Tunkhannock Township, PA – According to PennFuture, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) denied a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit application from Route 115 Associates on March 5, 2026, halting plans for an 803,000-square-foot distribution center in Tunkhannock Township, Monroe County.
The proposed mega-warehouse, along with twenty acres of asphalt parking and supporting infrastructure, threatened to pave over more than forty acres of diverse forested habitat within the pristine fishery of the Pocono Plateau. This decision followed over four years of persistent advocacy by grassroots organizations and environmental groups united under the Our Pocono Waters campaign, which focused on safeguarding special protection waters and recreationally vital habitats in the Poconos region.
The project site bordered Exceptional Value waters, including Tunkhannock Creek and the wetlands of Keiper Run, both classified as Exceptional Value Migratory Fisheries. These waterways are renowned for their high water quality and ecological significance, supporting diverse aquatic life and serving as critical migration corridors for fish species. Development in such sensitive areas risked introducing stormwater runoff laden with pollutants, sediments, and chemicals, potentially degrading the exceptional conditions that define these protected resources.
Geoff Rogalsky, President of the Tobyhanna Creek/Tunkhannock Creek Watershed Association, praised the DEP’s action. “The DEP listened to the overwhelming opposition and science, did the right thing and finally said ‘NO’ to a poorly-sited warehouse development proposed by Route 115 Associates that would have paved over more than forty acres of diverse forested habitat, jeopardizing the Exceptional Value Tunkhannock Creek and Exceptional Value wetlands of Keiper Run that flows into the Tunkhannock Creek,” Rogalsky stated.
Similarly, Art Bernardon, president of the Tunkhanna Fishing Association, which has stewarded the creek for 134 years, expressed gratitude for the collaborative efforts. “The efforts of Abby Jones and Brigitte Meyer along with their associates at PennFuture were invaluable throughout the entire review process. They have provided much needed support to protect a valuable watershed resource,” Bernardon noted.
Opposition began at the municipal level in 2022, when residents and watershed groups first highlighted the potential impacts on the creek and wetlands. Route 115 Associates submitted its NPDES permit application to the DEP on March 2, 2023. Over the subsequent three years, the developer submitted multiple revisions in response to DEP’s deficiency notices, but failed to demonstrate that the project could adequately control stormwater without harming the downstream waters.
Public engagement played a pivotal role. Comment periods drew hundreds of written submissions and testimonies during hearings, emphasizing the inadequacies of the proposals and the cumulative harms to the ecosystem. Advocates, including Maya K. van Rossum of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, urged the DEP to deny the permit outright, citing obligations under Article 1, Section 27 of the Pennsylvania Constitution, which mandates protection of natural resources for public use.
Brigitte Meyer, a staff attorney for PennFuture, highlighted the technical shortcomings. “The developer’s permit application was rife with technical errors, and despite numerous efforts by DEP engineers to shepherd the developer in the direction of needed corrections, they were unable to prove that the project could be built without degrading the nearby Exceptional Value waters,” Meyer explained. She expressed hope that the DEP would apply similar scrutiny to future applications, avoiding prolonged reviews of flawed proposals.
The denial letter from the DEP cited more than two dozen unresolved technical deficiencies after extensive review. Route 115 Associates has until March 26, 2026, to appeal the decision to the Environmental Hearing Board. Environmental and watershed groups plan to monitor the appeal process and continue vigilance against other development threats in the region that could compromise ecosystem health and community well-being.
This victory underscores the importance of sustained community involvement in environmental protection. The forests adjacent to Tunkhannock Creek provide essential ecological services, including water purification, flood control, and habitat for wildlife. Preserving these areas ensures the creek’s role as a vital recreational and ecological asset for future generations in Monroe County and beyond.
The DEP‘s decision aligns with broader efforts to balance economic development with environmental stewardship in Pennsylvania, particularly in ecologically sensitive zones like the Pocono Plateau. By denying the permit, the state affirmed its commitment to maintaining the integrity of watershed protection measures and preventing irreversible damage to high-quality natural resources. For more information, visit PennFuture.