Stream Restoration Project on the Hosensack Creek within the Mill Hill Preservation Area

Our local Perkiomen Valley Trout Unlimited Chapter #332 (PVTU, www.pvtu332.org), and the Upper Hanover Township partnered to sponsor the rebuilding of an eroding stream bank along the Hosensack Creek within the Mill Hill Preservation Area. PVTU is dedicated to the conservation, protection, and restoration of streams within our Perkiomen Valley. The restoration work on the Hosensack Creek was funded by the Coldwater Heritage Partnership (www.coldwaterheritage.org), the PVTU Chapter, and PVTU Board members. The project was approved by the Montgomery County Conservation District, PA Fish and Boat Commission, PA Game Commission, PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the PA Department of Environmental Protection. PVTU Board members and two local logging firms performed the field work.

The Hosensack Creek is a tributary to the Perkiomen Creek. It joins the Perkiomen Creek at the Rt 29 bridge in Palm, near the American Legion building. The Perkiomen Creek and it’s many tributaries make up the Green Lane Reservoir, which ultimately flows into the Schuylkill River. The Hosensack Creek is a beautiful stream and approximately a mile of it flows through our Township’s Mill Hill Preservation Area.

The stream banks along the Hosensack Creek, the Perkiomen Creek and many other streams within our township and across our country are increasingly eroding soil into the streams during significant rain events. This erosion is a consequence of land management practices where trees and shrubs along the streams, called the riparian zone, are removed for agricultural purposes, housing, the installation of dams, etc. Without an adequate amount of roots from trees and other plants, the riparian zones cannot hold the stream banks in place during rain events. Consequently, soil erodes into the stream and this ongoing erosion causes the streams to become wider and more shallow over time and the eroded soil covers the natural rocky stream beds. In such conditions, in-stream rocks and woody debris, which are natural habitats for fish and other organisms, are more easily swept out of the streams during rain events, which lessens the number of organisms that live within the stream. Additionally, these conditions reduce the quality and clarity of the stream water, called turbidity. Because the streams within our Township and the Green Lane Reservoir are sources of drinking water it is important that we maintain the water quality of our streams. Additionally, ensuring that our streams remain beautiful and have an abundance of aquatic and terrestrial creatures in and around them enhances the recreational pleasures that we can experience along these streams.

The Hosensack Creek project team used log structures to rebuild the stream bank. Logs, anchored into the bedrock and covered by rocks and soil, were used to extend the stream bank back to its proper location. Natural root wad brace logs were also installed into the bank. Both structures will significantly reduce erosion potential and create habitat for aquatic and terrestrial organisms that live within and along the creek. In November, trees will be planted on top of these structures to further stabilize the stream bank and provide proper shade over the creek which is necessary to main ideal water temperatures during the summer months.

The project site is easily seen just upstream of the Mill Hill Preservation Area’s White Trail. A map of the hiking trails is available on the Township’s website and a map is posted at Zeigler Road parking lot. Similar conditions exist elsewhere along the Hosensack Creek and the Perkiomen Creek. OurTownship and PVTU are developing plans to expand this work along both creeks in 2021 and beyond. For additional information on this project and the future initiatives, you are encouraged to contact PVTU via their website. At their monthly meetings they will be discussing these initiatives and the other activities that the chapter manages. With additional members and volunteers, the work that the chapter does within our community can be greatly expanded.

For over 40 years, the PVTU has lead and participated in numerous environmental initiatives that include stream restoration, dam removal, reforestation, invasive plant species removal, stream bank fencing and installation of cattle crossings within farm fields, pond management, trash removal, fly tying and casting instruction, and trout stocking. PVTU also works with six schools across the Perkiomen Valley (elementary through high school), facilitating the Trout in the Classroom program. In this program the students raise trout from eggs until they are released into local streams, a hands-on training on the importance of our water resources.