Connoquenessing Creek Watershed Conservation Plan - Western ...

Connoquenessing Creek Watershed Conservation PlanChapter 3. Water ResourcesSources of contamination that may leach into the groundwater system, including sewage waste,industrial chemicals, agricultural nutrients, metals and acidic compounds from mines, and many others,not only affect groundwater, but affect surface water and drinking supplies as a result of being transportedwith the moving groundwater. Many public water suppliers and private homeowners rely on wells fordrinking water and everyday use, and are therefore also directly impacted by the quality of groundwater.The pattern of water movement in the Connoquenessing watershed is controlled primarily bytopography, which is highly dissected by major and minor valleys into isolated bedrock “islands.” Watermoves from areas of high elevation to lower elevation and from shallow to deeper aquifers. Water levelsare affected by precipitation patterns, evapotranspiration, land use, human consumption (drinking watersupply, household uses, commercial uses, industrial operations, etc.). Evapotranspiration, a major factorin the maintenance of water levels, is typically greater during the warm summer months when deciduoustrees have leaves (Fleeger, 1999).The yields of wells depend upon the ease of groundwater movement through rock and the level ofthe water table, or depth at which the soil is completely saturated. Groundwater is found in two types ofopenings in rock—primary and secondary. Primary openings are spaces between fine mineral grains.Though the space between unconsolidated grains may be small, cumulatively they are capable ofgenerating large amounts of water. In contrast, secondary openings occur from fractures in rocks. Typesof deposits that generate the most water are alluvial deposits, which are formed from the movement ofrivers.Since groundwater is the single largest source of surface water, the quality of groundwater in an areacan generally be determined by sampling streams at base flow, which are flows low enough that all of theflow can be considered to come from groundwater. In streams that are greatly affected by mine drainage,sulfates and metals, such as iron and manganese, can be found at unnaturally high levels, particularly atbase flows. Similar to abandoned mine drainage (AMD), acid from precipitation is able to dissolve themetals found in bedrock, causing those metals to be leached out into groundwater and streams.The majority of residents throughout the Connoquenessing watershed get their water from publicwater suppliers. Most of the public water is obtained from streams and reservoirs. Therefore, these publicwater sources are affected by groundwater quality and quantity. Water suppliers within the project areamay struggle to find clean drinking water free of contamination from AMD and other pollutant sources.Thus, treatment costs increase in order to meet drinking water standards, which translates to higher watercosts for the municipalities and consumers.Surface WaterSurface water refers to water found about the land surface, in rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs,ponds, wetlands, and seeps. Surface water is in constant interaction with groundwater, which is storedbelow the surface within openings in rock material. Therefore, it is influenced by the quality of thegroundwater, as well as inputs from land-use practices associated with farming, forestry, mining, andother activities.Streams and RiversAs water drains from ridges and higher-elevation wetlands that are created from depressions in thetopography, tributaries form and grow in size and volume as the water flows to lower elevations. Largerstreams are influenced by the water quality of these wetlands and tributaries from which they originate, aswell as pollution from acid precipitation and land-use activities.One human practice affecting water flow and quality is stream channelization. For a variety ofreasons, humans have altered natural stream channels to straighten, widen, deepen, divert, and otherwise3-4