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Lawrence County gets $1M grant
The work includes planting trees and shrubs and the replacement of a bridge.
NEW CASTLE, Pa. — Farmers, fishermen, schoolchildren, bicyclists, hikers and other Lawrence County residents will soon see cleaner streams, improved walking and biking paths, more fish, and less flooding as the result of more than $1 million in Growing Greener grants coming here.
The Growing Greener funds were authorized by Pennsylvania voters in 2005 to provide funds for “environmental stewardship and watershed protection.” The funds are then channeled through the county commissioners to local conservation projects.
In Lawrence County, one major stream stabilization effort has been completed with the funds and another is under way. In addition, the money is helping to complete a major renovation to the Stavich Bike Trail and making other conservation projects possible in Ellwood City, Volant and Wayne Township.
Stabilizing the banks of streams to stop erosion and prevent or reduce flooding is the main thrust of the efforts at McClure Run in New Wilmington and Hickory Run in Bessemer and North Beaver Township.
Megan Gahring, watershed specialist at the Lawrence County Conservation District office, said erosion of the banks of waterways is a common problem that impacts water quality and causes flooding.
“One of the easiest ways to solve the problem is to quit mowing to the edge and give 10 or 20 feet to allow re-vegetation.” She said that the roots of woody vegetation hold the bank and stop erosion.
The first major project, the McClure Run Stream Restoration, has already been completed. McClure Run is a small tributary to the Little Neshannock Creek and flows through Wilmington Township, New Wilmington and the campus of Westminster College. Stream quality has decreased over the years due to urbanization and stormwater, Gahring said.
Work done at McLure Run included:
UReplacement of one pedestrian bridge and improvements on another with plantings and stones added to the banks for stabilization.
UInstallation of 18 “rock cross vane” structures which are V-shaped groupings of large rocks to help prevent erosion, create pools, aerate the stream and create depth which is good for fish habitat.
UReplacement of 10 to 15 paved parking spaces near the stream with 15 to 20 “geo grid” parking areas which allow water to seep into the ground. Gahring said this helps control water runoff and absorbs some pollutants instead of letting them flow into streams.
URepair and improvement of a dam across from the college fieldhouse which has been used by the college as an intake for Brittain Lake. A cascading step/pool sequence was installed to allow for fish migration.
Work recently began on a second stream, Hickory Run, which runs from the Ohio line through Bessemer borough, then into North Beaver Township and finally to the Mahoning and Beaver rivers.
The work includes:
UIn May, 300 trees, shrubs and seedlings were planted along the waterway.
UStream bank plantings have also been done along Hickory Run with 800 shrubs planted by students from the Wilmington School District in May at a farm on Beechwood Road, North Beaver Township and a 20-tree buffer zone planted along Hickory Run behind Artie’s Barber Shop on East Poland Avenue in Bessemer.
UMore than 50 trees were planted at Martin Park in Bessemer by 25 volunteers from local organizations.
UAnd 13 log and stone fish-habitat and stabilization structures will be installed in Hickory Run at Willow Grove.
Several other major projects are also receiving the Growing Greener funds, along with other grant and local funds and local matches of goods and services.
The seven miles of the 11-mile Stavich Bike Trail which lie in Pennsylvania are undergoing $800,000 worth of repaving and drainage work according to Lawrence County Planning Director Amy McKinney.
The 11-mile bicycle path originates in Union Township and ends in Lowellville, Ohio. The Growing Greener funds are providing $262,000 with the rest provided by other grant money as well as local donations of goods and services. The trail has been closed since Dec. 1 and will open in late fall, she said.
Other projects which also received funding include: $100,000 to Ellwood City borough for drainage work on the Ewing Park Trail; $100,000 to the Volant Development Corporation for renovation of a dam by Volant Mill, and $200,000 to the nonprofit Wild Waterways Conservancy for purchase of Rock Point which is in Wayne Township along the Conoquenessing Creek and Beaver River. A $100,000 grant was also provided to the ongoing state Agricultural Preservation Program in the county.
Others in the conservation office who are working on the projects are Conservation District Manager Joann McCready and Agriculture Technician Jay Russell.