Restoring Pennsylvania’s Rivers for People and Nature

Using the power of nature to restore rivers: spotlight on Pennsylvania

When it comes to finding solutions to the problems our rivers face, like flooding, water scarcity, and pollution, nature can be a powerful tool. From stabilizing and cooling headwater streams to filtering dirty road runoff during storms, natural landscapes serve important functions that can be protected and, in many cases, replicated.  

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, where our Mid-Atlantic team has worked for decades, has long been a leader in the use of nature-based solutions to flooding and poor water quality. A new report by American Rivers highlights seven locations where innovative nature-based solutions have been developed for the benefit of local communities.  

Each case study examines the project development process, community benefits, ecological improvements, and how it was funded, and is illustrated with photos of the completed projects. The nature-based solutions used range from floodplain restoration to land protection to dam removal. What is common across all is that the projects offer tangible benefits to people, and their success has been enabled by smart policies at the state and local level.