PLYMOUTH – A small group of Plymouth residents don’t want to see any more of their town disappear.
They’ve seen enough go already.
In response to floods in April 2005 and June 2006 that eroded creek beds and swept away landscapes, the crew of seven formed the Plymouth Canasawacta Creek Watershed Committee. The committee’s main goal: restoring and sustaining the integrity of not only Plymouth’s, but Chenango County’s natural beauty.
“The watershed is important not just for the Town of Plymouth, but for Chenango County,” said committee member Peg Kreiner. “A lot of the big business and industry has left Chenango County. The one thing we do have is natural beauty. But if the countryside is destroyed, we’re not even going to have that. And if we sit back and do nothing, it will be destroyed.”
According to the Conservation Technology Information center, a watershed is “the area of land that catches rain and snow and drains or seeps into a marsh, stream, river, lake or groundwater.” Watersheds range in all shapes and sizes, and are not defined by village, town, city, county or even state borders.
Kreiner said the total acres of land lost within the watershed in Plymouth hasn’t been compiled yet. She said the number changes everyday.
“The constant erosion is still occurring,” she said, referring to the Canasawacta Creek. “It looks like someone cuts the banks with a knife and they drop right off.”
The group has been working since September to clear-out creek beds and restore the banks that crumbled during the most recent flooding – and continue to erode. Aside from safeguarding against future losses, the group also hopes to improve the fishing and scenic aspects of the Canasawacta Creek. More importantly, they want their efforts to rub-off on other communities.
“We’re upstream from Norwich, but what we do, or don’t do, ultimately impacts them, and the same is true for other towns in other places,” said Kreiner, explaining that there’s in the only active watershed committee in the county. “We’re just a small area, but we figured we’d give it a shot. And if we’re successful, maybe people will see that they can do it in their area.”
Following damages suffered in 2005, Plymouth land owners along the creek contacted local legislators and various state and county conservation departments to find out how they could prevent future damage. They found out it would mostly be up to them.
“It’s a very mucky issue,” said Jennifer Burcroff, the district technician for Chenango County Soil & Water.
“Landowners basically own the water that runs through their property,” Burcroff explained. “That’s the problem. People don’t see that as an expense. When they buy a piece of property attached to a stream or river, many don’t consider, ‘What will I have to do out of pocket to maintain that.’ And agencies like Soil and Water can’t really get involved in issues related to private property.”
The watershed officially formed in September 2006 upon advice from Soil and Water, the state Department of Environmental Conservation, the Department of Transportation and New York state Fish and Wildlife. Representatives from each of those agencies have been assessing problem areas along the Canasawacta since 2005. Subsequently, DEC and Fish and Wildlife have mapped-out priority areas where the committee’s creek restoration work should be focused.
Dr. Mary O’Reilly, an environmental specialist with the DOT, has worked with the Plymouth Watershed, and says their efforts, combined with the other agencies involved, are unique.
“The interagency relationships we’ve created on this project doesn’t really follow a lot of the political boundaries we’ve established (in New York state),” O’Reilly said. “But there really isn’t a model for this type of work.”
While there is no format for maintaining watersheds, O’Reilly said it’s important that experiments like the one in Plymouth’s happen, because whether it’s a landowner’s property, a DEC trout stream or DOT’s highways and bridges; flooding impacts them all just the same.
“In order to make this work, people need to form partnerships,” she said.
Members of the committee have already begun building up the banks and clearing out blocked-up areas of the creek to open the flow. Kreiner said DEC and Fish and Wildlife are currently developing guidelines for repairing an area between the Chan Aldrich Road and Moon Hill. She added that their assistance has saved the watershed committee thousands of dollars in engineering and consulting fees.
“There’s no quick fix,” Kreiner said. “And we’re still on a learning curve. But we’re way ahead of the game.”
In February, the watershed group received a $179,000 matching grant from DEC.
“They took the bull by the horns,” said Burcroff. “If it weren’t for a few key people, none of this would have happened.”
They’ve been holding various fundraisers throughout the year to match the DEC grant and cover costs. The committee is having a spaghetti from 4 to 8 p.m. on September 15 at the Plymouth Fire House. But members say they won’t be able to sustain the campaign at the level needed on grants and donations alone. They’re hoping to gather more volunteers and in-kind services, and eventually for funding in the Plymouth town budget.