PEER TT A TRO SE SS TR AON 8 The Dallas Post TOBY’'S CREEK Sunday, October 17, 2004 By CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK Post Correspondent The Bowman's Creek Watershed Association is a good example of how volunteers can improve conditions on a local waterway. The group was formed when the Noxen-Monroe Sportsman’s Association and the Stanley Cooper Chapter of Trout Unlimited became interested in protecting Bowman's Creek. Established in 1998, it enjoys the support of 12 municipalities and the two counties that Bowman's Creek flows through, and partners with 14 other organizations and agencies. The association annually limes the creek to reduce the acidity of the water, and is in the process of complet- ing handicapped access to the stream with a $32,000 grant from the “Growing Greener” state fund. The process begins by engaging a volunteer core group with elected offi- cers and filing for tax-free status with the state, says Dorne White, of Noxen, a founder of the association. “You need volunteers, and people; you just can’t do it all yourself,” he says. White says the Bowman's Creek Association receives “in-kind services from municipalities, technical help from the Department of Environmental Protection, and assis- tance in applying for grants from state representatives.” He is in the process of helping to start another watershed group on Tunkhannock Creek, or perhaps two, one for the lower and one for the upper creek. Startup money for the Bowman's Creek Association came from the Eastern Coalition of Mine Reclamation. The initial funds were used to print brochures, attract membership and produce a video of Bowman's Creek. The group sought membership at the Luzerne and Wyoming County fairs and through civic and municipal groups. Karen Szwast is coordinator for the Hicks Creek Watershed Association, serving a stream that flows from the top of Peters Mountain down through Exeter and into the Susquehanna River. This relatively new group formed in 2002 as a result of an Exeter Borough cleanup and the concerns of individuals living along the creek’s banks. “People had problems, there was erosion and slides on the upper part of the watershed and sedimentation and stagnant water downstream,” says Szwast. “The mine companies rerout- ed the creek and it’s probably the only creek running north. Of course, we had West Nile virus as a result.” The watershed group boasts 130 members and has been approved for a $46,000 DEP Growing Greener grant to do a stream assessment and design a plan to prioritize the problems. “It’s a lot of work but worthwhile. I stepped in because these people need- ed help,” says Szwast. To keep mem- bers informed of activities, the group publishes a monthly newsletter. Other state and federal groups are assisting the Hicks Creek group, and can help any watershed organization. Locally, the Wyoming Valley Watershed Coalition helps coordinate “I think people are interested in these creeks and water- sheds, but so far they have considered them burdens ... They should see them as opportunities, for fishing spots and picnic areas.” Holly Frederick Project manager for watershed associations Pennsylvania Environmental Council. and establish watershed groups. Holly Frederick is project manager for watershed associations at the regional office of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council. “I think peo- ple are interested in these creeks and watersheds, but so far they have con- sidered them burdens, to maintain the bridges for example,” she said. “They should see them as opportunities, for fishing spots and picnic areas.” Part of the the Susquehanna River Basin Commission’s strategic plan is to restore, manage and protect watershed areas. Along those lines, the commis- sion can help environmental and civic groups, municipalities and smaller watershed organizations organize stream cleanups. They provide mini- grants of up to $2,000 to help water- shed groups with these events, one of which was held in April on a section of Toby’s Creek in Dallas Borough. One of their outreaches is too “assure the sustainibility of these grassroots groups in the Susquehanna River Basin,” according to Susan Obleski, communications director. The commission also assists with stream assessment and water quality sampling. “We have contracted legal and technical assistance to help groups starting out and we do on-site work- shops,” says Anne Devine, watershed liaison, for the commission “Most recently we have estab- lished, on line, a GIS (Geological Information Service) mapping serv- ice with a grant from the state DEP that should be of great help to these groups starting up,” she says. Their website is www.srbc.net (see programs and activities). Some evaluative work has already been done in Toby’s Creek and may be available to future endeavors. For the past three years Toby’s Creek has been monitored by Dr. Dale Bruns, dean of Wilkes University’s College of Science and Engineering Department and a group of students, through an EPA grant to study tributaries that empty into the Susquehanna. “I can’t say that Toby’s Creek is pris- tine, but it’s a good model and refer- ence point to compare in a study involving other streams in Luzerne County. It hasn’t suffered from the severe mining influences we see in the valley,” says Bruns. Toby’s Creek’s turbidity, acidity, oxygen levels and temperature seem in the normal range as far as Bruns has studied it. The stream is moni- tored every 15 minutes with instru- ments installed on the stream that send data directly to Wilkes University. Aerial photographs and ground surveys were completed in 2000. This accumulated data would be available to any interested local Plenty of help is available to reclaim and protect streams * Our hidden resource group. Though optimistic about Toby’s Creek’s condition, Bruns cautions that the amount of dissolved solids from salted roads needs to be looked at each spring and land use still needs to be monitored in order for the creek to remain healthy. “Toby’s Creek, with good stream management, could have economic benefit to the area in terms of tourism and just through the enjoyment resi dents could get from it,” says Bruns. When it rains, Toby's Creek pours POST PHOTOS/RON BARTIZEK Change in character. The photo at left was taken in the spring, showing a docile Toby's Creek at the Center Street bridge. The photo at right was taken in September, at the height of flooding caused by six inches of rain from the remnants of Hurricane Ivan. Usually placid creek can pack a punch By RONALD BARTIZEK Post Staff Most of the time, Toby’s Creek is tame, even invisible, with water levels that barely cover the shale lining its bed. But when the rains come hard, long or both, watch out. Quickly swollen by runoff, the tranquil stream can become a destructive menace, capable of ripping apart roads and washing away property. In the record flooding of June, 1972, the creek tore up sections of Memorial Highway in Dallas and Hillside Road in Trucksville, before causing even more damage from Luzerne to Edwardsville, where it enters the Susquehanna River. Last month, swollen by about six inches of rain dropped by the remnants of Hurricane Ivan, the creek jumped its banks in Shavertown, flooding North Main Street and the parking lot at Cook’s Pharmacy and coming perilous- ly close to topping the channel between several homes and Route 309. It is the Back Mountain's good fortune that nowhere is the torrent’s flow blocked, and thus it simply washes through on its way to the river. A variety of piecemeal measures have been taken over the years to con- tain and direct flood waters. At several points, the creek has been channeled by high concrete walls; at others, Gabian walls — stone secured by heavy wire mesh — hold the banks while at still others rip rap stone is the protection of choice. About a decade ago, local municipal- ities were required to adopt a storm water management ordinance that applies to construction within the creek’s watershed, said Ben Gorey, a past zoning officer in Kingston Township. The ordinance requires that developers not increase storm flows, often by capturing it in detention ponds on their sites. “That should be a good control over runoff,” Gorey said. There is also a state-imposed restric- tion of any development within 50 feet of any stream, which Gorey feels helps protect tributaries to Toby’s Creek. Now, a comprehensive approach to mitigate flooding along Toby’s Creek and its feeder streams may be on the way, thanks to State Sen. Charles Lemmond. Tom Rathbun, spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection, said a preliminary study is nearly finished — 16 years after fund- ing of $150,000 for it was set aside by FOR THE POST/CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK Friends Matt Krebs, left, and Dale Daniels, relax on a Sunday afternoon on Toby's Creek in Shavertown. They are sitting atop a Gabian wall, stones held together by wire mesh, a design that is used at many points to pro- tect the banks from erosion. the state Legislature. The study is under review at DEP and the Department of General Services, which manages construction of state-funded projects. Because the study has just been sub- mitted, Rathbun was unable to describe its recommendations. But he expects officials in Dallas Borough and Dallas and Kingston townships to be given a review soon. “They’ll be able to see the scope of it,” he said. A decision on whether to proceed should be made in January, 2005. Rathbun said this approach — trying to eliminate the causes of flooding rather than simply protecting vulnera- ble locations — is more effective. “Otherwise, you just keep trying to out- engineer Mother Nature,” he said. Funding for the project would be split between federal, state and local sources, with the local municipalities responsible for ongoing maintenance and upkeep. “It’s a bit of a financial commitment,” Rathbun said. Grant funds would be available for non-rou- tine repairs or useful additions. While DEP would consider the envi- ronmental impact of such a project, other support is valuable when trying to incorporate public access into the plan. “That’s where the local watershed groups are vital,” he said. And DEP could help such a group get started and be effective. “There’s funding sources for those folks.” Web resources Government and nonprofit agencies Pennsylvania Environmental Council www.pecpa.org Susquehanna River Basin Commission www.srbc.net Luzerne County Conservation District www.luzerneconservationdis- trict.org o 142 AD ISiiJ Local environmental organizations North Branch Land Trust www.nblt.org Back Mountain Trail bmt.editthispage.com Watershed associations Eno River Association (Durhan, N.C.) www.enoriver.org Farmington River Watershed Association (Farmington, Ct.) www.frwa.org Harlem Valley Rail Trail (Amenia, N.Y.) www.hvrt.org DO YOU HAVE ANY STORIES ABOUT TOBY'S CREEK? At different times and places, Toby's Creek has been a fishing hole, a natural sliding board and an engine of industry. If you have any stories to tell or pictures to share, we'd love to hear and see them. They may be published in the weeks fol-| lowing the completion of this series. You can contact us many ways: | By e-mail (best): hepostaleaderndll By phone: (570) 675-5211 i By mail: The Post, 15 N. Main St. Wilkes-Barre PA 18711 Items may also be dropped off in our locked box at the Uni-Mart con- venience store, across from the Dallas Shopping Center. No matter how you contact us, please include a return address and phone number, so that we can fol- | low up with you and return items. | What do you think? So, using your own experience and what we've presented, what do you think about the future of Toby's Creek? Is it simply a nui- sance that should be tamed and paved over, or could it be a valu- able asset to the Back Mountain's families and business community? In the end, how the creek is used — if it is used at all — will depend on what the people who live, work and do business here feel is best. Send your comments to us by e- mail at: thepost@leader.net or by mail: The Post, 15 N. Main St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711 ' ) 3 |
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