Shad Restoration and Dam Removal Project

There are efforts being made to restore American Shad populations in the lower reaches of the White Clay Creek. Currently, there are obsolete, low, on-stream dams that serve as barriers to fish migration and spawning.  The aim of the project is to remove Dam 1, which is located at Delaware Park, to open up 3.5 additional miles of stream for migration and spawning. To read more about the project, click here.

 

 

Pike Creek Restoration

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) completed a 5,000 feet stream restoration project in the fall of 2005 along Pike Creek in the White Clay Watershed. Preliminary results indicate that habitat has improved and populations of macroinvertebrates and fish have increased significantly. DNREC anticipates that the state will remove the restored section of Pike Creek from its 303(d) list of impaired waters after a few years of monitoring.  They extended the project in Meadowdale above The Independence School and in 2007 are working along the creek at Independence School and at residences below there.

For more details, visit http://www.epa.gov/nps/success/state/pdf/de_pikecreek.pdf.

 

The Partnership for the Delaware Estuary's Freshwater Mussel Recovery Program seeks to demonstrate how freshwater mussels can be restored, and how the resulting benefits can promote the recovery of an entire watershed.  Mussels cleanse the water, enrich the food supply, stabilize riverbeds, and enhance habitat.  They also serve as important "indicator" tools for resource managers who are working to assess environmental conditions.  Many species of freshwater mussels once thrived throughout the Delaware River Basin, including the White Clay Creek. Learn more about this exciting research.

To learn more about why reforestation is important and what the Wild and Scenic Program is doing to address the issue, please visit the White Clay Creek Reforestation Project page.