Locally known as the Carter project, (after the previous landowner's name). This stream improvement project is a result of over 1.5 years of preparation and planning. During a trout stocking in the Spring of 2000, Jan Pickle pointed out the excessive erosion of the southern bank on Elmer Carter's property. Elmer was on hand to help with the stocking and expressed his interest in "doing something about" the erosion that is gobbling up his lawn at a rate of 1 foot per year. This stretch is over 270 feet long and nearly 8 feet high to the lawn level. The yearly sediment load deposited each year to downstream reaches was tremendous.
Soon after that day in the spring of 2000, Muddy Creek TU applied for funding through the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission's Conserve 2000 program. We were one of ten groups out of nearly 40 applicants awarded a matching funds grant in late summer. After a few meetings with the PF&BC's Karl Lutz and York County Conservation District's Gary Peacock, along with the DEP's Watershed Coordinator for our area, we were ready to begin but had to wait until the following summer because of restrictions to streamwork from fall thru spring.
There were numerous areas along the 8 foot tall bank that showed recent slides of earth into the stream. High water after storm events needed to be controlled to prevent further erosion. The PFBC supplied our club with a plan and drawing to help with estimating costs. We contracted the services of Lee Irwin and Bill Weibrecht of Aquatic Resource Restoration to assess and install the necessary devices to abate the erosion. But as we found out early on during the project, the plans were only a guide. Bill and Lee explained that each"J" hook placed in the stream would dictate where to put the next one to achieve Fluvial Geomorphic design through the Rosgen method. The result was two J hooks and two wing walls which are strategically placed to redirect currents of different stream levels during storm events.
Process
The first of two J hooks was placed at the base of a riffle in the stream bed. The accelerated velocity due to the gradient change is now redirected to the center of the channel just slightly during normal flows. Enough to create a scour pool behind it and provide habitat for the streams residents. During storm events the water will rise, which is why the arm of the J hook, on a 30 degree angle, is tapered higher toward the bank . The taper forces the flow over the point of the structure, keeping it from rushing against the bank. This will create an eddie between the J hook and the bank allowing sediment to deposit extending the bank further into the stream.
Once the water passes over the first hook and scour pool it determines the placement of the next one down stream. The second one (shown here incomplete) is built around the newly positioned current. It is then tied in to the bank on a similar angle to the last. It will serve the same purpose as the first, forcing the flow into the center of the channel. Beyond the second hook and scour pool the gradient lessens so the next two weirs are longer and on a 20 degree angle. They also do not have the hook feature. Their purpose comes into play when higher flows prevail. The tapers cause the high flows to roll into the center channel. During normal flow, they provide terriffic habitat for macroinvertibrate life as well as fish. Long eddies of calm water lie adjacent to faster riffles and a deeper channel where before the water was flat, knee deep and nearly motionless. Once all four structures were positioned the project was assessed to determine where a root wad would benefit. The only appropriate place was above the first J hook facing directly into the flow.
Conclusion
Once the structures were placed, the water line had been repositioned between 4 and 6 feet from where it was the day before. The large boulder in the center of the project was 6 feet into the water and now only touches the waters edge during the same flow. The tapered bank will allow flows to rise and receed without erosion or loss of property to the landowner. And, the habitat has been improved in this stretch as well as downstream by increasing flow and reducing sediment. Once the native vegatation planted matures, it will provide a cooling effect that hadn't existed before the project. This was a win/win project for all parties involved. We even gained interest from adjacent landowners for assessing their properties for potential projects.
It is truely amazing to see a stream bank go from this eyesore on the left to the beautifully flowing trout habitat on the right.
Credits
This project could not have been made possible without the tireless organizational efforts of Ron Hesuton, our Stream Improvement Committee Chairperson. Thanks Ron! The supporting cast includes; Jan Pickle, Maurice Chioda, Roger McWilliams, Regan Strausbaugh, Bill, Cindy and Dustin Boyd, Mark Cheskey, Christian White, Bob Shaffer, and many others. From the professional side we'd like to thank the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission's Karl Lutz, the Conserve 2000 and Adopt-A-Stream programs, Gary Peacack from the York County Conservation District, Jineen Boyle and Rick DeVore from the DEP, Lee Irwin and Bill Weibrecht from Aquatic Resources Restoration, Butch from Gary Wolford's Excavating company and of course the new landowners, Paul and Cindy Scarborough. We were very grateful to have Modern Landfill provided the funding necessary for us to match the PF&BC Grant. Thank you all for making this project a HUGE success!
