PRC and partners recently completed a 450-linear-foot restoration of a portion of the streambanks of Naylor’s Run as it flows through Drexel Gardens Park in Delaware County. The project also included installation of two bioswales — channels designed to concentrate and convey stormwater runoff while removing debris and pollution — with one bioswale taking runoff from Bond Avenue and the second taking runoff from the northern alley of Bond Avenue.
“The project stabilized portion of the banks that were suffering from severe erosion, with some banks exhibiting nearly vertical conditions,” according to PRC Eastern Program Director Diana Andrejczak. “After we regraded and stabilized the banks, we planted a native mix of trees and shrubs to create longterm stabilization and to shade the stream to moderate temperatures in the summer months.”
Bioswales were planted with native vegetation, a mix of shrubs, small trees and herbaceous flowering plants in an effort to slow, filter and infiltrate stormwater as it moves through the bioswales. The native plants also provide habitat and support local pollinators.
This restoration project, which began in Spring 2020, is a component of PRC’s ongoing work with the Delaware River Watershed Initiative in the Naylor’s Run focus area.
“Naylors Run, a tributary to Cobbs Creek and the Delaware River, has been severely impacted by human development and activities over the past century, so such projects are vital to restoring the health of Darby Creek and its tributaries,” she explained. “Thanks to the support of our partners and funders, we have completed a very successful project that reduces sediment load to the Cobbs Creek Watershed by 12,578 pounds a year and reduces volume of water entering Naylor’s Run by 2,436,924 gallons annually.”
PRC managed the Drexel Gardens Park project in partnership with the Eastern Delaware County Stormwater Collaborative with support from Upper Darby Township Parks and Public Works Department, DCVA and Tree Tenders of Upper Darby. Funding was provided through a grant by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) Delaware River Conservation Fund and the TreeVitalize Program.