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Mill Creek Improvements Benefit Communities Downstream
Posted 9-17-07
One of Westmoreland County's natural treasures, Mill Creek,
recently got even better after some much-needed improvements to
stabilize its streambank and slow the amount of sediment
entering this exceptional waterway.
This important tributary of the Loyalhanna
Creek, that supplies drinking water for some residents of
Ligonier Township and affects water quality in Latrobe, New
Alexandria, and communities downstream, was identified by the
Westmoreland County Commissioners last fall as one of 21
separate conservation projects to be funded under the state's
Growing Greener II County Environmental Initiative. It is the
first stream-stabilization project to be completed under that
initiative, which also includes funding for new trails and
recreation areas, farmland and open space preservation, and
other projects to improve the quality of life in Westmoreland
County.
Mill Creek is one of the last remaining
high-quality recreational resources in the Ligonier Valley,
according to an extensive report prepared in 2004 by the Forbes
Trail Chapter of Trout Unlimited.
The group's 2004 conservation plan for the
watershed identified the creek's outstanding qualities -- its
pristine beginnings in Laurel Mountain and the fact that it is a
viable fishery for nearly its entire length. "Mill Creek is one
of the last remaining high-quality recreational resources in the
Ligonier Valley," the report determined.
Trout Unlimited also noted Mill Creek's few but
significant trouble spots, including the site where Hannas Run
enters the stream just below the community of Oak Grove. Here,
the report said, bank erosion is perhaps "the most severe of any
area in the entire watershed," and deemed this site the "number
one priority" for remediation.
When the flow of Hannas Run struck the eastern
side of Mill Creek, there wasn't much to stop it. The lack of
streamside trees and vegetation, along with Mill Creek's
six-foot-high, almost-vertical banks of soft, loamy soil, meant
this site was extremely vulnerable to erosion, with the loose
soil polluting the stream and degrading water quality from this
point on. The severe erosion from this site was carried
downstream, and was a major contributor to the high volume of
sediment that regularly builds up where Mill Creek crosses Route
30, just west of Ligonier -- an area that frequently has to be
dredged to prevent flooding.
To solve the problem, the Westmoreland
Conservation District, the Forbes Trail Chapter of Trout
Unlimited, the Loyalhanna Watershed Association, the Western
Pennsylvania Conservancy, the Youth Conservation Corps, the
Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Outside In, the Boys
Brigade Camp Association, and the local landowners joined forces
and took a cue from nature. "A large log had fallen into the
stream against the east bank of Mill Creek and was helping to
deflect the force of Hannas Run. So we added eight more like it
-- configuring these nine logs in groups of three, and anchoring
them at an angle that would deflect the flow of the water from
Hannas Run," explained Rob Cronauer, watershed specialist for
the Westmoreland Conservation District. This is one of the first
times this "log deflector" approach has been used to improve a
stream in Westmoreland County.
The remediation team also added a large mass of
tree roots and 100 tons of stone to take the force of the water
flowing in from Hannas Run, and planted 100 live willow branch
cuttings to help stabilize the vulnerable, 200-foot section of
Mill Creek's streambank, which they also re-graded to reduce the
severity of its slope.
James Schmidt, who with his wife, Twila, owns a
cottage along Mill Creek, observed the work in progress. "On a
Thursday morning, [the work group] converged in the vicinity of
our back yard. When they left on Friday, it was a new place. It
was a tremendous accomplishment in a short amount of time. We
are grateful to all who worked there, and for the funds that
helped to make this project a success," he wrote in a letter to
Westmoreland County Commission Chairman Tom Balya.
This fall, the work group hopes to put the
finishing touches on the job by planting 20 six-foot-high young
trees to bring even more stability to the streambank.
The Westmoreland County Board of Commissioners,
working with the Westmoreland Conservation District last fall,
identified five other water-quality projects to be done for
streams in the county -- in Allegheny Township, New Kensington,
Mount Pleasant Township, Derry Township, and Donegal Township.
"The projects we identified for funding in Westmoreland County
address many of the concerns our residents told us were
important to them when we did the county's comprehensive plan,"
said Commissioner Chairman Tom Balya, who also serves on the
Board of Directors of the Westmoreland Conservation District.
"These improvements will benefit all of us -- our quality of
life, our environment and our economy."
Growing Greener II is the single largest
environmental investment in Pennsylvania's history. No new taxes
or fees have been needed to fund this important initiative.
The Westmoreland Conservation District was
established in 1949, when local farmers, seeking help to
conserve their soil and water resources, approached the County
Commissioners. As the county has grown and changed in the 58
years since then, the District has responded with new programs
to help ensure minimal negative impact on all aspects of the
county's natural wealth -- its soils, forests, streams, and open
space -- as well as its valuable, productive farmland. In
addition to its science-based efforts, the District serves as a
clearinghouse for conservation information. The District is
located in a restored 1880s-era barn now located at 218 Donohoe
Road, Greensburg. It maintains a website at
www.wcdpa.com. |
