The Center has partnered with the Paxton Creek Watershed and Education Association (PCWEA), located in Harrisburg, PA, over the past few years to provide technical assistance in several areas. The first phase of the work with PCWEA was funded by the Canaan Valley Institute (CVI) and involved conducting a stormwater retrofit inventory for the Paxton Creek Watershed and compiling a report of the baseline conditions in the watershed. This report summarizes conditions for each of the 11 subwatersheds in Paxton Creek and identifies potential retrofitting projects for future implementation.

The second phase of the work with PCWEA was funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), with supplemental funding from CVI. The goal of this phase was threefold:

Conduct detailed stream and subwatershed assessments in the Upper Paxton Creek North and Lower Paxton Creek North subwatersheds Create a slideshow and factsheets for PCWEA to use in educating local stakeholders Develop a restoration plan for the two Paxton Creek North subwatersheds that summarizes baseline conditions, outlines goals and recommendations, and identifies priority restoration projects with conceptual designs for future implementation

With funding from NFWF, an upcoming phase of the work with PCWEA will involve actual implementation of three restoration projects that were previously identified.

Materials produced for this project:

• Paxton Creek Baseline and Stormwater Retrofit Assessment (PDF 17MB)

• Are You Loving Paxton Creek To Death? – an educational brochure with information on the Paxton Creek watershed and specific actions that homeowners, business owners, developers and local governments can do to help protect and restore Paxton Creek. Download the full brochure (PDF 2MB) or individual sections (in PDF) below:
  Introduction to the Paxton Creek Watershed
  Lawns and Landscaping
  Downspout Disconnection
  Stream Buffer Management
  Outdoor Storage
  Dumpster Management
  Better Site Design
  Erosion and Sediment Control

• Educational Slideshows:
  Introduction to the Paxton Creek Watershed
  What Homeowners Can Do To Protect and Restore Paxton Creek
  What Business Owners Can Do To Protect and Restore Paxton Creek
  What Developers Can Do To Protect and Restore Paxton Creek
  What Local Governments Can Do To Protect and Restore Paxton Creek

• Paxton Creek North Subwatershed Restoration Plan (PDF - 5.2MB)
  Paxton Creek North Subwatershed Restoration Plan Appendices (PDF - 6.4MB)

Other useful links:

• How to Install a Rain Barrel and a Rain Garden – a flyer detailing instructions for rain barrel and rain garden installation
• Bayscapes – tools for landscaping using native plants by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay. Includes species lists for PA.