Common Ground Newsletter - Tinicum Conservancy

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TC Newsletter-Spring '13-4-23-Replaced map and seal:TC Newesletter-Spring '13 4/23/13 6:30 PM Page 8 continued from front page A view of the Tohickon Creek making its A map shows degradation of insufficiently protected Bucks County streams. For now, Tinicum waterways appear healthy. What “special protection” designations mean High Quality (HQ) Water either supports a high quality aquatic community, shows long-term high quality water chemistry, or is listed as a Class A Wild Trout Stream. Degradation of HQ water is not permitted, except for “necessary economic or social development.” Exceptional Value (EV) Water meets all the requirements of High Quality water plus one of several additional conditions which may include location, recreational significance, and ecological significance. No degradation is permitted. No exceptions for social or economic justifications. using up the oxygen and suffocating aquatic life. Protecting our watersheds from these pollutants—from stormwater runoff, pesticides, household hazardous wastes, gas drilling wastewater—is a clear priority. PaDEP regulations set limits on discharges into waterways and establish waste treatment requirements to ensure preservation of water quality. Waterways PaDEP considers most important are provided special protections. (See box at left.) The state’s highest designation protecting a stream from harmful discharges is “Exceptional Value.” Tinicum Creek received the Exceptional Value (EV) designation in 1994. The creek begins in Tinicum Township where Beaver Run meets Rapp Creek. Rapp Creek begins at Lake Warren in Nockamixon Township. Beaver Run begins in Bridgeton before making its way into Tinicum. Both creeks are designated EV waterways, as part of the Tinicum Creek watershed. Winning the EV designation for the Tohickon Creek is an ongoing goal for local municipalities and conservation groups, including Tinicum Conservancy. We maintain the Tohickon 8 TINICUMCONSERVANCY.ORG Spring 2013
TC Newsletter-Spring '13-4-23-Replaced map and seal:TC Newesletter-Spring '13 4/23/13 6:30 PM Page 9 making its way east, along the Tinicum-Bedminster border. Photograph by John Clement. meets the criteria for EV status and ought to be protected at the highest level. The Conservancy first petitioned PaDEP for an EV designation in 1995, and despite 20 years of additional support data (some of which were supplied by TC-funded studies), PaDEP has never ruled on the matter. Decisions have been postponed based on reconsideration of several environmental criteria, including slightly elevated water temperatures along certain sections of the creek. (Water temperature is one factor the state uses to make an evaluation.) The petition is still pending as further stream temperature data will be collected and analyzed during 2013 and early 2014. This critical water resource, the longest waterway which lies entirely within Bucks County, is afforded some protection under the federal Lower Delaware Wild and Scenic River System designation. However, the fight to ensure stronger protection for the Tohickon continues. Achieving the highest state and federal classifications for our watercourses is one way to protect our water. Smart municipal planning is another. Tinicum Township has enacted a variety of zoning ordinances that establish riparian buffers, protect steep slopes, woodlands, stream valleys, wetlands, and floodplains—ordinances that contribute to the overall health of our watersheds. Placing conservation easements on lands with direct impact on our water (such as headwaters areas, floodplains, and riparian corridors) is another way. Many landowners have donated such easements. In some cases, there is funding available from Tinicum Township and Bucks County to help conserve these important properties. Along with our partners, the Tinicum Conservancy has protected more than 1360 acres along Tinicum’s major waterways. (On page 4, you can read about the easement at Camp Galil which was made possible in part by Bucks County Natural Areas grant program.) The Conservancy’s Land Protection Policy says we will consider conservation easements within Tinicum Township, immediately adjacent to it, or along one of the tributaries to our Tinicum streams. This reflects our understanding that to preserve our water quality and quantity, we need to protect the waters upstream, as well as those within our borders. - Tom Casola Water-related picks for your next movie night… Last Call at the Oasis (2011) A “playful title for a film that couldn't be more deadly serious. A thorough examination of the epic crises threatening the world's water supply…this documentary tells you to be afraid, very afraid,” according to the LA Times. Blue Gold: World Water Wars (2009) Pollution, mining, and wetland destruction are among the reasons water has become a precious commodity and governments, corporations, and private investors are racing to control it. Flow: For the Love of Water (2009) A look at “politics, pollution, human rights, and the emergence of a domineering world water cartel.” Frontline: Poisoned Waters (2009) How development, agriculture, and industry pose threats to the country’s water supply. Looks at the West Coast (Puget Sound) and the East (the Chesapeake Bay). Water Wars (2009) This documentary about Bangladesh posits that understanding “the plight of this downriver delta nation is to understand what all of us will face in the coming years.” Martin Sheen narrates. …and for the night table Water: The Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power, and Civilization by Steven Solomon. HarperCollins (2010). The Big Thirst: The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water by Charles Fishman. Free Press (2011). The Ripple Effect: The Fate of Fresh Water in the Twenty-first Century by Alex Prud’homme. Scribner (2011). River Republic: The Rise and Fall of America’s Rivers by Daniel McCool. Columbia (2012). Spring 2013 TINICUMCONSERVANCY.ORG 9
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