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Abington Township has been close to being “built-out” for many years.
The high percentage of impervious surface in the Township has reduced
the opportunity for infiltration of stormwater before reaching the
creek, and subsequently, significant erosion of the Sandy Run Creek’s
streambank has occurred.
This project will restore 930 linear feet of Sandy Run’s streambank in
Roslyn Park that are highly eroded and showing evidence of scour and
undercutting of existing trees and vegetation. The first section
comprises 450 linear feet of the creek’s southern bank that is located
adjacent to Roslyn Park’s soccer fields; the second section is a 480
linear foot area of the north bank adjacent to the park’s baseball
fields.
The plans to address the streambank erosion are to initially stabilize
the bank using coconut (coir) fiber logs and mats that are designed to
provide a base for vegetation to take root. Mature native plants and
black willow trees will be planted along the streambank as the logs and
mats are installed. Eventually the coir fiber logs and mats will decay,
leaving the new plant growth in place. The restoration will provide both
vertical and lateral stability of the streambanks, it will be designed
to accommodate a range of flows in the creek, and will provide an
enhanced riparian buffer that will act as a filter for surface runoff
and improve the ecological habitat of the stream.
The Montgomery County Planning Commission’s Upper Wissahickon Special
Area Management Plan and its Sandy Run Creek Watershed Conservation Plan
recommend streambank restoration along the Sandy Run Creek to improve
aquatic and riparian habitat, decrease maintenance costs, increase
access and safety to the waterway, and to significantly decrease erosion
rates. The prevention of streambank scour and erosion is also a stated
purpose of Abington Township’s Stormwater Management Ordinance.
The Township’s Engineering Department will provide for oversight of the
construction activities and the Township’s Environmental Advisory
Council (EAC) will work to organize volunteer labor from concerned
citizens to help remove invasive plants prior to the construction work
and to help with the extensive planting of native vegetation after the
coconut fiber logs and mats have been installed.
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