Darby Creek Watershed–Local Level:A Water Plan Management Proposal
By: Jenna Hart, Jill Meltzer, Madison Herling, Ben Miller
Darby Creek Watershed: LocallyUnder Sproul RoadFollows along Darby RoadIthan Creek Bridge: before Blue Route along
Darby Road1
Economic SignificanceReal-estate and gardening soilWaterExcluding roads, would provide a good barrier
against flashfloodsTrees that grow there are source of food and
windbreaks
Watershed Land Use2
Background of Local Region’s Public Water Source
2008 consumer report from Aqua water company shows that the water tested in this division of Pennsylvania did not contain amounts of contaminants that would violate the standards of the EPA3
Places on WatershedHaverford State Hospital site in Haverford
Township, northeastern Delaware County4
Clearview Area LandfillRiver Road in Gladwyne, PA in Lower Merion
Township
A Septic System5
The ProblemEstuary is contaminated with pollutants from
tributaries of Darby Creek and from runoffMany pollution sourcesMinimum amount of vacant landUrbanization has damaged Watershed’s
environmental status6
The SolutionAccording to the Darby Creek Valley Association (DCVA):
Part 1To foster development of locally initiated river conservation plans7
Part 2To provide financial and technical assistance for local river conservation planning activities7
Part 3To establish a Pennsylvania Rivers Conservation Registry, that recognizes rivers or river segments that have an approved river conservation plan7
Part 4To encourage state and local organizations to take actions that are consistent with local river conservation plans7
Non-Point Pollution SourcesStormwaterAir-borne pollution8
Point Pollution SourcesSewer overflow Inflow and Infiltration Problems8
Our PlanEducate the publicAnnual clean up dayLimit urbanization and construction
Our Proposed Legislation—“Site Permission Law”
Create “Site Permission Law”Municipality should consider Watershed’s
best interestsMunicipality owned land versus private landSite’s layout MUST consider important
Watershed features
Our Proposed Legislation—“Park Law”
Create “Park Law”Should follow confines of Darby Creek
WatershedDistrict FundingWould also include Haverford State Hospital
landRadnor Township would modify their zoning
laws to protect buffers along creek
Existing Legislation– Municipalities and Sewage
Pennsylvania’s Act 5379
Make municipalities take responsibility of their sewage facilities
All municipalities participate
Existing Plans—Radnor Township’s Storm Water Management Plan
Mandatory since late1970‘s May 2005-comprehensive storm water
management law was passedCreated this in response to Pennsylvania's Act
167 for the Darby & Cobbs Creek watershedsRadnor Township requires all areas to follow
itTwo storm water management systems to
help with runoff issues10
Existing Plans—Darby Creek Clean Up Day
Annual Darby Creek Clean UpSaturday, April 24, 2010 starting about 10
AMPreserves/beautifies Darby Creek
Watershed11
Supporting DataDarby Creek Valley Watershed Conservation
Plan
Bibliography III. Earth Resources. Darby Creek Watershed Conservation Plan. Darby Creek Valley Association. Web.
<http://dcva.org/wcp/Earth%20Resources.pdf>. V. Biological Resources. Darby Creek Watershed Conservation Plan. Darby Creek Valley Association.
Web. http://www.dcva.org/wcp/Biological%20Resources.pdf>. VII. Goals and Recommended Actions Darby Creek Watershed Conservation Plan. Darby Creek Valley
Association. Web. http://www.dcva.org/wcp/Goals%20and%20Recommended%20Action.pdf Aqua Water Quality Report. Aqua. Web.
<https://www.aquaamerica.com/WaterQualityReports/2008/PA1460073.pdf>. Ecological Assessment. Former Haverford State Hospital. Web. <http://www.dcva.org/hsh/HSH%202008-
12-16%20handout.pdf>. Executive Summary. Darby Creek Watershed Conservation Plan. Darby Creek Valley Association. Web. http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/brc/rivers/riversconservation/registry/DarbyCreek.pdf >. Pennsylvania Department of Health, Division of Environmental Health Epidemiology, The U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services, and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Health Consultation. ATSDR. Web. <http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/HAC/pha/LowerDarbyCreekArea/Lower_Darby_Creek_Area%20HC%209-30-2008.pdf>.
Septic Tank, 2010. http://biology.uco.edu/bidlack/family/familypics/septic/Septic%20%2831%29.jpg "Stormwater Management." Radnor Township Pennsylvania. Web.
<http://www.radnor.com/department/division.asp?fDD=6-116>.
Endnotes 1-http://dcva.org/wcp/Earth%20Resources.pdf 2-Goals and Recommended Actions Darby Creek Watershed Conservation
Plan. Darby Creek Valley Association. Web. http://www.dcva.org/wcp/Goals%20and%20Recommended%20Action.pdf
3-https://www.aquaamerica.com/WaterQualityReports/2008/PA1460073.pdf 4-http://dcva.org/wcp/Earth%20Resources.pdf 5-http://biology.uco.edu/bidlack/family/familypics/septic/Septic
%20%2831%29.jpg 6-http://www.dcva.org/hsh/HSH%202008-12-16%20handout.pdf 7-http://www.dcva.org/wcp/Goals%20and%20Recommended%20Action.pdf 8-http://www.dcva.org/wcp/Water%20Resources.pdf 9-http://www.dcva.org/wcp/Goals%20and%20Recommended%20Action.pdf 10-http://www.radnor.com/department/division.asp?fDD=6-116 11-http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/brc/rivers/riversconservation/registry/
DarbyCreek.pdf