When Wissahickon Interested Citizens Association contacted Friends of the Wissahickon about erosion issues at an entry into the Wissahickon Valley Park, FOW staff visited the site to see the damage firsthand.

The entrance, on Sumac and Vicaris streets, links to a connecting trail near where the Wissahickon’s Yellow Trail ends. 

“It was really eroded, and stormwater had funneled through the path, making for a rocky, steep and slippery entrance,” said John Holback, FOW Volunteer Coordinator. Making things worse, nearby residents had also dumped grass clippings, tree limbs and other yard waste there.

Stormwater erosion is a continuing problem throughout the park — there are many sites like this one that need repairs from water that regularly drains through steep trails.

Working with the Philadelphia Water Department, FOW has developed a plan to better manage stormwater at Sumac and Vicaris, improve the trail’s condition and make it more appealing overall. In August, FOW staff and volunteers built terraces with locust logs to provide better footholds, but that’s not a permanent solution. “Without redirecting the stormwater, that work will just float away,” Holback said.

So FOW, the Water Department and WICA will spend two Saturdays in October working on the site to finish the work they began this summer. Several ditches will be dug to collect water that will then be dispersed in the forest area, Holback said, and native plants will be installed to help slow down and absorb the water.

Want to help? Volunteers are needed on Oct. 15 and 29. On the 15th, the focus will be on general clean-up, as well as chipping of the trees and other waste that has been dumped. Volunteers will also be working to educate neighbors about the improvements. On the 29th, volunteers will assist in digging ditches, moving dirt and completing the project.

Contact volunteer coordinator John Holback at holback@fow.org to sign up, or for more information on this or other projects.