Public Meeting On Wissahickon Creek Feasibility Study January 14

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Philadelphia District and the Philadelphia Water Department will host a public meeting on January 14 to review the feasibility study for Wissahickon Creek in Philadelphia and Montgomery Counties.

The meeting will be held at Founder’s Hall on the New Covenant Campus, 7500 Germantown Avenue in Mt. Airy from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.

The feasibility study will examine and consider potential solutions to problems in the Wissahickon watershed identified in a reconnaissance report. This report determined the Wissahickon watershed had a poor-quality aquatic habitat, stream-flow variability issues, flooding problems, and overall ecosystem imbalances.

Several possible solutions under consideration include stabilization of the stream bank, natural stream channel restoration, fish passage construction, and wetlands creation.

The study will focus on several sections of Wissahickon Creek and its tributaries in Philadelphia, including Little and Big Ridge Avenue Dams, Monoshone Creek, Carpenter’s Woods, Gorgas Lane, Livezey Dam, Cresheim Dam and Creek, Magargee Dam, Cathedral Run, and Thomas Mill Dam.

In addition to PWD the USACE is working with other agencies and organizations, including the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and Biohabitats Inc. Funding for the feasibility study is cost-shared between USACE and PWD.