An aerial view of the Walnut Creek marina.
Steelheaders aren’t going to be inconvenienced. Other anglers are taking one for the team.
Such is the price of progress.
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is renovating the hugely popular Walnut Creek Marina in Fairview, Erie County. The $3.77 million project involves rebuilding its supporting sidewalls.
Work – some of which must be done in-stream – is expected to take 12-15 months to complete. It’s already underway.
That’s meant some changes.
“Public access for fishing Walnut Creek will be limited during construction,” said Michele Jacoby, director of the commisison’s engineering bureau.
“The marina and boat launch will remain open during construction, but boating access between the marina entrance and Lake Erie will be limited to one lane. We ask boaters to be aware of equipment and personnel and travel with caution in the area.”
Chivers Construction Co. crews will suspend work in the fall – to accommodate steelhead anglers – then resume next year.
The first phase of it involves constructing an 800-foot concrete panel wall encasing the existing, deteriorated channel wall on the east bank. The wall will connect to a new fishing pier that meets standards for the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The second phase involves removing approximately 850 feet of rock riprap slope protection along the west bank and replacing it with a permanent underwater keyway and rock platform, which will be used for future maintenance and dredging of the creek bottom. The new structure will also provide improved slope protection for the stream bank, the commission said.
