Connoquenessing Creek Watershed Conservation Plan - Western ...

Connoquenessing Creek Watershed Conservation PlanOn page 3-11, under non-point source pollution, indicate that itis also through groundwater pollution discharge into streams,such as the AMD example given.On page 3-12, under contour farming, indicate that it allowsincreased infiltration and groundwater recharge.On page 3-13, does strip cropping alone increase theinfiltration of water? It would not be nearly as effective as it iswhen combined with contour farming, which is the real key.In the discussion of sewage facilities under “PennsylvaniaSewage Facilities Act,” starting on page 3-13, it should benoted that sewage treatment plants in areas using wells as awater source (public or private) result in a reduction ingroundwater storage, because the water removed through wellsis not returned to the groundwater system after use andtreatment, but diverted to the surface water system. In contrast,as far as groundwater quantity, private sewage systems do notdisrupt the natural hydrologic cycle, because water removedfrom the groundwater system is returned to the subsurface afteruse and treatment.On page 3-14, in the second paragraph, note that the pollutionof groundwater can eventually result in pollution of surfacewater because surface water is largely derived fromgroundwater. It may appear to be a minor change, but theimportance of groundwater to surface water needs to beemphasized at every opportunity because it is a crucial, butlittle understood principle.On page 3-16, in the water quality monitoring section, Iassume that you are referring only to surface water monitoring.Again, because the majority of surface water is derived fromgroundwater discharge, you might recommend directgroundwater quality monitoring. Detection of pollution ingroundwater can head off surface water pollution. Becausegroundwater contamination cleanup is much more difficultthan surface water, finding it early through monitoring cansave a lot of money and effort by detecting it early before itspreads and before it discharges to surface water.On page 3-16, under abandoned mine drainage, I wouldsuggest pointing out that AMD is pollution that simply occursbecause of a change in the physical groundwater flow system,and does not require the introduction of any pollutant into thewater system. I think that most people assume that pollutionrequires the introduction of some foreign material into thesystem, but that is not the case.For land and water resources, Pennsylvania Geological Survey(PaGS) might be potential partners, but mostly a source of dataand information to be used in many of these goals andmethods. PaGS could be a potential partner in several of themethods listed for Goals 1-B, 1-C, 1-E, 3-K, 3-M, and 3-R.For Goal 3-K, I would suggest adding that all private waterwells should be inventoried. Many of the well records shouldChanged as suggestedClarified as suggestedComment noted and incorporated intodefinition of strip croppingFurther explanation incorporated into thediscussion in the noted sectionComment noted and addedSuggestion incorporated into text and asmanagement recommendation; Seemanagement recommendations 3-K.4, 3-K.5, 3-K.7, and 3-K.9Clarification added as suggestedAdded to recommendationsAdded to recommendationsAppendix J. Public Comments Page 10 of 12