Aquetong Spring Park Stream Restoration Completed
One of the four restoration target areas on the morning of June 24. Completed stabilization work is visible in the foreground.
The stream stabilization helps keep the stream bed and banks secure. New plantings will add further stabilization.
Another angle of the stream bed restoration. Water is diverted while work is under way.
Step pool construction from early May.
A closer look at the construction of step pools along the stream, from May 6.
Releasing the stream over the newly-stabilized section, from May 19. The pumping apparatus is clear in the background.
One of the four targeted areas for stream restoration on May 19. Plantings this summer will provide shade and create a riparian buffer all along the stream.
Work to stabilize the bed and banks of the newly-established stream at Aquetong Spring Park is now complete. Contractor Land-Tech Enterprises was able to keep the project running close to schedule this spring, despite the unique challenges of the pandemic and Stay-at-Home Order during the work.
The restoration project, overseen by engineers at C. Robert Wynn Associates and Princeton Hydro, involved bracing sections of the stream to prevent erosion and reduce sediment in the water and along the stream bed, as the once-dammed waters from Aquetong Spring return to a natural stream path. Plantings along the banks will help stabilize the riparian buffer.
Step pools have been built along four stream locations, using large logs assembled in stacks and wrapped with geotextiles. Additional grading along the stream helps to expand the floodway. The project focused on four major areas: two along the tributary from Fox Run and two larger areas along the main stream.
Native trees and shrubs will be added to provide shade and help maintain the water temperature at a level suitable for local brook trout. The project includes building underwater structures from logs and root balls to enhance the natural fish habitat. All together these measures will provide overhead cover and resting areas for the trout while helping to stabilize the bank.
The stream restoration project has secured all necessary approvals from the Pa. Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The project is funded by a $250,000 grant from the Pa. Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, with an equal match from the Township. Additional grants for the project are provided by the Pa. Department of Community and Economic Development and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.