The Department of Environmental Protection Thursday announced it will host an open house from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on June 26 for property owners, homeowners, municipalities and small developers to learn about permitted activities in and along streams and wetlands.

The open house will be held at DEP’s Southcentral Regional Office on 909 Elmerton Ave. in Harrisburg.

“The open house will provide people with a chance to have ‘face time’ with department permitting staff and ask questions about permitting requirements for stream and wetland activities,” South-central Regional Director Lynn Langer said. “This is an educational opportunity that should not be missed because we often find the public is unaware that certain permits are required.”

Typically during the summer, DEP receives a higher volume of complaints from the public regarding work in streams and wetlands.

DEP frequently finds that dredging, which is cleaning out a stream; filling in or draining wetlands, also known as ditching; placing fill in a floodway to build-up the property; relocating a stream; stabilizing a stream bank; and installing culverts,  bridges, boat docks or ramps have occurred without permits.

Before conducting any of these activities, people should consult first with DEP’s Waterways and Wetlands Program.

During the open house, stations will be set up where staff from DEP’s Waterways and Wetlands program will be ready to assist; answering questions ranging from stream bank stabilization projects to installation of driveway culverts to small land development projects.

Staff will also be available to identify required permits for stream, wetland, pond, lake, and creek and river projects, conduct Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Inventory searches and explain permit application requirements.

People attending the event are encouraged to bring pictures and descriptions with them if they have a question about the potential presence of a stream, wetland or area of where a project will be located. 

The open house is intended for people who have questions or a project in the Southcentral Region. DEP’s Southcentral Regional office serves Adams, Bedford, Berks, Blair, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mifflin, Perry and York counties.

For more information about the open house or waterways and wetlands permitting activities, call DEP’s Waterways and Wetlands Program at 717-705-4802.

6/16/2014