Lewisburg, PA – The SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority (JRA) is pleased to accept a $90,000 Growing Greener Plus grant awarded by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to stabilize an eroding bank on an unnamed tributary to Penns Creek located along the JRA’s Selinsgrove Industrial Track, adjacent to the campus of Susquehanna University.
Through this project, and in collaboration with Susquehanna University, Chesapeake Conservancy, and North Shore Railroad Company, the JRA seeks to beautify the community, support environmental sustainability, and ensure the region’s economic stability by maintaining access to rail freight services.
The bank erosion is active, unsightly, contributes to sediment flow downstream, and threatens rail freight service along the route if it were to washout in a large storm event, said Steven Beattie, executive director of the JRA. “We are pleased to be awarded this grant and correct an on-going erosion problem created from accelerated runoff caused by upstream development.”
The erosion is due to multiple factors dating back to the 1960s when the stream was straightened. This along with development of the immediate area and suburban development upstream disturbed the natural floodplain and increased the speed of water flow against the bank, leading to severe erosion.
As a solution, the JRA and its partners have a unique approach to stabilize the stream bank with an imbricated stone wall, improved embankment slopes, and stabilization with black willow live stakes. This solution will ensure the railroad does not erode further, allowing continued service to rail customers. This project will remove an eyesore, and reduce nutrient and sediment pollution in the watershed, ultimately improving water quality.
As a tributary to Penns Creek, the pollutants and sediments that flow into the stream continue downstream and impact the water quality in the Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay. Based on modeling software, the project will reduce this impact of sediment loading by 59.5 tons per year, reduce nitrogen by 1.6 pounds per year, and reduce phosphorus by 1.1 pounds per year.
This project was one of just 12 to receive a grant through Growing Greener Plus within the Northcentral region of Pennsylvania. With a total projected project cost of $453,107, the grant will cover a portion of the project expenses, while project partners will contribute the remaining funds.
About the SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority
Established in 1983, the Joint Rail Authority’s mission is to preserve rail freight service across a nine-county area of central Pennsylvania, moving goods and materials that drive the Central Pennsylvania regional economy. The JRA is responsible for nearly 220 miles of railroad main line track across six railroads. Our railroads, in cooperation with our strategic partner and operator, North Shore Railroad, support over 100 customers and 12,600 jobs in the region. To learn more, visit www.sedacograil.org.
MEDIA CONTACT: Steven Beattie, [email protected]