Description: In northern Lebanon County deep within State Game Lands #211 there is a movement afoot to combat the acidic effects of abandoned mine drainage into Rausch Creek, a major tributary of Stony Creek. The movement referred to is what is known technically as a mover diversion well, the first of its kind to be built in the United States. Patterned after a Swedish design, the original diversion well was constructed in 1987 as a joint project of Pennsylvania State University and the Dauphin Chapter of Trout Unlimited. Treating the acidic water of Rausch Creek results in a pH increase (the higher the number, the less acidity) from an average of about 4.0 above the well to over 6.0 several hundred yards below the outflow. Although the appearance of the clear water tumbling over rocks upstream of the well would lead the casual observer to conclude that the stream is of high quality, no fish life is present there. Downstream less than a hundred yards, healthy brook trout can sometimes be observed from the old stone arch bridge on the Stony Creek Trail. Chapter volunteers went to work in August 2000 constructing the supplementary well. The original diversion dam was restructured, approximately 100 yards of trenching was dug and pipe laid, and the new concrete well chamber was installed. Although significant manual labor was involved, donation of earth-moving equipment by local Caterpillar dealer Cleveland Brothers greatly reduced the man-hours and the physical effort required. Funds for purchasing project materials were provided under grants from national TU’s Embrace-A-Stream Program and the Eastern PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation (EPCAMR). Since additional tonnage is required to charge the second well, the limestone supply was moved down the hill adjacent to the wells, now allowing volunteers to shovel stone directly from the stockpile into both chambers. This excerpt is taken from Doc Fritchey Chapter Trout Unlimited's webpage Stony Creek Diversion Well Story https://www.dftu.org/diversion-well-story/