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When Stephen Goin started working at the Schuylkill Center 12 years ago, he noticed a particular tree standing healthy and tall. Five years later, the tree’s root system started to become more exposed. Eventually, Goin watched the tree wash downhill.
This tree was one casualty of years of stormwater erosion that damaged the Schuylkill Center’s landscape between Port Royal Avenue and Wind Dance Pond. In March 2026, after years of fundraising and planning, the center broke ground on the Port Royal Gully Stabilization Project to address the damage. The project will celebrate its completion Saturday.
“I have some friends and neighbors who have known me for a little while and they’re like, ‘Geez, Steve, you’re really smiling here,’” Goin said. “It’s because I’m just so happy to finally address this long-standing environmental issue.”
The project cost $1 million and is the largest land development project ever undertaken by the Schuylkill Center.
During heavy rainfall, stormwater rushed down Port Royal Avenue and pooled at a low point in the road with no drainage, often making travel difficult for residents. From there, it flowed downhill through the woods toward Wind Dance Pond.
“It would flow down the road and gather strength and momentum,” Goin said. “Rain would manifest into a stream that would become a raging stream of storm water that could move boulders and logs. It was surprising to me how much power was behind it.”
Over time, the water carved three separate gullies into the landscape, carrying sediment and debris with it. Trees usually act as a natural barrier to flooding, but the continuous flow of water began to erode away at roots and foundations. If the flooding continued unmitigated, Wind Dance Pond, the largest pond on the Schuylkill Center’s property, would eventually have been filled in by sediment. Many species of fish and waterfowl would have lost their habitat.
In total, about 1 acre of land was affected by the soil erosion.
