Feature - Wiconisco Creek Watershed Tour Shows Off Accomplishments

On October 4 the Dauphin County Conservation District, in partnership with the Wiconisco Creek Restoration Association, conducted a half-day tour of the Wiconisco Creek watershed in upper Dauphin County to show off the accomplishments of dedicated volunteers and agencies.

 

The tour began with a stop at the Porter Tunnel abandoned mine drainage site near Tower City where the group viewed the remediation project completed in 2006 to reduce both the acidity and iron content of the mine outflow.

 

A representative of Skelly & Loy, Inc., consulting engineers for the project, was on hand to explain the workings which consist of calcium oxide dosing to neutralize acidity, and aeration and settling ponds to capture and hold the precipitated iron.

 

Next stop was the Bear Creek mine discharge near Lykens where, unlike the Porter Tunnel discharge, the outflow is more alkaline but also contains a much higher iron content. Phase one of a treatment system to remove the iron was completed in 2007 utilizing aeration and settling ponds, and a second phase to add additional treatment has been designed and is awaiting funding for construction.

 

Rattling Creek, Dauphin County’s only Exceptional Value stream, was the next site visit where limestone sand-dosing has been employed for the past 12 years to remediate the lack of buffering of acid rain in the headwaters.

 

Year-round treatment at six sites by DCCD and WCRA volunteers has resulted in the sustenance of a naturally-reproducing wild brook trout population in the West Branch of Rattling Creek.

 

At the Washington Township Authority wastewater treatment facility near Loyalton, the group observed the passive wetlands treatment system which eliminates the need for extensive chemical treatment commonly associated with wastewater treatment plants. Artificially-created wetland ponds utilize cattails to filter out contaminants and provide habitat for wetland creatures such as birds, turtles and frogs.

 

The last stop of the day was a farm property along the Little Wiconisco Creek where a number of agricultural best management practices have been employed to reduce erosion and sedimentation problems in the watershed. Trees have been planted to reinforce streambanks and fencing installed to prevent cattle from trampling the streambanks and accessing the stream.

 

The Wiconisco Creek Restoration Association, a non-profit conservation organization founded in 1997, is dedicated to “the promotion, conservation and improvement of the Wiconisco Creek watershed; its waters, flora, fauna and habitat, from its headwaters in Schuylkill County to its terminus with the Susquehanna River in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.”

 

Memberships are available, and additional information can be obtained by contacting Bill Nace at 717-692-5135.