Pike Run Stream Habitat Restoration Project
Montgomery Park
With funding from the William Penn Foundation and the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed
Association is preparing to undertake the largest and most
comprehensive restoration in our history. This spring and
summer we will restore over 800 linear feet of streambank
along Pike Run in Montgomery Township.
WHY PIKE RUN?
The stretch of Pike Run thorough Montgomery Park is in very
poor condition.
This part of Pike Run is very flashy - Due
to urban development upstream, stormwater fills the stream
quickly during a rain event, and the flow is extremely fast.
The amount of water and the velocity of flow during storm
events have caused the stream to become channelized, with
straight-shot parallel banks, as opposed to natural meandering
bends.
These extreme flows have eroded the stream banks resulting
in common 5-6 foot vertical banks above the water level, disconnecting
the stream from its floodplain. Additionally, much of the streambed
has been washed away and, in many areas, the bottom of the stream now consists
of bedrock.
The existing stream conditions include little to no viable
in-stream habitat for a healthy macroinvertebrate (insect)
community. Macroinvertebrates are at the bottom of the food
chain; loss of their habitat reverberates through the surrounding
ecological community.
WHAT ARE WE DOING?
Like many areas in the northeastern portion of the United
States, the land surrounding this stretch of Pike Run is valuable
to and regularly used by people. The adjacent trail, parking
lots and mature trees established at the bank edge prohibit
us from damming the stream and reconstructing its banks in
a more natural meandering fashion to redirect stream flow.
In conjunction with TRC Omni Environmental - one of the leading
environmental restoration engineering firms in New Jersey,
the NJ Department of Environmental Protection, and Montgomery
Township, we have designed an innovative multi-phased restoration
plan that will be the first of its kind in New Jersey and
will serve as an example for the region.
Phase I
We assembled an army of volunteers in May 2007
to plant nearly 2,800 native plants along the banks of
Pike Run in a wetland area currently maintained by mowing
to the stream edge. The plants are protected from deer
and geese with a large all-encompassing 7-foot tall fence
until they have integrated their root system and multiplied.
These plantings will help to:
reduce the velocity of water surging off the land during a
rainstorm,
filter pollutants gathered in rain runoff from
nearby hard surface areas,
encourage infiltration of
rainwater thereby increasing groundwater recharge, and
discourage goose occupancy.
Phase II
Professional engineers and construction teams will conduct
this portion of the restoration. We will install a series
of what are known as "single-wing" deflectors in August. Associated
cover logs and additional streambank plantings will protect
banks in key areas from erosion.
Single-wing deflectors - These deflectors will re-direct
stream flow to create a meandering stream flow pattern within
the existing banks and result in the natural creation of riffles
and pools, both of which are vital habitat for macroinvertebrates.
Phase III
In November 2007, we will once again assemble volunteers to plant 1,000 live stakes of dogwood, willow, and viburnum along Pike Run's streambanks near the single-wing delfectors, cover logs, and restored wetland meadow to further stabilize the banks. Live stakes are ? and must be planted during the dormant season. Please contact us to get on a notification list for the exact dates and times in November.(Both weekday and weekend opportunites are expected to be scheduled.)
Phase IV
Once the plants and in-stream structures have been installed,
we will start the lengthy and key maintenance and monitoring process to ensure
plant viability and structure stability.
We welcome volunteers
to assist us with these periodic tasks:
Maintenance involves periodic weeding of the shrub areas.
Montoring involves a regular visual assessment of the wetland meadow's progress through the completion of a monitoring form and picturetaking.
We will also be conducting post-restoration monitoring through
surveys of:
macroinvertebrates,
fish,
stream hydrology, and
pebble counts.
It will be exciting to witness improved in-stream habitat
by finding more and more varied bugs and fish, and by proving
the existence of riffles and pools where there currently are
none!
Documenting Our Work
At each stage of this project, we will post a images on this
webpage documenting the process, progress, successes, and
lessons learned.
Check back often to see our progress or, better yet, contact
us and get involved!
To volunteer for Phase III or Phase IV, contact:
Peggy Savage, Environmental Scientist
Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association
609-737-3735
This project is conducted in
partnership with Montgomery Township and NJ Department of
Environmental Protection and is funded by the US Environmental
Protection Agency’s Targeted Watershed Grant Program
and the William Penn Foundation.
Main: (609) 737-3735
