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Maiden Creek Watershed BMP's
By
Kelly Meinhart, Producer
 ast
summer I visited Berks County for a watershed tour and found
myself ‘shimmying’ under fences to escape angry
cows. Although it was fun, I was hoping that my next adventure
in Berks County would be a little different. I recently found
myself back in Berks, this time in the Maiden Creek Watershed,
and surrounded by friendlier cows. I was there to see first
hand how best management practices (BMP’s) could really
improve the appearance and efficiency of a farm, while improving
water quality as well.
 am
Spayd, the Watershed Specialist for Berks County, was my guide
for the day. We explored the Maiden Creek Watershed and visited
a few of the stops to be highlighted in an upcoming public tour
she is organizing. The tour will feature a variety of BMP’s
that have been implemented in Berks County at ten different
sites, including; streambank fencing, roofed barnyards, streambank
rehabilitation, tree plantings, utilizing recycled products
and the reuse of highway construction products. The tour is
being held on June 13th and is open to the public at a cost
of $7.00 per person.
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first traveled to the David Kauffman farm, located along the
Furnace Creek in Windsor Township. Mr. Kauffman greeted us and
from there we were off to see the impressive improvements to
his pasturelands. Over 8,000 feet of fencing and six different
cattle crossings were installed along the stream bank to keep
the cattle out. Pretty impressive, because prior to that the
cattle were allowed access to the entire stretch of Furnace
Creek running through their pasture. Needless to say, the stream
was impaired and the banks heavily eroded. The results of the
fencing: the water quality has improved and the vegetation is
returning. Mr. Kauffman and volunteers also planted 350 native
trees and shrubs along the riparian buffer area to help stabilize
the banks and further improve the water quality.
 wo
other impressive practices implemented at the farm included
reusing highway materials and using recycled materials. They
installed recycled plastic fence posts throughout the pasture
area, instead of the typical treated wooden fence posts. The
posts are made out of recycled plastic fertilizer and pesticide
buckets and are more flexible than wooden posts; making them
more durable along with being environmentally friendly.
 long
with the streambank erosion, another major problem was a muddy
feeding area that was becoming a hazard to the cattle and increasingly
difficult to maintain for Mr. Kauffman. In order to provide
a safer, more stable area, they utilized large concrete slabs
that were once Route 78. A nearby major highway reconstruction
left the slabs destined for a landfill. By reusing these slabs
in the feeding area, Mr. Kauffman was able to create a stable
feeding area with easy maintenance.
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| David Kauffman's Farm |
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 ut
this is just one example of a positive improvement in the Maiden
Creek watershed. From there we were off to Leroy Sunday’s
farm, located in Richmond Township. The farm sits on an unnamed
tributary of the Sacony Creek, which runs through some beautiful
rural countryside. Mr. Sunday’s farm sits on a steep hillside
with the creek and wetland area at the base. A natural spring
flowing from the hillside through the barnyard created muddy
and unhealthy conditions for both the cattle and the stream
that it fed. In order to dry out the area and provide safe grazing,
feeding and bedding conditions, the water was safely piped underneath
the driveway to reconnect with the stream. A concrete, roofed
barnyard was added on to the existing barn for the animals,
and roof gutters were added to divert the rainwater –
keeping the clean water clean. These three things greatly improved
the quality of the farm, protecting both the animals and the
water.
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there, the next step was keeping the cattle out of the sensitive
areas. Over 1,161 feet of streambank fencing was installed to
keep the cattle from the wetland and stream areas. Mr. Sunday
gave up over three acres of grazing land in order to protect
it and restore the natural conditions. However, barring the
cattle from the stream meant that another water source would
be needed for them. The spring water coming from the hillside
now provides a clean source of drinking water for the cattle.
he
Kauffman farm project was made possible through a Growing Greener
Grant in the amount of $18,355.00 and the Sunday farm project
through a Federal 319 grant and part of a $100,000 Growing Greener
Grant that the conservation district received to implement BMP’s
throughout the county.
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these are just two of the sites that you will be able to visit
on the tour of the watershed – impressive results for
Berks County! If you’re interested in going along on the
tour, contact Pam Spayd at 610-372-4657 ext. 208 for more information.
Congratulations to Berks County and the landowners. They’ve
worked hard to form partnerships and create real results to
improve the health of our environment; and it shows.
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| Leroy Sunday’s Farm |
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For more information check out the following sites:
 Berks
County Conservation District
Watersheds.tv
Feature on Berks County Conservancy
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