Rivers are Life Launches 'Toxic Art' Film on World Sustainability Day, Showcasing Environmental Efforts in Ohio

Non-Profit

Oct 25

MIDLAND, Mich., October 25, 2023 (VSNewsNetwork.com) - Rivers are Life, a non-profit organization, released a film today titled "Toxic Art," spotlighting the restoration efforts in Appalachian Ohio's Sunday Creek, severely polluted by acid mine drainage. The release coincides with World Sustainability Day and showcases the collaborative efforts of local River Heroes: artist and environmentalist John Sabraw, Civil Engineering Professor Guy Reifler, and community developer Michelle Shively MacIver.

John Sabraw, who is also a Professor of Art at Ohio University, said, “When we put people together from different disciplines and different backgrounds, that is when this magic happens. Humans have exponential potential to solve these crises and to take stewardship over a future that is going to be sustainable and joyous. I believe more than ever that that’s possible, and that’s what we have to do.”

The 27-mile-long Sunday Creek in Southeastern Ohio suffers from significant pollution caused by acid mine drainage, a byproduct of abandoned coal mines in the area. More than 6,650 stream miles in Central Appalachia are similarly affected. The creek experiences a staggering flow rate of 988 gallons of acid mine drainage per minute from the Truetown Discharge, equating to approximately 2,183,065 pounds of iron oxide entering the creek annually, which devastates aquatic habitats over a stretch of seven miles.

Sabraw, alongside Guy Reifler, Professor and Chair of Civil Engineering at Ohio University, conducted extensive research and eventually succeeded in converting the pollutant iron oxide from the sludge into an environmentally and economically sustainable pigment. Their partnership expanded to include Rural Action, a non-profit regional community development organization, and led to the creation of True Pigments. This social enterprise aims to restore Sunday Creek while also providing socio-economic opportunities for the local community.

In June 2023, a collaborative effort involving Rural Action, Ohio University, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and the U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement broke ground on the True Pigments Acid Mine Drainage Treatment & Pigment Production Facility. Once operational, this plant is expected to intercept 100% of coal mine pollution before it enters waterways.