The Philadelphia District of the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has announced its plans for Roychester Park and Grove Park in Abington Township.

From the project’s description:

The purpose of the project is to stabilize, naturalize, and improve ecosystem function along Sandy Run Creek at Roychester Park and Grove Park in Abington Township, Pennsylvania. Specific objectives are to enhance and restore aquatic, wetland, and riparian habitat; improve infiltration of flood waters; stabilize stream banks and reduce erosion; control invasive species; and reconnect floodplains.

In Roychester Park, the banks in the above ground sections of the creek are currently severely eroded and disconnected from the surrounding floodplain. Furthermore, invasive species and other factors reduce the quality of the habitat. In Grove Park, the main section of the creek is channelized with concrete, which reduces the aquatic habitat value and increases water velocities during storms. 

The USACE is managing the overall project, and Abington Township is the non-federal sponsor for the project. A contractor (yet to be determined) will be responsible for physical construction, which is cost shared between the federal government (65%) and the Township (35%). 

For more information on the project, you can click here. Questions can be sent via email.