Stories

Written by Clear Water Conservancy

In Autumn 2020, ClearWater Conservancy and Native Creations Landscape Services partnered with local landowners, Jodi Hakes and Michael Beck, to plant one acre of native streamside forest, or streamside buffer, along Spring Creek.

As Jodi and Michael were planning and building their dream home, practicing responsible land stewardship for their floodplain and the segment of Spring Creek flowing through their property was a top priority.

“The very reason we selected this site for our home was the natural beauty of Spring Creek, forested banks, and surrounding floodplain, so for us it was a foregone conclusion that we would learn proper stewardship of the land and its inhabitants,” the landowners shared when asked about why the project was important to them. “Partnering with Clearwater Conservancy and Native Creations has helped us tend to the land in a way that promotes the kind of habitat that our wildlife neighbors depend on.”

Before the native streamside forest could be planted, invasive plants and shrubs had to be removed first, requiring a great deal of expense and hard work. Propelled by their enthusiasm for the project, Jodi and Michael took a hands-on approach to site preparation for the incoming plants and shrubs. They hired Native Creations to remove solid shrub thicket of invasive species, including honeysuckles, privet and multiflora rose. In addition to speeding up the site preparation process, Jodi and Michael also provided matching funds for grants that make it possible for ClearWater to assist landowners with stream buffer projects.

Following site preparation, the streamside forest, or buffer, was planted with trees and shrubs to create a habitat referred to in conservation terms as a multifunctional forest buffer (MFB). MFB’s consist of native trees and shrubs that thrive in floodplains and also produce fruits and nuts that landowners can harvest for their own use or to sell. Typical native species that have value as food for people include elderberry, hazelnut, blueberry, and serviceberry.

Following the site prep and initial plantings, the project shifts into the next phase which is forest stewardship. Ongoing stewardship is needed for many years to ensure that plantings grow successfully into larger trees and a healthy mature forest. During this time plants may need to replaced, competing vegetation needs to be removed, and invasive species must be monitored and controlled as needed.

These efforts require a long-term commitment from landowners and support from conservation partners with the right blend of technical expertise, resources and funding. Pennsylvania provides funding to non-profits and small businesses for these buffers through PA Department of Natural Resources (PA DCNR) MFB grants as well as PENNVEST MFB grants.

Many thanks to Jodi and Michael for the contributions and excitement they bring to this stream buffer project. ClearWater Conservancy is grateful for their partnership and look forward to working with them for many years as their streamside forest grows!

Partners and funding sources on this stream buffer include Jodi Hakes, Michael Beck, Native Creations Landscape Services, North Central PA Conservancy and ClearWater Conservancy using PA DCNR and PENNVEST grants. We are grateful for all the partners who work with us to restore streamside forests.

Every year, Tioga County landowners lose their homes and property to stream erosion and flooding, causing tons of sediments to enter the county’s waterways. Such events and processes alter the composition and energy of streams, compromising their water quality. These changes bear a toll on the health of aquatic habitats and local communities that depend on this water for consumption and domestic purposes.

Attempting to address these stream-related hurdles, the Tioga County Conservation District established the Streambank Stabilization Cost-share Program to stabilize eroded streams that traverse, or neighbor threatened properties. For seven years, the conservation district worked with partners and contractors to implement structures that change the flow, slope, and energy of high-risk streams to reduce erosion and flooding. Such projects comprise anchoring logs and mudsills to stabilize the streambank, establishing natural structures to harbor aquatic habitats, and planting vegetation along the banks to hold soil in place.

The Tioga County Conservation District has completed more than 20 stream stabilization projects under this program, reducing sediment runoff and lessening the disastrous effects of flood events. But now, the conservation district fears it might not be able to continue such crucial projects due to a lack of funding. The Royal Dutch Shell, which had provided half of the program’s funding until last year, terminated sponsorship when they sold their Pennsylvania assets. The conservation district had already been dealing with limited funds even with financial support from Shell, asking landowners to cover 50% of the project’s cost to spread funding and allow for the completion of more projects, costing approx. $10,000. Now the whole program is compromised.

Without the Streambank Stabilization Cost-share Program, Tioga landowners would face higher risks during flood events, losing more homes, businesses, and properties than in previous years. Thousands of sediments would continue flowing into Tioga waterways and downstream, making downstream communities more susceptible to flooding while impairing their water quality and hindering recreational fishing and other forms of tourism. Funding these types of projects is crucial for the health of Pennsylvania waterways and, with that, the safety and wellbeing of Pennsylvanians. Green infrastructure projects like the Streambank Stabilization Program are not expenditures; they are cost-effective, sustainable investments that return countless benefits to local and downstream communities for decades to come.

Mahoney Creek is a tributary of the Susquehanna River that winds through Northumberland and Schuylkill Counties. With coal mining continuing since the 19^th century within the region, the Mahoney Creek watershed has been heavily affected by acid mine drainage. According to the US EPA, acid mine drainage (AMD) mainly comes from abandoned coals mines and is caused when water flows over or through sulfur-bearing materials forming solutions of net acidity.

As a whole, the US EPA notes that AMD degrades more 4,500 stream miles within the mid-Atlantic region, resulting in loss of aquatic wildlife, and restricted use for recreation and public drinking water.

A $165,434 grant from the Environmental Stewardship Fund (Growing Greener) is enabling the Mahanoy Creek Watershed to restore Mahoney Creek through the design of the Packer 5 Mine Drainage Treatment Project. This project will begin to address the effects of the acid mine drainage affecting Mahoney Creek and lead to restoring better water quality within the region.

Earlier this year, Bradford County was awarded $596,000 in grants funded from the Environmental Stewardship Fund (Growing Greener program) for watershed and stream corridor rehabilitation efforts. The grant funding includes:

• $100,000 for the Wysox Creek Watershed Association, Inc.’s Comprehensive Watershed Rehabilitation project in and around Rome Township and Borough. The project will stabilize headwater tributaries, reduce storm water runoff from municipal roads, create retention basins to decrease stormflow problems, and increase groundwater recharge in the Bear Creek watershed.

• $171,000 for the Bradford County Conservation District‘s Satterlee Creek Stream Corridor Rehabilitation 2 project, which will stabilize stream and road corridors and reduce sediment and nutrients that enter Satterlee Creek.

• $325,000 for the Bradford County Watershed Initiative 2020, which will enable the county to complete up to 10 streambank stabilization projects and reduce approximately 1,000 tons of sediment, 1,000 pounds of phosphorus, and 2,500 pounds of nitrogen each year. The initiative will also host educational programs for municipal officials, contractors, and land owners.

Funding for these projects results in directly improving water quality for communities and open spaces throughout Bradford County and beyond.

Neshaminy High School, a public high school located in Middletown Township, Bucks County, hosts the Idlewood Environmental Station, a 125-acre tract of forestland found between the high school and the adjacent Neshaminy Creek.

According to Bucks County Education, Idlewood Environmental Station has been in use since the 1970’s as a classroom extension for science and physical education classes. It is also utilized by the community, who take to the station’s trails for outdoor recreation opportunities.

A $100,339 grant recently received by the Neshaminy School District from the Environmental Stewardship Fund (Growing Greener) will allow Idlewood Station to be removed of hazardous and dead timber and benefit from new native tree and shrub plantings. The funding will also be used to improve Idlewood Environmental Station’s trails, stabilizing soil, reducing runoff, and overall improving the water quality of Neshaminy Creek.

A part of the greater Delaware River Watershed, the 40.7-miles long Neshaminy Creek runs through the entirety of Bucks County before eventually joining the Delaware River.

Fishing Creek’s headwaters are located on the edge of the Appalachian Plateau — approximately 2,200 feet above sea level. The creek flows down Columbia County’s mountainous northern State Game Lands #13 and then cuts through the forested county until it reaches Bloomsburg, where it joins the Susquehanna River. This steep drop in elevation causes the stream to have high energy flows during rain events, making Fishing Creek susceptible to unpredictable flooding, which has only gotten worse over the last couple of years.

Historically, many of the streams in Columbia County had a milldam, used to harness hydroelectric power. By 1840, Columbia County had 130 water-powered mills, but most of them were abandoned by the 1990s due to the use of fossil fuels for electricity. Abandoned milldams cause fine sediments to accumulate at the end of the dam, leading to a vertical build-up of “legacy sediments” that push the stream out of its floodplain and increase the risk of flooding. Benton and other towns along Fishing Creek have suffered the dire consequences of severe flooding every year, particularly in 2018 and the Christmas of 2020. When there are heavy rainstorms in Central Pennsylvania’s Appalachian Mountains, counties in the Susquehanna Lowlands have serious issues managing stormwater runoff and stream overflow.

Columbia County’s flooding issues have been heavily underfunded, in part because addressing the problem at its core involves identifying and removing abandoned milldams and their legacy sediments, both of which are very costly endeavors. The process requires conducting a land study to locate buried milldams, removing tons of legacy sediments, lowering the streambank, and determining where to best dispose of the material. Although getting rid of legacy sediments is expensive, the cost of undertaking these projects and reconnecting the stream to its floodplain is significantly lower than the cost of flood emergency response and property recovery.

Removing milldams from specific stream sections is not the only way to reduce flooding in the Fishing Creek Watershed. A watershed-level approach to Columbia County’s water problems is ideal. Starting restoration at the headwaters and working downstream would reduce stormwater runoff in the lowlands and minimize the risk of project failure due to unpredictable flooding. More importantly, a watershed-level approach would bring multiple other benefits to the region. Wetland restoration helps store immense amounts of water, while the reintroduction of native vegetation along streams stabilizes stream banks and reduces erosion. Preserving forested areas and local habitats is also beneficial as it frees up space for the stream when it needs it. Moreover, restoring the watershed would mitigate flooding and ensure clean water for Bloomsburg, which gets most of its drinking water from the Fishing Creek Watershed.

Communities along Fishing Creek are unpredictably flooded every year, endangering their safety, homes, and livelihoods. The costs of inaction are vast, and those who are forced to rebuild their homes every year or cannot afford to move outside of the floodplain are disproportionately affected. Funding projects that address flooding is imperative. Doing so today will be distinctly more economical than a couple of years down the road when the frequency of flooding is projected to increase.

Wolf Run, a tributary of the West Branch Susquehanna River in Lycoming County, is designated as a High-Quality Cold Water Fishery and as a Migratory Fishery. Given its particular status, Wolf Run is provided with special protection to protect its water quality. However, streambank erosion and received agricultural runoff from surrounding farms has threatened to disrupt Wolf Run’s unique aquatic ecosystem and affecting its water quality.

Funding from the Environmental Stewardship Fund has provided Lycoming County Conservation District with $292,206 to improve water quality in Wolf Run by installing best management practices (BMPs) to reduce soil erosion and nutrient-laden runoff from the farmstead and pasture areas. Proposed BMPs include a manure storage facility, heavy use area protection, roof runoff structures, underground outlets, diversion, rock-lined waterway, and manure storage decommissioning.

In September 2020, Cameron County Conservation District built a manure storage building at Junior Grimone’s farm in North Creek. The project was funded by an Environmental Stewardship Fund (Growing Greener) Grant received by Headwaters Resource Conservation and Development Council. The new manure storage building allows for the manure from the pigs on the Grimone Farm to be stored under a covered roof out of the rain and the elements. It eliminates nutrient runoff from the former manure storage area that was entering North Creek during heavy rain events.

The new manure storage building will also allow the Grimone Farm to store the manure throughout winter so that it can be applied during the growing season in the spring, when the nutrients can be best utilized by the crops. By applying the manure during the spring growing season, it reduces the risk of runoff carrying manure from the fields into nearby waterways, while optimizing the fertility benefit of the manure and reducing the costs for purchasing and applying synthetic fertilizers. The manure storage building was constructed by James Hart Construction of Smethport.

Located in Crawford County, Conneaut Lake is known as the largest natural glacier lake within the state. A popular destination among recreational boaters, Conneaut Lake is also a haven for fishing, water skiing, and swimming.

However, as Conneaut Lake is noted on the EPA’s Integrated Waters List for having excessive nutrient (particularly phosphorous) loads, improving the water quality of Conneaut Lake is essential to ensuring the continued economic prosperity of the communities surrounding the lake and its watershed.

In 2014, Crawford County Conservation District was awarded a grant from the Environmental Stewardship Fund (Growing Greener) to develop a Conneaut Lake Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP) on behalf of Conneaut Lake Aquatic Management Association. With the development phase of the plan now complete, focus has shifted to assist agencies, organizations, and municipalities surrounding Conneaut Lake and its watershed in obtaining federal and state funding to implement management strategies to prevent the continuation of non-point source pollutants from entering the lake and compromising its water quality.

According to the EPA, too much phosphorous within water can result in the excess growth of aquatic plants and algae blooms. This can result in a decreased level of dissolved oxygen within the water supply, hindering the levels that are necessary to support and sustain aquatic life.

The COVID-19 pandemic didn’t stop Bradford County Conservation District’s watershed program. Staff members complete surveyed, designed, and constructed 15 stream rehabilitation projects. With the cooperation of partners, these 15 projects resulted in nearly 1 mile of stabilized streams that prevented approximately 3,400 tons of sediment, 8,500 lbs of N (nitrogen), and 3,400 lbs of P (phosphorus) from entering Bradford County waterways, and subsequently, the Chesapeake Bay. The major funding source for stream work in 2020 was provided by the Environmental Stewardship Fund grants (Growing Greener, which provided funding to complete targeted work in the Satterlee and Wysox Creek Watersheds, as well as for work throughout Bradford County through the County Stream Initiative Program. The Bradford County Commissioners, in partnership with the Bradford County Conservation District were able to complete survey, design and construction of 10 sites where severe stream erosion was threatening a structure or sole access to a residence.

Additional funding for these projects was provided by the DEP Stream Improvement Program, which provides funding throughout the Commonwealth for primary residences or businesses that are threatened by severely eroding streambanks. Watersheds in Bradford County where this work took place included: Sugar Creek, Orcutt Creek, Towanda Creek, Buck Creek, and Wysox Creek.

These projects would not have been successful without the strong partnerships that have been formed between BCCD, Local, Federal, and State agencies, as well as the cooperation of Bradford County landowners.