Sullivan Run fixes lower chances of flooding
A few miles upstream from Butler, members of the Connoquenessing Watershed Alliance spent days earlier this year cutting down trees near Sullivan Run.
But instead of removing them from the stream, the workers actually left the felled trees in the stream, and dug holes underneath them to create a more efficient area of flow.
Dave Andrews, president of the Connoquenessing Watershed Alliance, said the work performed by the group has helped to reduce the potential severity of flooding that could be caused by the stream in the city. The alliance put in multiple buffers that slow the flow of water.
“That flooding in Butler would have been a lot worse if we didn't do this,” Andrews said. “We're trying to get water out of that really fast channel where it's narrow. It's going out in the flood plain, losing energy; it's hitting off brush and trees and it's slowing the water down.”
On Thursday, Andrews spoke at Alameda Park's Outdoor Discovery Series about the alliance's projects, and how it has created a better habitat for plants and wildlife near the Sullivan Run stream.
The stream starts near Duffy Road to the west of Butler, and runs through Alameda Park to the city of Butler.
Andrews walked with viewers around the Carousel Shelter, which overlooks Sullivan Run, to show how the logs and rocks the alliance installed were working to change the water level and flow in certain areas of the park.
The alliance installed multiple “cross veins,” which are logs set up in a “V” shape atop a log running perpendicular to the stream, which directs the water and helps mitigate erosion. These different mitigation efforts could also increase the stream's recreational opportunities.
“A lot of the projects that we're doing is to try to slow that water down,” Andrews said. “Our hope is to maybe in a couple years create a youth fishing area.”
Pat Collodi, a Butler resident who attended the session, said the presentation was informative because she did not know much about flood mitigation.
“I learned so much,” Collodi said. “It was so wonderful.”
Andrews said the alliance secured a project with the city of Butler to make improvements to Connoquenessing Creek in Memorial Park.
He said these efforts will not only improve the habitat for plants and wildlife, but also help prevent water buildup and flooding throughout a waterway's run.
“Water is going to go where water wants to go,” Andrews said. “These mitigations make a substantial difference on how it's going to go.”
