Waterway Trail Plans Get a Boost
Washington PA Observer Reporter
22 October 2010
By Bob Niedbala, Staff writer
niedbala@observer-reporter.com
Ten Mile Creek may soon be a popular place for kayakers and canoeists.
Plans to create a waterway trail on the Ten Mile from the dam in West
Waynesburg to the Monongahela River in Millsboro received a boost last
week with the awarding of a state grant to construct two boat launches
at the creek.
The Jefferson-Morgan Regional Council of Governments received a
$126,000 grant from the state Department of Conservation and Natural
Resources to construct launches for canoes and kayaks in Morgan
Township and Franklin Township.
The council of governments is formed by Jefferson and Morgan townships
and Clarksville and Jefferson boroughs.
Because the segment of the creek for the trail also passes through
Franklin and East Bethlehem townships and Waynesburg Borough, those
municipalities participated as associate members of the council for
purposes of the grant application.
The plan is to develop a 26-mile waterway trail from the dam in West
Waynesburg all the way to Monongahela River, said Mike Dufalla of
Mackin Engineering Co., who spearheaded the plan and prepared the grant
application.
The trail would eventually have five or six launches, he said.
"It would be excellent for tourism and excellent for families," Dufalla
said. By having launches every three to five miles, the trail would be
attractive to families with young children who might not be able to
travel the trail's whole length, he said.
The matching grant will pay for materials for the two launches. One,
the Cyprus Boat Launch, will be constructed at the soccer field on
Route 188 in Franklin Township and the other, the Mather Boat Launch,
either near the Mather reservoir or the Morgan Township Building.
The match will be made by the municipalities which will provide
equipment and labor for construction of the launches.
"It will be very nice when it becomes a reality," said Reed Kiger,
Franklin Township supervisor, who spoke about the need for recreational
facilities throughout the county.
"I really didn't realize it but there are quite a few people who like
to take kayaks and canoes up and the down the creek," said Shirl
Barnhart, Morgan Township supervisor and president of the council of
governments.
The trail could encourage the sport, help attract people to the area
and provide access for people who might like to use the creek for
fishing, he said.
When the water levels in the creek are high enough, kayakers and
canoeists also should be able to travel the entire length of the trail,
Barnhart said.
The water flow in Ten Mile Creek from about Clarksville downstream to
the river is sufficient almost year-round for canoeing or kayaking,
Dufalla said. Farther upstream, near Waynesburg, the flow may only be
sufficient for boating for eight or nine months a year, he said.
Dufalla said as part of the trail project, a flow study will be
conducted and maps developed to help promote the trail as well as to
provide information to those who use it.
The council also had applied for another grant from the Pennsylvania
Fish and Boat Commission for two additional launches, one at Crawford
Field in Franklin Township and the other near Chartiers in Morgan
Township.
That grant was not approved, though the fish and boat commission asked
the council to re-apply later, Dufalla said.
If everything goes as planned, he said, work could begin on the first
two boat launches sometime in the spring or summer.