Warrior’s Mark Run is a stream in Huntingdon County (classified as a high-quality coldwater fishery) that has been polluted by grazing cows from nearby farms; cow manure overloads the water with nutrients, disrupting aquatic ecosystems and killing fish and other animals. Funding from the Environmental Stewardship Fund enabled the Huntingdon County Conservation District (HCCD) to reduce this pollution by implementing several water-protection features on two local farms. The projects also entailed restoring and stabilizing the eroding streambank.
HCCD installed nearly 10 thousand feet of fencing on the farms to keep cows out of the stream, plus four stabilized cattle crossings that allow the cows to cross the stream without polluting the water. The streambank restoration included mudsills and wood and rock structures, as well as regrading of the bank. These improvements will prevent the streambank from eroding and clogging the stream with sediment, which means cleaner water, improved fish habitat, and fewer floods.
Altogether these projects restored a 2,331-foot stretch of Warrior’s Mark Run, sustaining fishing opportunities, preventing costly flooding, and protecting drinking water downstream.
