The Allegheny Aquatic Alliance is asking locals to help the Connoquenessing Creek win 2022 River of the Year after being nominated in four previous years.

The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources announced Monday that the Connoquenessing Creek is in the running for the designation, along with the Catawissa Creek in East Central Pennsylvania, French Creek in the Meadville area and the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh.

“The value of our waterways has shined brighter than ever during this pandemic as people have visited Pennsylvania's rivers and streams in unprecedented numbers seeking the natural refuge they supply,” said Cindy Adams Dunn, DCNR secretary.

The competition, now in its 39th year, has seen the “Connie” nominated four times.

The alliance has sent a recommendation for nomination to the DCNR many years.

Mike Handley, alliance president, said Monday that the creek came within 200 or so votes of winning two years ago.

“We came close a couple times,” Handley said.

The Connie was an extremely polluted, unused waterway a decade ago when the alliance was formed and began holding two cleanup events per year to pull tires and other trash out of the 54-mile creek.

Handley said the cleanups have eliminated 80% of the pollution in the creek, and wildlife such as fish, eagles, turtles and other native creatures have returned to the Connie.

“The amount of work the community has done as far as turning the waterway around from the state it was in 10 years ago, it's a night and day difference,” Handley said.

The alliance has also worked with municipalities to install nine access points along the creek, where canoes and kayaks can be safely launched.

The alliance would receive funding from the DCNR if the creek were named River of the Year. Those funds would help with the 2022 Connoquenessing Creek Cleanup, during which volunteers pulled more than 7,500 tires and 627,000 pounds of trash from the creek in 10 years.

“With the help of everyone in our community voting, we have a great chance of winning,” Handley said.

To cast a vote for the Connoquenessing Creek for 2022 River of the Year, visit pawatersheds.org and click on River of the Year.