed issues, such as the annual Watershed Congress.

For more information on this program, please contact Historic Resource Supervisor Dan Roe [email protected] or (610) 374-8839 ex. 201.

The Berks County Heritage Center is located at 1102 Red Bridge Road, Reading PA 19605. This program is presented by the Berks County Parks & Recreation Department.

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