Berrios, Israel

Koller, Kristen

Walston, Katie

English

Digital Commons @ West Chester University

West Chester UniversityDigital Commons @ West Chester UniversityPlum Run Water Quality Study Documents Plum Run Water Quality Study2014Plum Run Restoration of the Culvert in theGordon Natural AreaIsrael BerriosWest Chester University of PennsylvaniaKatie WalstonWest Chester University of PennsylvaniaKristen KollerWest Chester University of PennsylvaniaFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.wcupa.edu/gna_prwq_seriesPart of the Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology CommonsThis Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Plum Run Water Quality Study at Digital Commons @ West Chester University. It hasbeen accepted for inclusion in Plum Run Water Quality Study Documents by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ West ChesterUniversity. For more information, please contact wcressler@wcupa.edu.Recommended CitationBerrios, I., Walston, K., & Koller, K. (2014). Plum Run Restoration of the Culvert in the Gordon Natural Area. Retrieved fromhttp://digitalcommons.wcupa.edu/gna_prwq_series/3Plum Run Restoration of the Culvert in the Gordon Natural Area  by Israel Berrios, Katie Walston and Kristen Koller Background ● Plum Run is separated into two main branches: The West Branch and the East Branch ● Our site of concern is located within the East Branch adjacent to the Gordon Natural Area entrance and athletic fields on south campus ● Site picked due to rapidly increasing impairment 3 Problems  ● Culvert and Stream Connectivity  ● Banks and Sediment Deposition  ● Salt Barn and Drain  Problem: Culvert ● The water flows around and under the culvert rather than through it ● Connectivity is greatly reduced ● Discharge has decreased (the culvert acts as a dam, which is not the original purpose) ● Only during heavy rain events is water level high enough to flow through   Solution Taking out the corrugated round culvert (A) and replacing it with a structural plate-arch (C).   Round Culvert Issues for Fish  ● Width constriction (Not so much in this case) ● Most culverts are elevated at the outlet end which creates an outfall barrier for the fish Benefits to Using a Structural Plate Arch ● Natural streambed is left mostly unchanged so there are no issues with water flowing under or around the culvert  ● Little to no significant change to water velocity so sediment deposition won’t be that big of an issue on the inlet end of the culvert Solution #2 ● Taking out the culvert and have the stream naturally flow underneath the bridge ● Similar to the structural plate arch but less of a restriction to width Hypotheses ● If we replace/repair the culvert connectivity will be re-established to allow fish to move freely up and down the stream ● It will also reestablish original discharge which will reduce sediment deposition upstream of the culvert Estimated Cost ● The estimated cost of replacing the existing round corrugated culvert with a structural plate arch would be around $30,000 - $35,000   Problem #2: Banks and Sediment Deposition ● Banks are heavily eroded and sediment has been deposited upstream before the culvert  o Because the culvert is slowing down the flow, sediment has settled out of the water and has been deposited onto the bottom creating a very shallow habitat o Erosion of the banks has contributed excess sediment input  Hypothesis  ● If banks are re-established, the severity of erosion will decreased, decreasing the amount of sediment inputs to the stream and enhancing habitat quality  ● Increasing depths and in stream habitats may promote fish communities  Banks and Sediment Deposition Upstream ● Low flow, very shallow ● Dredge some areas to restore flow rates and reduce sediment build up ● By adding bends it will reduce heavy flow during storms that create erosion downstream ● Reinforcing with stakes ● Create gradual banks (pull back if possible)  ● Erosion blankets  ● Plant native vegetation, remove invasives ● Not much room to work with due to road and forest Banks Other techniques  ● J hooks and rock dams ● Increased fish habitats  Other techniques  ● Cleaning up fallen trees ● Leave some branches and leaf patches Estimated Cost ● $100 per stream foot ● Working with about 300 feet  ● About half the site needs these alterations  Problem #3: Salt Barn and Drainage Solution ● Place some funding into research of effects ● Consult with university on moving the barn location to an area that will have less effect on the stream ● Replace open barn with a barn that can hold salt without allowing it to run into the stream  Stream Protection ● Keep as many trees as possible during restoration and removing any invasive species ● Replace invasive species with native shrubs and erosion mats. ● Use soft armor like branches to add stability to banks  Assessment and Monitoring Techniques Before and After ● WCU students can collect stream data as an educational experience, probes.  o Collect data of water chemistry  ph, conductivity, temperature, hardness, alkalinity, DO% ● Collect physical ○ Depth, discharge, turbidity, velocity, channel units, species richness          fish tracking methods and invertebrate sampling  Monitoring sites and Frequency ● Work with WCU professors to incorporate monitoring into labs performed at least 1 or 2 times each semester. ● 4 sites for fixed sampling o better for trends over time Monitoring sites and Frequency ● Probes and Automated sampling devices to collect the water chemistry parameters ● Data entry in tables and graphs for easy analysis ● Habitat Score before restoration and once every year  Selling Point ● Education as means of monitoring ● Connectivity for invertebrate and fish movement ● Improving a moderately impaired stream into a healthy stream        cheaper to fix now than later Conclusion ● Replacing the culvert is our main focus to restore connectivity ● Education/monitoring will play a major role in protecting and maintaining stream health ● Bank/sediment stabilization and salt barn relocation are a secondary concern as only so much progress can be made in the limited space  Citations http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/stewardship/accessroads/fishhabitat.htm http://www.tu.org/about-tu/contact-us?_ga=1.254915328.907442489.1416536089 Restoration for Plum Run Watershed - Brandywine Valley Association- Robert Struble http://www.acrcd.org/NewsEvents/PhotoGallery/tabid/77/AlbumID/415-4/Default.aspx http://www.gordonarea.org/lands.html 

Plum Run Restoration of the Culvert in the Gordon Natural Area

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Plum Run Restoration of the Culvert in the Gordon Natural Area

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