Bucks County’s Unpaved Roads: Great for Recreation, Vital Environmentally as Well

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unpaved road
Image via Go to Yoel Winkler at Unsplash.
Bucks County's unpaved roads are a boon to outdoor adventurers as well as area fishing fans.

Bucks County is home to approximately 68 miles of unpaved roads. These pathways, which often started as deer trails, are excellent sources of recreation, but they also serve an important environmental need. Jason Nark trod through the particulars for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Unpaved roads often run parallel to rivers and streams. There, the rocky surfaces provide a screening effect during rainstorms, filtering out impurities and keeping them from endangering fish and other aquatic life. Routine maintenance keeps the gravel in place, ensuring safe, clean water nearby.

Without this maintenance “orphaned” roads can lose that protective property; it’s either washed away or ground to a sandy texture from pedestrians and vehicles.

When this happens, rain collects in various pits and ruts, bringing sediment, trash, and pollutants with it. A torrential storm then easily washes these harmful materials directly into creeks, streams, and rivers.

The infiltration affects fish and their breeding grounds, which explains why fishing advocates have become a vocal group seeking solutions.

As a result, Penn State’s Center for Dirt and Gravel Studies was formed in 2001. Since then, it has provided training and technical assistance for thousands of unpaved road conservation projects throughout the state, including in Bucks County.

Read more about this issue in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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