Native Habitat Restoration, LLCCall (570) 762-2201

Native Habitat Restoration, LLC

Drainage-Basin Restoration

Stay ahead of MS4, TMDL, and EPA mandates — stormwater basins engineered, permitted, and restored by one PA-licensed firm.

Call (570) 762-2201Request a site assessment

The problem

Aging detention and retention basins are a growing liability for Pennsylvania municipalities and commercial property owners. Under the NPDES MS4 permit and watershed TMDLs, basins that were built only to move water now have to measurably reduce pollutants — sediment, nutrients, and runoff volume — and the regulators want documentation, not good intentions.

Most landscaping contractors can mow a basin. Most engineering firms can draw a retrofit but then hand you off to a separate contractor to build it. That handoff is where schedules slip, permits stall, and pollutant-reduction credit gets lost.

A basin that floods, erodes, or fails its inspection is not just a maintenance headache — it is an enforcement risk and a line item in your next Pollutant Reduction Plan.

Our approach

We start with a free site assessment and a Chapter 102 / NPDES review, then design the retrofit — regrading for storage, forebays and outlet controls, and a native planting plan that replaces mow-and-blow turf. We permit the work, self-perform the earthwork and planting, and document pollutant-load reductions you can put in front of your MS4 coordinator or auditor.

Why Greg

Greg is a 40-year Pennsylvania engineer who designed and permitted stormwater basins long before he restored them — so the same firm that grades your basin also understands Chapter 102, the NPDES MS4 permit, and the pollutant-reduction math the program demands. PA-licensed, insured, and able to spray sensitive and wetland margins under applicator categories 9 (Aquatic) and 10 (Right-of-Way & Weeds).

  • PA Pesticide Cat. 9 — Aquatic
  • PA Pesticide Cat. 10 — Right of Way & Weeds

How projects get funded

Basin retrofits and naturalization frequently qualify for PA DEP Growing Greener, NFWF, and county stormwater-authority cost-share dollars. We help municipal clients scope the work so it maps cleanly to a grant narrative and a Pollutant Reduction Plan (PRP).

How pricing works

Stormwater work is quoted per project after the site assessment — the scope swings on basin size, regrading volume, permitting, and planting density. We do not publish rates, because a half-acre retrofit and a regional detention basin are not the same job.

Every estimate starts with a free site assessment — no published rates, because every site is different.

MS4 Basin Retrofit & Naturalization Guide

Download the spec sheet — we’ll email you the guide.

Download the guide

Drainage-Basin Restoration — FAQ

Will a basin retrofit help our MS4 / pollutant-reduction obligations?

Retrofitting a detention or retention basin with native vegetation, amended soils, and improved forebay design measurably reduces total suspended solids, nitrogen, and phosphorus loads leaving your site. These documented load reductions are directly creditable toward MS4 Pollutant Reduction Plans (PRPs) under Pennsylvania DEP's six minimum control measures, giving your municipality a cost-effective path to annual reporting compliance.

Our team prepares the supporting calculations and site-specific documentation needed to substantiate each credit during your MS4 annual report or third-party audit. Because the work is designed by a licensed PE with 40 years of conservation and engineering practice in northeastern Pennsylvania, the documentation is engineered to the standard regulators expect.

For municipalities managing multiple outfalls, basin retrofits can be staged across permit cycles to match budget timelines while steadily building your creditable load reductions. Contact us to review your current PRP and identify which basins offer the highest reduction return for your investment.

Do you handle the engineering and permitting for basin work?

Yes. Basin restoration projects are designed in-house by our Pennsylvania-licensed Professional Engineer, so you work with a single firm from concept through construction rather than coordinating between separate engineering and contracting teams. We prepare the civil drawings, hydrologic calculations, and erosion and sedimentation control plans required for Chapter 102 permit applications and any associated NPDES General or Individual Permit filings with PA DEP.

Where wetland or floodplain disturbance is involved, we coordinate Chapter 105 (Dam Safety and Waterway Management) requirements as part of the same permitting package. Our 40 years of project experience in northeastern Pennsylvania means we know the regional DEP district reviewers and the documentation standards that keep applications moving efficiently.

Once permits are in hand, our crews self-perform the earthwork, outlet structure repairs, native planting, and any required sediment removal — eliminating the handoff delays that commonly arise when engineering and construction are split between firms.

Talk to the engineer who does the work

Call (570) 762-2201Request a site assessment
Call (570) 762-2201