Common Ground Newsletter - Tinicum Conservancy

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).
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