Denver Service Center Awards Phase 2 of Watergate Wetlands Restoration Project at Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

As part of Phase 1 of the Watergate Wetlands Restoration Project at Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area temporary erosion and sediment controls were installed.

The Denver Service Center (DSC) recently awarded Phase 2 of the $5 million Watergate Wetlands Restoration Project at Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, The project will restore wetlands and the natural function of Van Campens Brook and its floodplain by removing man-made dams and ponds in and near the Watergate Recreation Site in Warren County, New Jersey.

The project meets an National Park Service (NPS) requirement to restore no less than 33 acres of environmental uplift to compensate for the temporary and permanent impacts to wetlands, floodplains, and ecosystem function caused by the construction, operation, and maintenance of the Susquehanna-Roseland Transmission Line and its 200-foot right-of-way within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.

Environmental uplift includes wetland restoration and the restoration of other parts of the ecosystem that support the wetlands – in this case, the restoration of a stream, its floodplain, and native vegetation. To achieve the restoration goals, this project includes the conversion of mowed lawns, earthen dams, and shallow ponds at Watergate into 20 acres of wetlands. The project also includes 800 linear feet of stream restoration and reconnection to the floodplain through the removal of approximately 4000 linear feet of an old road. Approximately 58 acres of invasive plants would be treated, and native vegetation restored in their place.

Phase 1 of the project, completed in April 2021, cleared vegetation and installed temporary erosion and sediment controls in preparation for Phase 2. The entire project is expected to be complete in January 2022 and improve the quality of cold-water angling and birdwatching at Watergate Recreation Site.