Waterways are plentiful in our Appalachian Mountains but unfortunately most of our creeks and rivers are seriously polluted with acid mine drainage, heavy metals, sewage, and more, thus limiting their use for drinking water and recreation. After several visits with former WMMT producer Sylvia Ryerson, her sister Hazel Ryerson decided to create a model for addressing this water pollution for her graduate school thesis in Architecture.  She created a design for downtown Whitesburg, KY, that shows how cleaning our water could also create public spaces to re-connect us to our waterways. Ryerson’s project demonstrates the exciting possibilities that could come with additional investment of Abandoned Mine Land Funds in remediation and restoration of land and water.   

Reclaiming the River

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