The Abrahams Creek Watershed Association (ACWA) received grant funding from the PA American Water Company in June 2008.  The ACWA used the funding from this grant to address two pressing problems in the watershed. The first issue was addressing poor watershed management practices through education. The ACWA is striving to change the attitude as well as the practices of the residents within its boundaries.  We feel education is key to encouraging residents to develop a sense of stewardship of their watershed.

Abrahams Creek Watershed Association was formed in November 2007. Its membership consists of concerned residents and local municipal leaders proposing to effect change in the Abrahams Creek Watershed. The ACWA is working to restore and protect Abrahams Creek Watershed by promoting environmental integrity including restoring Abrahams Creek banks, promoting flood mitigation, removing invasive vegetation and sediment control. In addition, the association plans to work to control pollution and protect the wetlands.

The Abrahams Creek Watershed covers 17 square miles of forested land, open space and urban areas. The watershed has two distinct areas, the upper more mountainous portion above Shoemaker Ave. in the municipalities of Kingston Twp, Franklin Twp, Dallas Twp and Exeter Twp. This area to a large extent is undeveloped. The lower flat portion contains the urbanized areas of West Wyoming, Forty Fort, Wyoming and Swoyersville.

One of the major initiatives of the ACWA is to educate the public about the environmental issues concerning the watershed. The ACWA will take a proactive approach in managing the watershed, identifying problems and issues of importance to local families and municipalities.

To accomplish this, ACWA set up a series of information workshops. Wyoming Borough donated the use of their community room for all the workshops. The first workshop was held on June 19. Tanya Dierolf, education coordinator for the Luzerne Conservation District discussed nonpoint source pollution and its prevention. The second workshop was conducted on August 14. Mary Pat Appel of the PSU Cooperative Extension presented “ America’s Most Wanted” workshop. This workshop covered the top ten invasive species in Pennsylvania and strategies to remove and control them.  Appel also described environmental friendly insecticides and plant nutrients. For the third and fourth workshops, on September 18, PSU Cooperative Extension’s Mary Pat Appel and Urban Forester Vincent Catrone presented “Landscaping for a Healthy Environment, reducing storm water flooding and water pollution”. The topics covered were installing rain gardens, protecting stream banks and strategies for reducing storm water run off. The ACWA raffled off three rain barrels to attendees to encourage rain gardening. Attendance was taken at each workshop and in all about 50 people attended the workshops, including members of local municipal councils.

The ACWA produced three newsletters educating residents about topics of concern in the watershed, such as nonpoint source pollution and effective storm water management practices. Members of the ACWA and Boy Scouts from Troop 366 West Wyoming distributed the 1000 copies each of the first two newsletters. Five hundred copies of the third and final newsletter were distributed. The ACWA also developed an email list to further distribute the newsletters. In addition, municipalities within the watershed that had web sites were encouraged to post the newsletters on their sites and newsletters were made available at the municipal buildings in West Wyoming, Wyoming, Forty Fort, Swoyersville, Kingston Twp, Franklin Twp, Exeter Twp and Dallas Twp. They were also made available at the Wyoming Free Library. The ACWA also produced a flyer promoting the Storm Water Management workshop.

The second goal is a stream bank restoration project along the creek and a reforestation effort near the watershed wetland. The stream bank project took place in a critical portion of the creek above a catch basin. This area currently is greatly impacted by erosion, due to the invasive species that has taken over the area and its limited ability to control erosion. Due to its close proximity to the roadway, non point source pollutants are washed into the creek, as well. In this location, local ISA certified Arborist Russ Klapatch, with the advice of the Penn State Cooperative Extension treated the invasive Knotweed species along the stream bank. Once the knotweed had been controlled, inmates from the local correctional facility cut it down. Riparian trees and shrubs were planted streamside by members of the ACWA.

In the reforestation effort, twenty-six trees were planted. River Birch, Red Oak, Red Maple and Witch Hazel species were chosen on the advice of  local arborist, Mary Pat Appel.  West Wyoming Borough Street Department prepared the site for planting and members of the Wyoming Area Secondary Center Environmental Club planted the trees with the help of  West Wyoming Borough Council members/ ACWA members Eileen Cipriani and Dan Gadomski and ACWA member Vince Holland. West Wyoming Hose Company #2 assisted in watering the trees. In all over 40 trees and shrubs were planted in the watershed during this project.

The ACWA views this PA American Grant project as a success. Through this project, the ACWA was able to raise public awareness of the issues facing the watershed and encourage involvement of citizens, municipal leaders and local volunteer organizations. The ACWA also completed two projects that will aid in reducing non point source pollution in the watershed.