Connoquenessing Creek Watershed Conservation Plan - Western ...

Connoquenessing Creek Watershed Conservation PlanChapter 6. Issues and Concerns5. What are some of the negative impacts currently affecting the land, water, andbiological resources?Land-Use Impacts• Housing development and suburban expansion: loss of open spaces, “viewshed” pollution byhilltop structures and lights that diminish quality of scenery, noise, runoff, and non-point sourcepollution• Logging: erosion, runoff, and habitat loss are possibleconsequences• Loss of streamside vegetation: increases erosion,pollution, and water temperature• Agricultural pollution: nutrient, pesticide, herbicide, andfertilizer pollution• Impervious Surface: roads, parking lots, and buildingscontribute to runoff and erosion• Abandoned mine drainage: reclamation needed• Poor land use ordinances: contribute to environmentallyinsensitiveland usesStream Health Decline• Loss of fish habitat• Connoquenessing listed as one of Top 10 most-pollutedstreams• Loss of species diversity• Stormwater runoff: runoff is a common complaint• Poor ordinances: for example, Beaver County has no Act 167 Stormwater Plan• Pollution: erosion, chemicals, nutrients, litter, etc.Impervious surfaces, such as parking lot,increase stormwater runoff becauseprecipitation cannot penetrate concrete;therefore, it cannot recharging thegroundwaterPollution/Solid Waste• Sewage: overflows from treatment plants and defective private septic systems• Litter and dumps: rain washes litter into streams; Ellwood City area suffers much from litter• Landfills: leaching and/or litter blowing from landfills were of concern for some• Industrial discharges: although dwindling, industrial pollution remained a concern• Nitrate loads: Connoquenessing was recently rated as 2 nd most nitrate-polluted stream• Canada geese: high populations of Canada geese along streams threaten water qualityCommunity Concerns• Flooding: damage and debris deposition were problematic; Beaver County suffers particularly• Deteriorating downtowns: empty commercial buildings, absentee landlords, and unattractivetowns discourage business and community pride• Poor employment opportunities• Lack of recreation funding: recreational areas were declining, while more options were desired• Poor transportation options: diminished “connective” potential of area communities and increasednumber of cars, which inflate noise and pollution, diminishing appeal of downtowns• Crime/drug use: mostly a Butler City concern; attributed to downtown “blight”• Miss-matched zoning: for example: trailer park next to “nice neighborhood;” develop planningfor areas to be consistently developed (said he or she didn’t want to sound discriminatory, butwanted consistency)6-30