Cooks Creek Streambank Restoration

                                    Summer / Fall 2007

 

 

     Our chapter completed another successful streambank restoration on Cooks Creek in 2007.  A severely eroding bank on Cooks Creek was transformed into a stable bank and planted with native trees and shrubs.  The photos to the left show the progression of the project. 

 

     The first two photos show the bank before implementation of the project.  It was a vertical bank approximately 7 to 8 feet high and was a source of large amounts of sediment entering the creek.  Sediment affects trout streams in a number of ways, it degrades habitat for aquatic macroinvertebrates such as mayflies, stoneflies and caddis flies and it degrades trout spawning habitat.  It also removes dissolved oxygen from the water; oxygen atoms are bound to particles of sediment and thus are unavailable to trout and other aquatic life.  The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission lists sediment pollution as the number one source of pollution to Pennsylvania’s trout streams.

 

  In August of last year we completed the earthmoving portion of the project.  The bank was graded, a boulder toe and rock vane were installed and erosion blanket was put down on the bank.  The boulder toe minimizes erosion at the base of the bank and the rock vane deflects the current away from the bank towards the center of the stream.  The scour hole formed by the rock vane has the added benefit of creating trout habitat.  The third photo shows Kevin Randall putting in the final stakes to hold the erosion blanket in place.  The fourth photo shows the project in the winter of 2008 during a period of high water, this gives of good view of how the rock vane works.

 

     The fifth photo shows the bank in spring of this year and the final photo shows the bank this summer.  All but one or two of the 75 trees that we planted at the top of the bank have survived and put on a good amount of growth.  As these trees grow they will improve the health of Cooks Creek in a number of ways.  They will shade the stream and help keep summer water temperatures lower.  They will filter pollutants and sediment from surface runoff.  The trees will also provide of source of woody debris and leaves to the stream.  Woody debris, such as twigs and larger branches provide physical habitat for aquatic insects and fish.  Leaf input into streams is important because leaf matter is a food source for many species of aquatic insects.

 

    It will be interesting to see the trees that we planted mature in the coming years and to know that we played a part in protecting the wild trout of Cooks Creek for future generations.  We would like to thank the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Bucks County Conservation District for funding the project.  We would also like to thank Haines and Kibblehouse for providing the stone, Ransome Rents for donating the use of the necessary earth moving equipment and Bob Kovitch for donating his time and expertise as equipment operator.