Once pristine, then choked with pollution, Morgantown’s creek may be just about ready for splashing and tubing.
Last May, a couple dozen people met on the banks of Deckers Creek downtown to discuss a fun idea that had been gathering momentum for a while.
The people represented a diverse mix of neighborhood associations, recreational groups, downtown advocates, and city and county offices. The project: a lazy river–style recreational amenity in Deckers Creek.
To even have the conversation is a triumph for clean water volunteerism.
Thirty years ago, the idea of Deckers Creek as a place to fish, paddle, and even swim was almost unthinkable. Our biggest waterway through town was ravaged by acid mine drainage, sewer overflows, and trash ranging from sandwich wrappers to tires to washing machines.
But Friends of Deckers Creek saw potential. Established in 1995 by paddlers, rock climbers, and other recreationists, FODC got to know the 28 miles of the creek, all the way up to its headwaters in Preston County. Members formed relationships with residents across the watershed and with local, state, and federal agencies. They organized trash clean-ups, explored tributaries, tracked down pollution sources, and educated kids about creek critters. Gradually, as they persuaded the agencies to treat sources of mine drainage, water chemistry and fish populations improved. The new treatment system for the massive, creek-killing Richard Mine outfall several miles upstream from town, completed this year, was the culmination of a two-decade FODC campaign and marks a new era for Deckers Creek through town.
So it’s a great time to begin imagining splashing in the creek. Right now, though, the banks are mostly overgrown. “If you ride the rail-trail along Deckers Creek in the summertime, you can barely tell the creek is there,” says Scott Shipley, whitewater division manager at Calibre Engineering in Colorado, a consultancy engaged in the spring by Main Street Morgantown to study the feasibility of in-stream river park. A kayaking world champion, Shipley has been involved with many recreational installations in urban waterways. “We create those connections where people can sit by the creek, put their toes in, and float or paddle.”
The vision for a Deckers Creek river park is a place where kids can splash and play, a stretch for lazy river tubing, and creekside amenities—places where people who aren’t there to get wet can enjoy being near the water. Among sites under consideration is the stretch alongside Marilla Park, alongside Marilla Park, where parking and restrooms are already available.
One potential stumbling block is combined sewer overflows into the creek—legacy infrastructure that allows combined sewage and street runoff to overflow into the creek and river during the very highest rainfall events. Calibre’s feasibility study will take Morgantown Utility Board water quality data into account and is due in December.
Friends of Deckers Creek sees more fish in the creek these days, and more types that haven’t been seen before, says FODC Executive Director Brian Hurley. He’s excited about the river park idea. “If it turns out there is a path forward, this has the potential to be a huge asset in the community,” he says. “And if we have these runs and riffles to splash and play in, I think the community will be even more invested in continuing to clean up Deckers Creek.”
To support FODC’s work on behalf of the creek, consider becoming a member.
READ MORE ARTICLES FROM MORGANTOWN LOWDOWN
READ MORE STORIES FROM THE MORGANTOWN FALL 2024 ISSUE
Where are those photos from? That’s a beautiful park, but I have no idea where along the Decker’s Creek that is. Please caption your photos or provide the details on that location!!
Those images are not actually on Decker’s Creek. They are concept ideas from an engineering firm showing similar projects in other places.