Fish Habitat Improvements
Kettle Creek and its tributaries represent some of the most pristine waters in Pennsylvania. Many streams support wild brook trout populations (67 miles of Class A trout streams) and the watershed has been a long-time popular fishing destination for anglers. However, it was noticed in the late 1990s that trout populations had begun to decline. In numerous locations, Kettle Creek and sections of its tributaries are overwide and shallow with little tree cover. This allows water temperatures to become too warm, particularly during the summer months, for trout to survive. Furthermore, excess sediment from streambank erosion and an overall lack of fish habitat diversity (e.g. deep pools, riffles) contribute to less than desirable instream habitat conditions that impair the trout populations.
In 1998, the KCWA began working on a variety of fish habitat and bank stabilization projects, as well as native shrub and tree plantings, to help improve the trout fisheries and stabilize the banks. Fifteen fish habitat enhancement and bank stabilization projects were completed between 1998 and 2007, many as a result of the partnership KCWA enjoyed with Trout Unlimited through its Kettle Creek Home Rivers Initiative, and the KCWA continues to implement more projects every year. This includes maintaining the existing systems and planning an annual tree planting.
Beginning in 2013, Trout Unlimited started a Brook Trout Habitat Initiative to focus on the Cross Fork Creek watershed. This new project allowed for the hiring of a project coordinator. This initiative aims to restore 10,560 ft of riparian forest buffers within the watershed, stabilize 2,000 ft of eroded streambank, complete dirt and gravel road projects, and assess all the road culverts in the watershed to determine if they impact movement of fish. All of these projects will decrease sedimentation, allow brook trout to move freely through the watershed, decrease in-stream temperatures and decrease pollution to the stream.
Fish Habitat Reports
Cross Fork Creek Brook Trout Habitat Project (2008) DOWNLOAD PDF (65 KB)
Upper Kettle Creek Fish Habitat Conservation Plan Tributaries Addendum (2005) DOWNLOAD PDF (3.5 MB)
Upper Kettle Creek Fish Habitat Conservation Plan (2002) DOWNLOAD PDF (2.25 MB)
Kettle Creek Watershed Dirt and Gravel Road Studies: Cross Fork and Little Kettle Creek (2001) DOWNLOAD PDF (54 KB)
Cross Fork Creek Brook Trout Habitat Project (2008) DOWNLOAD PDF (65 KB)
Upper Kettle Creek Fish Habitat Conservation Plan Tributaries Addendum (2005) DOWNLOAD PDF (3.5 MB)
Upper Kettle Creek Fish Habitat Conservation Plan (2002) DOWNLOAD PDF (2.25 MB)
Kettle Creek Watershed Dirt and Gravel Road Studies: Cross Fork and Little Kettle Creek (2001) DOWNLOAD PDF (54 KB)