Bushkill Creek, Northampton County, PA, Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Study

At the request of Northampton County officials, the Philadelphia District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has begun a Feasibility Study of a mile and a half reach of the Bushkill Creek in order to determine the feasibility of stream restoration measures for aquatic ecosystem improvement. Upon receiving the county’s request for a study, the Philadelphia District initiated procedures to begin funding and scoping the extent of the required feasibility study. For more information about partnering with the Corps of Engineers, I have provided a link to the Corps’s Project Partnership Kit.

The proposed study will be conducted in partnership with various agencies including the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Conservation and Natural Resources, and Department of Transportation; the Bushkill Stream Conservancy; and local citizens such as the Brookwood Group.

The section of the stream in the study area has been degraded by natural and induced subsidence due to human activities that have impacted the Bushkill Creek stream bed and banks, eliminated riparian vegetation and habitat, and reduced channel flow diversity and low flow channel areas. Stream reaches have been impacted by subsidence activity to a degree that at certain times and in specific areas, no water is observable for base flow conditions.
I understand your concerns and appreciate your patience and support during the study period. Studying the area will take some time but I can assure you that we will be thorough and open with our findings and recommendations.