Samuelson: State grant will improve Monocacy Creek

Rep. Steve Samuelson October 7, 2026 | 3:26 PM

HARRISBURG, Oct. 7 – A $160,200 state environmental grant was awarded today for restoration work on Monocacy Creek in the city of Bethlehem, according to state Rep. Steve Samuelson.

"The Monocacy Creek and its role as a key waterway have always been important in the history of Bethlehem. Its name comes from the Native American menagassi, meaning 'stream with several large bends.' Twenty-one years after the naming of Bethlehem by the Moravian settlers, the power of the creek was harnessed by the founders to power a waterwheel; the first of its kind bringing water from the Colonial Industrial Quarter to the town at the top of the hill. The area of refurbishment will be just north of the Burnside Plantation to Johnston Park, the site of a WPA project that continues to be a popular recreational area for residents today. This grant will allow the Wildlands Conservancy to improve the health of the waterway, which will enhance the areas downstream into the center of Bethlehem," Samuelson said.

The work will include streambank stabilization; installation of riparian forest buffer and in-stream habitat structures; construction of a fish passage; landscaping, project sign and other related site improvements.

The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources approved the funding through the Community Conservation Partnerships Program. More information about C2P2 grants and funding can be found here.

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