EASTON, Pa. — Environmental advocates and officials this week celebrated a milestone for the Bushkill Creek.
After more than a century of damage and disconnection, the creek is flowing uninterrupted.
“This yearslong effort is a win for clean water for all the communities living in connection with the Bushkill Creek,” said Christopher Kocher, president of Wildlands Conservancy, in a news release. “It’s a wonderful example of the power of partnerships, and what community can do for community when nonprofits, local government and state and federal agencies pool ideas [and] resources to invest in our treasured, natural areas.”
Wildlands Conservancy, as well as other partners and stakeholders, on Tuesday marked the completion of restoration work on the Bushkill Creek at Lafayette College with a celebration and wildflower-planting. The large-scale rehabilitation project, underway since 2021, included the removal of five dams, the last of which was razed over the summer.
While the dams once had a purpose, the structures had fallen into disrepair, and were blocking the flow of water and fish to the Delaware and then the Atlantic Ocean, degrading the waterway further. With the dams removed, the water has returned to its natural flow.
“Lafayette College has been proud to work alongside Wildlands Conservancy and so many dedicated people from our partner agencies to help restore and improve the Bushkill Creek,” said Nicole Hurd, Lafayette’s president. “The Bushkill Creek is our neighbor and part of our Lafayette home, our natural boundary between campus and the city of Easton.
“Our students enjoy studying and recreating along its peaceful banks. Taking care of it for future generations is part of our environmental stewardship and our nearly 200-year tradition of giving back to the larger community.”
Pleased, proud
The Bushkill Creek begins at the foot of Blue Mountain in Bushkill Township and flows for about 22 miles south to its confluence with the Delaware River. It’s designated as a high quality coldwater fishery, and its watershed encompasses 80 square miles.
With the dams removed, fish and eels, as well as hitchhiking mussels, will be able to make their way from the Atlantic Ocean to the Delaware River and finally up the Bushkill Creek.
“It is fantastic to see the lower Bushkill Creek free-flowing and fully integrated with the Delaware River once again,” Lafayette Professor Dru Germanoski said.
However, dams weren’t the only issue for the creek. Almost two decades ago, there was a coal ash slurry spill at a power plant on the Delaware River about 10 miles north of the city. A nearly $1 million mitigation settlement was reached, with funding earmarked to remove the dams and restore freshwater mussel populations.
Improving the health of the creek is not only beneficial to local wildlife, officials argued, but also will improve outdoor experiences for residents who walk the Karl Stirner Arts Trail.
"We were pleased to contract Wildlands Conservancy to do this work and are proud of the successes already seen, including improved water quality and habitat and more opportunities for safe community recreation around our shared waters."Steve Tambini, executive director of the Delaware River Basin Commission
In addition to the conservancy and Lafayette, project collaborators include the Delaware River Basin Commission.
“The DRBC advises the Natural Resources Damage Assessment Team created after a 2005 fly ash spill in the region, helping choose and guide the restoration plan that implemented these dam removals on the Bushkill,” said Steve Tambini, the commission’s executive director.
“We were pleased to contract Wildlands Conservancy to do this work and are proud of the successes already seen, including improved water quality and habitat and more opportunities for safe community recreation around our shared waters.”
