Background on Conoy Creek
History
Deemed a top priority of the DEP in its 2006 Growing Greener grant application, legacy sediment removal and stormwater management are common problems across the state. "Very few other restorations have such detail regarding pre-existing conditions," Dr. Merritts said of the portion of the creek on Masonic Village property. "Until 1700 AD or so, the valley bottom was probably exquisite; a marshy wetland with old trees that would have been frequented by flocks of birds, foxes, deer, etc. Fish would have thrived in the cold, clear water and chains of pools along the rivulets that threaded around the small, tree-covered islands."
According to Dr. Hilgartner, seeds of sedges and alder shrubs recovered from the pre-colonial wetland indicate that a sedge meadow with scattered shrubs occupied the floodplain. Some of these seeds may germinate when re-exposed after the restoration thus reviving some of the original wetland.
As a result of intensive landclearing and farming during our country's colonial period and at least nine mill dams, more than seven feet of legacy sediments have filled in parts of the Conoy Creek, greatly reducing the stability of the creek, and contributing to an increase in flooding and reduced sustainability of fish and other aquatic life. In the past the Masonic Village has made significant efforts to improve the health and appearance of the Conoy Creek, as it flows across Village property.
Significance
The project site is an excellent example of watershed restoration techniques and a DEP Best Management Practice, and will serve as a model for other communities looking to commit to similar efforts. Although projects related to floodplain restoration have been completed in the past, the project at Masonic Village will offer lasting results with little or no additional upkeep. The grant, at $413,000, is the largest to date given to address such problems. Masonic Village considers the project to be of such importance that it has committed more than $150,000 of its own funds toward its completion.
In addition, the stream is located along a relatively busy road, making the restoration project highly visible and accessible to the public. According to Dr. Merritts, this gives it great potential for much public education.
The Masonic Village floodplain restoration project will serve as a basis for developing and trading nutrient credits which may help local communities to meet the goals of the Chesapeake Bay Tributary Strategy for the year 2010 and beyond. Trading of nutrient credits is one alternative to the expensive rehabilitation of local sewage treatment plants, costs of which would potentially be passed to ratepayers. The Conoy Creek has experienced rapid erosion, but much of the floodplain still exists, and can be saved and restored, provided that restoration takes place before further deterioration.
"People have come to think our streams should look like chocolate milk when it rains," Jineen Boyle, DEP Watershed Manager, said. "They shouldn't. The 'chocolate milk' is actually silt and sediment. It smothers aquatic life in the stream and makes water quality poorer. Aquatic insects, which are the building block of the food chain, particularly have a hard time handling too much silt. After removing historical sediments, and stabilizing the area, the creek can find a balance again. In the future, the hope is that DEP will be able to remove it from the 'impaired streams' list."
The project is scheduled to conclude in June 2009, based on factors including the weather.
Masonic Village's Commitment to Conservation
The Masonic Village at Elizabethtown is a not-for-profit continuing care retirement community, children's home and community service organization, founded in 1910. The Masonic Villages also operate retirement communities in Dallas, Lafayette Hill, Sewickley and Warminster, Pa.
The Conoy Creek Floodplain Restoration project is one of several of Masonic Village's conservation practices. The Masonic Village Farm staff, through the assistance of the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Lancaster County Conservation District, has converted more than 200 acres of the farm's crop land into grazing land, which in turn saves on the loss of top soil. Grass buffers were built between fields and local streams to prevent erosion, and fenced off portions of the streams keep cattle from accessing them. Several approved stream crossings have been constructed so cattle can access both sides of the stream with very minor stream disruption. The farm has acreage of no-till land enrolled in the Environmental Quality Incentive Program.
Great efforts are also made to use environmentally-friendly materials and methods campus-wide, including co-generating electricity, water and electricity-saving fixtures, remote sensory lights and the purchase of hybrid vehicles for company use. Microturbines are used to generate electricity, and the heat created as a byproduct is used to reheat hot water for resident apartments and the Masonic Health Care Center, reducing the use of gas boilers.
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