SHOHOLA FALLS, PA — The Pike County Conservation District (PCCD) and its partners recently celebrated the completion of a $74,704 Dirt, Gravel and Low Volume Road project on Brooks Cabin Road. 

The event highlighted the teamwork, planning and commitment that made the improvement of Brooks Cabin Road possible, a spokesperson said. 

In 2024, Pike County partnered with PCCD to tackle a long-standing issue: erosion along the dirt portion of Brooks Cabin Road that was sending sediment toward Shohola Lake. Stormwater had been flowing directly down the center and edge of the road, carving gullies, funneling into a single outlet, and carrying road material several hundred feet downslope. 

To address this, material was added to the roadway to create a new channel, and a rock filter was added to the existing outlet to slow water down and filter out sediment. Installed bank pipes break up the flow and disperse stormwater to multiple locations along the roadway instead of it rushing to a single point. 

A grade break, or small bump, was added to the Game Commission roadway to divert water from the road and into the woods. Another grade break was added to the Brooks Cabin private driveway to divert water to a newly installed culvert, which discharges to a “tear drop,” a practice that was created in Pike County. 

And finally, the road has been sloped toward the channel to reduce how much water was flowing onto the roadway. 

The changes and installations help to protect both the roadway and the surrounding natural resources, reducing environmental impacts of stormwater and minimizing any future road maintenance. 

Program specialist Ellen Enslin summed up the importance of this project. “The improvements made here will benefit residents, visitors, and the surrounding natural resources for years to come.”

“This project is a true collaborative achievement with the State Conservation Commission and the Center for Dirt and Gravel Roads, the Office of Community Planning, the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the Pike County Commissioners and PCCD board and staff each playing a significant role,” the county spokesperson said. 

To learn more, visit www.pikeconservation.org and click the restore tab.