The Department of Environment Protection will host a public meeting November 6 to discuss a restoration plan for the Walnut Creek watershed, which is impaired due to increased commercial and residential development.

The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at Asbury Woods Nature Center, 4105 Asbury Road, Erie, and will provide information about the tools and resources that are available to businesses, industry and the public to protect and restore the watershed.

The Walnut Creek watershed includes parts of Millcreek, Fairview, Summit, McKean and Greene townships.

“Walnut Creek runs through the heart of northern Erie County,” said DEP Regional Director Kelly Burch. “We must work together to protect this vital watershed that supports a renowned steelhead fishery, contributes to the nation’s biggest freshwater resource for drinking water, and provides habitat for threatened and endangered plant and animal species.”

The department performed a comprehensive assessment in 2006 to determine the environmental conditions of Walnut Creek. Among other items, the study identified impairments to aquatic life, habitat alterations due to soil being washed into the creek, and stream flow variability caused by land development, urban stormwater runoff and storm sewers.

In response, the department developed a watershed protection and restoration plan that focuses on steps to reclaim the impaired creek.

Individuals who would like to attend the public meeting and are in need of accommodations as provided for in the Americans with Disabilities Act should contact DEP Community Relations Coordinator Freda Tarbell at 814-332-6816 or through the Pennsylvania AT&T Relay Service at 1-800-654-5984 (TDD).

10/31/2008