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Spotlight - Wildlands Conservancy Helps Improve Water Quality Of Swabia Creek
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This month Wildlands Conservancy will begin working to restore a 2,000-foot reach of the Swabia Creek in Lower Macungie Township. Work will involve expanding floodplain storage wetland areas adjacent to the stream channel, improving and realigning the stream channel at key locations, and establishing two acres of a native riparian buffer.
The project is funded through a Growing Greener grant from the Department of Environmental Protection.
Swabia Creek is a tributary of the Little Lehigh Creek, a main source of drinking water for the City of Allentown. The Swabia is classified as a “High Quality, Cold-Water Fishery” that contains a naturally reproducing population of brown trout, but unfortunately it is impacted by non-point source pollution, and as a result is included on the Department of Environmental Protection’s Integrated List of impaired waterways
A preliminary geomorphic stream assessment of the Swabia Creek, which focused on this location, was completed in August of 2005. The assessment concluded that a number of conditions collectively were contributing to water quality impairment, aquatic habitat degradation, stream channel and stream bank instability and erosion, sediment deposition and other negative impacts.
The assessment recommended that specific Best Management Practices, including the establishment of native riparian (streamside) vegetation and use of Natural Stream Channel Design techniques, be implemented to improve water quality conditions, habitat conditions, stream channel stability, stream bank stability and floodplain function.
In 2006, Wildlands Conservancy was awarded funding by Department of Environmental Protection to complete the design and permitting phase of the project.
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7/11/2011 |
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