Upper Susquehanna River – Phase I Stream Mitigation Bank

The goal of the bank site is to restore and preserve self-sustaining, functional, stream, wetland, and riparian corridors to replace the functions and values lost from adverse impacts to streams and wetlands due to various permitted development projects within the Upper Susquehanna River Subbasin. The development efforts provide an in-kind replacement for the direct loss or functional degradation of stream, wetland, and riparian resources that result from unavoidable aquatic resource impacts. In addition, the structural establishment of these functional improvements in advance of the compensated functional impacts will serve to eliminate the temporal loss of function which may result from alternative mitigation approaches.

The project includes restoration of all stream channels onsite and the rehabilitation or conservation of their associated riparian zones. Some of the targeted aquatic functions restored include improvements to wildlife habitat, water quality, flood conveyance and storage, and erosion control through the implementation of natural channel design, vegetation controls, and long-term land protection. Restoration modifications include natural channel design techniques, channel cross section and pattern alterations, bank stabilization and bio-engineering techniques, grade control and in-stream structures, and establishment of forested riparian zones. Our work rehabilitates and conserves riparian zones along both banks of streams including wetlands.