SELINSGROVE, Pa. — It was a chilly morning in Selinsgrove, but that did not stop students and faculty at Susquehanna University from spending the day outside. Along with some environmental officials, they were installing human-built beaver dams to help with stormwater management.
"We've got a lot of flow that comes in at the edge of the property upstream, and we wanted to figure out how to capture that better. These dams will slow flow down, but they're made of sticks and stones, so it will let water pass through the middle of the dam during a big storm," Matt Wilson said.
Matt Wilson is Susquehanna University's Director of Freshwater Research Institute. He says the dams will help stop erosion problems on campus. They will also trap sediment and keep it out of the Susquehanna River. The crew used sticks, small trees, and invasive plants to build eight dams.
"We're hoping if we build the stream channel back up with the sediment that's going to get trapped, the groundwater infiltrates, brings the water table back up, and makes it perennial again," Wilson said.
The students are studying Earth and Environmental Science.
"We get to be involved with something that directly benefits our ecosystem that we're living in here at Susquehanna," Bryanna Schienholz said.
"I also worked with the DEP this summer as an intern in the permitting department. I had a lot of experience with seeing dam permits. Actually, seeing it come to life at my own school is really cool," Deanna Phillips said.
Students say these dams will be a long-term improvement for this area.