By Mary Beth Mueller

The PA Resources Council and its partners recently completed a 450-linear-foot restoration of a portion of the streambanks of Naylor’s Run as it flows through Drexel Gardens Park in Delaware County.

The project also included installation of two bioswales-- channels designed to concentrate and convey stormwater runoff while removing debris and pollution-- with one bioswale taking runoff from Bond Avenue and the second taking runoff from the northern alley of Bond Avenue.

“The project stabilized portion of the banks that were suffering from severe erosion, with some banks exhibiting nearly vertical conditions,” according to PRC Eastern Program Director Diana Andrejczak. “After we regraded and stabilized the banks, we planted a native mix of trees and shrubs to create long-term stabilization and to shade the stream to moderate temperatures in the summer months.”

Bioswales were planted with native vegetation, a mix of shrubs, small trees and herbaceous flowering plants in an effort to slow, filter and infiltrate stormwater as it moves through the bioswales. 

The native plants also provide habitat and support local pollinators.

This restoration project, which began in Spring 2020, is a component of PRC’s ongoing work with the Delaware River Watershed Initiative in the Naylor’s Run focus area.

“Naylors Run, a tributary to Cobbs Creek and the Delaware River, has been severely impacted by human development and activities over the past century, so such projects are vital to restoring the health of Darby Creek and its tributaries,” she explained. “Thanks to the support of our partners and funders, we have completed a very successful project that reduces sediment load to the Cobbs Creek Watershed by 12,578 pounds a year and reduces volume of water entering Naylor’s Run by 2,436,924 gallons annually.”

PRC managed the Drexel Gardens Park project in partnership with the Eastern Delaware County Stormwater Collaborative with support from Upper Darby Township Parks and Public Works Department, Darby Creek Valley Association and Tree Tenders of Upper Darby. 

Funding was provided through a grant by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Delaware River Conservation Fund and the TreeVitalize Program.

For more information on programs, initiatives and special events, visit the PA Resources Council website.  Click Here to sign up for regular updates, follow PRC on Twitter or Like them on Facebook.  Click Here for PRC’s Events Calendar.  Click Here to support their work.

PRC is Pennsylvania’s oldest grassroots environmental organization founded in 1939.  PRC has worked to protect resources for future generations through environmental education, recycling, waste diversion programs, anti-litter campaigns and other initiatives.

Related Articles:

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-- PA Resources Council: To Hold Sept. 11 Reuse Fest In Erie Providing Opportunity For Public To Donate Items For Reuse By Local Nonprofits

-- PA Resources Council: Schedule Of Online Backyard Composting, Rain Barrel, Recycling Conservation Workshops In August

-- DEP Blog: Illegal Dumping Carries More Than A Price Tag, It Can Spread Disease, Water Contamination

[Posted: August 13, 2021]

8/16/2021