The dramatic turnaround for a Butler County waterway once derided as the second-most polluted in America continues.

Connoquenessing Creek is one of five nominees for the Pennsylvania 2018 River of the Year award — and the winner gets a $10,000 grant.

The annual contest is run by the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers — a nonprofit organization that is an affiliate of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council.

The Connoquenessing was nominated by the Allegheny Aquatic Alliance, said Christina Handley, president of the board of directors.

The organization that nominated the river or creek that wins the vote will receive a $10,000 leadership grant from DCNR to fund River of the Year activities, according to a news release.

Voting is taking place online through Dec. 22 on the POWR Facebook page and on pariveroftheyear.org.

The four other nominees this year are:

The Lackawanna River, which runs through the northern Pocono Mountains in northeastern Pennsylvania

The Little Juniata River, which starts in Blair County

Lower Susquehanna/Susquehanna Riverlands in southeastern Pennsylvania

Loyalsock Creek, which runs through Sullivan and Lycoming counties.

A full story appears in Wednesday's Butler Eagle.