NAM Planning& Design LLC

Township of Cheltenham

Funded in part by a grant from thePennsylvania Department of Conservation

and Natural Resources (DCNR) & thePennsylvania Department of Environmental

Protection (PA DEP).

85 Old Dublin PikeDoylestown, Pa 18901

215-345-7020www.heritageconservancy.org

Prepared By:

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Curtis Arboretum

Cedarbrook HillsCountry Club W

BirdSanctua

CHELTENHAMTOWNSHIP

Faith TheologicalSeminary

CheltenhamHigh School

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500 0 500 Feet

#S Visual Assessment Point

Assessed by the Tookany Creek Watershed Steering Committee Members

Rock Creek Watershed

TOOKANY CREEK WATERSHED MANAGEMENT PLANVisual Streambank Assessment

Action/BMP

1. The headwaters of Rock Creek come primarily from anoutfall that empties behind the Pathmark Supermarket upstream of the Cedarbrook Country Club. : Encourage shopping center management toconsider several bioswales in the massive parking lot'simpervious surface to treat NPS pollution and detainstormwater before discharge into Rock Creek. Action/BMP

3. Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) storm sewer,discharges into the Mill Creek under Greenwood Street.The PWD acknowledges the existence of a combinedsewer overflow into the storm sewer. Odors exist fromsewage and the sanitary sewage is apparentto the naked eye. : Continued PWD and township monitoring.

5. The half-mile stretch of Rock Creek from the Wistar Drivefootbridge to the Curtis Arboretum is owned and managed byCheltenham Township and has the potential to be awonderful beautiful wooded stream. : Develop routine community clean-up days.Consider a greenway or trail along Rock Creek, with CurtisArboretum as a hub.

Action/BMPAction/BMP

2. As the stream exits the golf course it enters a pipe 100 feetrom Limekiln Pike. Coming out on the south side of Ogontz Ave.,the creek has a much greater volume and is severely polluted. : Continue to monitor the water quality. EncourageGolf course to participate in the Audubon CooperativeSanctuary Program (ACSP).

Action/BMP

4. From Ogontz Avenue to the footbridge at the foot of Wistar Drive,the creek is very polluted. The creek has steep banks on both sideswith extensive erosion. The east side is bounded by the CheltenhamSquare Mall parking lot (the runoff of which contributes to theflooding of the stream) while Cedarbrook Middle School borders thecreek on the west side. This entire reach of the stream has beenused as an informal dump. A sanitary sewer pipe is buried underor alongside the creek. : Involve Cheltenham Square Mall and the MiddleSchool in routine cleanups. Restore the riparian buffers thathave eroded along the Mill Creek banks. Have CedarbrookMiddle School adopt the creek as a school project to monitorwater quality and biological indicators.

Action/BMP

6. A side stream entering from Cedarbrook Middle School containsrust colored material (land use history of former landfill). Some ofthe houses on the western side of the creek have lawns mowedright up to the stream bank. Some residents have dumped leavesand other yard cuttings down the stream bank. In this reach smallfish, frogs,and ducks swimming and feeding were observed. : Investigate and monitor rust colored discharge. Develophomeowner education program geared towards residents and themanagement of their land, especially in altering mowing closeto the creek.

Action/BMP

7. From Lorimer Drive to Washington Lane,for 1/3 mile the creek forms the southernborder of Curtis Arboretum. The flowingstream regenerates itself. A spring feeds twoornamental ponds in the Curtis Arboretumbefore emptying into the creek. : Stop mowing around thespring areas to allow for native vegetationto persist in the riparian buffer to filter therunoff from the surrounding areas.

Action/BMP

8. For the next half mile from Washington Lane to the RockLane bridge, the stream flows through a wooded valley withthe lightly traveled Rock Lane close on its southern bank. : No action necessary; continue to maintainthe land uses surrounding this area.

9. Small fish (up to 6") frequent the pool under the RockLane Bridge. The channel is more stable and naturalizeddue to the vegetated stream banks. : No action necessary; continue to maintainthe land uses surrounding this area.Action/BMP

10. Downstream of the Rock Lane Bridge, a stone wall triesto contain Rock Creek for the 200 yards that it flows throughCamp Anglewood. During Hurricane Allison, the creekoverflowed its banks and was about 2 feet above Rock Lane.A spring-fed side stream feeds a pond in Camp Anglewoodbefore emptying into Rock Creek. : Remove channel wall and restore naturalriparian buffer. Decrease mowing along the banks.Action/BMP

11. For the next 200 yards the stream is contained ina straight-sided concrete channel. Most of the landuses are residential and have mowed lawn up to thecreek bank. : Consider removing the straightchannel and restore the natural sinuosity andriparian buffer for improvement in water qualityand bank stability.

Action/BMP

12. The houses on the north side of the creek weredemolished and Rock Creek channelized in the1950's due of flooding. The township mows mostof the property to the creek banks. : The township should develop amaster plan for the ongoing management of thissignificant open space to treat NPS pollution andstormwater before it runs off into Rock Creek.

Action/BMP

13. At Widener Road, Rock Creek is piped for thenext 200 yards until it discharges into the TookanyCreek just below the Church Lane Bridge. Some ofthe land owners mow to the creek banks. : Consider day-lighting Rock Creek torestore the riparian buffer and the biological activityalong this reach to improve the water quality. Developlandowner education program for land stewardship,especially mowing practices.

Action/BMP