Rattlesnake Creek
Rattlesnake Creek in Brockway, PA is undergoing a stream improvement summer of 2023 and summer of 2024. The purpose of the project is to enhance critical fishing habitat while simultaneously protecting the streambanks from further erosion. Streambank erosion results in the loss of large amounts of land over time and they contribute to sediment pollution. Fortunately, there are practices that are available to mitigate streambank erosion and also improve fish habitat. The practices that are being implemented this summer on Rattlesnake Creek involve the use of heavy equipment in and along the stream. Logs and stone are reinforced into the streambank by the excavator and then held into place by rebar. There are a variety of structures being implemented that each depend on a stream characteristics in any given reach. Once the structures are put into place, the adjacent floodplain is planted with shrubs and live stakes to be revegetated and to hold the soil intact. The floodplain, or the adjacent land to a stream, should be fully vegetated with trees and shrubs that contain deep root systems to hold soil together. Lawn grass roots are only as deep as the grass is high, so it is recommended to create a "no-mow" zone from the stream edge.
