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Watershed alliance keeps Connoquenessing Creek clean

Dave Andrews, president of the Connoquenessing Watershed Alliance board of directors, speaks on the work being done to stabilize the stream bank near the Carousel Shelter at Alameda Park on Friday, Aug. 2. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle

Logs funneled rainwater through Sullivan Run on Friday morning, Aug. 2, sending the water flowing around specifically placed rocks and down small artificial cascades in Alameda Park, which helped prevent the 1.5 inches of rain Butler received from overflowing the stream.

The Connoquenessing Watershed Alliance completed the rainwater mitigation project in 2021, one of the most recent completed by the nonprofit since its inception in October 1999. Dave Andrews, president of the Connoquenessing Watershed Alliance board of directors, said stream control is a growing concern because waterways are getting fed more rainfall as hard surfaces increase, preventing water from soaking into the ground.

According to Andrews, the water in Sullivan Run in Alameda Park used to build up a lot faster, and it could have flooded Friday morning if not for the mitigation project. The stream feeds into the Connoquenessing Creek, so making sure the water is flowing properly also helps stop issues from occurring downstream.

“The hard surfaces we have — whether that's parking lots, pavements — it runs into a storm drain, a ditch, it gets to a stream a lot faster,” Andrews said. “We’re trying to slow down the water in the head waters. If we can slow water down here, eventually we’re going to slow water down in the Connoquenessing and it helps them with their flooding.”

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