 Bens Creek used to be a robust trout habitat.Mine effluent contained high concentrations of iron, which rendered downstream sections of Bens Creek effectively sterile  from about 1900 to 1994.A remediation project (construction 1992-1994, re-engineered 2002) coordinated by the Stonycreek-Conemaugh River Improvement Project (SCRIP), a local non-governmental organization, restored Bens Creek by precipitating iron toxins from the effluent.