Twan Leenders, right, discusses proposed improvements to the county’s waterway trails with members of the county legislature’s Public Facilities Committee.

Chautauqua County is looking to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to develop a master plan and make some needed improvements on the county’s waterway trails.

During the county Legislature’s Public Facilities Committee meeting, lawmakers approved a resolution to evaluate the Marden Cobb waterways and associated Chadakoin River and produce a comprehensive strategic plan for their ecological restoration and economic activation.

Before the vote, Twan Leenders with the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy discussed the proposal. He said there is a master plan in place, but it’s several decades old and needs updating.

Over the last year, the CWC has been working with the city of Jamestown to make the Chadakoin River passable again and make it go back to its original path. “In some places it had actually carved out three additional channels in the city of Jamestown because of lack of maintenance,” Leenders said.

Over the past five or six years, Leenders said ash trees have been dying from the emerald ash borer. The trees die, collapse, roll down hills and land in waterways, which causes flooding, damage and even death. “It’s caused injuries and deaths for people using the waterways in places where dangerous hazards have actually caused obstructions in the waterways, that ended up doing significant damage to people using the waterways,” he said.

Leenders wants to see the county revitalize the waterways, make them safe again, make them sustainable, and prevent future flooding and damage. “In order to make the waterways maintainable again, it’s going to require some additional eyes on first to actually get a better handle on the entire length of the waterway system. We’re talking 40 some miles of waterways that have beaver dams and obstructions in them that are not necessarily always visible until you’re paddling around the corner and then you see it,” he said.

Leenders said once the master plan is updated, they can then figure out which areas can be promoted for recreational uses, identify the most important hazard areas, and use funds available to address the most urgent situations.

Leenders said the CWC helped clear out debris from the Conewango Creek in Kennedy where there had been some casualties.

The resolution calls for the county to spend $210,000 to develop the master plan and address some of the problem areas. “About $35,000 would be to create a plan and then the remaining funds would be used to address the highest priority needs at that point,” he said.

Half of the money would come from the county’s Parks Capital Improvement account. The remaining $105,000 would come from the American Rescue Plan Act, which was given to Chautauqua County from the federal government to be spent in infrastructure.

The county website describes the Marden E. Cobb Waterway Trail as two flat-water trails, over 25 miles each with excellent opportunities for canoeing, several launch points, and lean-to shelters.

The Cassadaga Creek runs from the Cassadaga Lakes until it converges with Conewango Creek. The Conewango Creek flows in from neighboring Cattaraugus County into Kennedy and ultimately to Warren, Pennsylvania.

Both creeks have parking and launch points as part of the Marden E. Cobb Waterway Trail, as well as lean-to campsites.

The Chadakoin River, Chautauqua Lake’s outlet, journeys across Jamestown and Falconer, joining Cassadaga Creek at the community of Levant. The Cassadaga Creek then joins the Conewango Creek near Frewsburg, and the waterways are tributaries of the Allegheny River.