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T
he Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has awarded the WCWA a planning grant under the Pennsylvania River Conservation Program. The Planning Grant is for the development of a long-range plan for water quality and has the potential for expanding the program for water quality indicators. Subsequent to the planning process state assistance may be available for improvement projects. The planning grant complements the Wild and Scenic management plan for the White Clay Creek currently being developed by local municipalities under the auspices of the National Park Service.The White Clay Watershed is a resource for many. It is a place for hunting, fishing, bird watching, bicycling, hiking, horseback riding and enjoying a peaceful walk in a natural, unspoiled setting. The watershed totals about one hundred square miles of which only three square miles are protected by the White Clay Preserve. Along the banks of the White Clay Creek are farms, mushroom houses, roads, and suburban lawns - each with potential impacts on water quality. Also, wastewater from three sewage treatment plants is discharged into the creek.
WCWA volunteers, under the guidance of scientists at the Stroud Water Research Center, have been monitoring aquatic life in the White Clay Creek since 1991 in a nationally recognized program. The Streamwatch project monitors water quality throughout the entire White Clay Watershed and is the primary information gathering activity under the grant.
Four workshops and a public hearing have been held so far. The workshops were used to inform the community of the grant, disseminate Stream Watch data collected by the WCWA over the past seven years, discuss relationships between land use and that data, and to discuss a draft management plan. Next, the management plan will be circulated to the municipalities for their approval.
The Draft Management Plan (about 10 pages in length) is available on-line below. There are two appendices to the plan which are also available on-line.
Draft White Clay Watershed Management Plan
Relationship to National W&S Management Plan
Providing Water Quality Information to Public Officials
Public Participation and Education
The first Appendix is a detailed supporting study for the Management Plan. It presents the first five years of streamwatch data and discusses possible relationships to land-usage in the watershed. The relationships are quantified using Geographic Information System (GIS) maps and data. This Appendix is approximately 24 pages in length including tables and figures.
Appendix A. Streamwatch Results and Landscape Factors
Table 2. EPT Density 1991-1995
Table 4. Land Cover Categories
Fig V-3. Inherent Erosion Potential
Table 6. Projected EMCs, Erosion Rates and CP Factors for Land Cover Categories
The second Appendix is a copy of a brochure provided by the Academy of Natural Sciences with which Stroud Water Research Center is associated. It describes educational programs developed by those institutions. Education is an essential part of the protection for the White Clay Creek. It is around 4 pages in length.