The 298 square-mile Loyalhanna Creek Watershed is located in Westmoreland County in Southwestern Pennsylvania. The Loyalhanna Creek originates on the western slope of Laurel Ridge, south of Ligonier Township, and flows northwest through Ligonier, Latrobe, New Alexandria, and finally on to Saltsburg where it meets the Conemaugh River. Together, they form the Kiskiminetas River, which flows into the Allegheny River.

The Loyalhanna Creek Watershed is comprised of 2,500 miles of stream, each varying in origin, size, and quality. Despite abundant forests in the headwaters and natural areas throughout its middle section, the Loyalhanna Creek Watershed is impacted by a series of challenges including abandoned mine drainage (AMD), sedimentation as a result of erosion and nutrient loading. The combination of historic coal mining, farming, and development threaten the Loyalhanna Creek Watershed and its quality.