By: Ryan Ferguson

It was a dark and stormy night. You just bought a cozy lawn chair to relax in the next day, but when you look outside, you see it getting washed away by the flooding in your backyard! All you can do now is sit in the wet grass, yell at the sky, and wonder how you can fix this flooding issue. Excess stormwater runoff comes from numerous surfaces that block water from passing through them, such as roofs, driveways, sidewalks, and parking lots. In addition to flooding, runoff can lead to various issues such as erosion and the transportation of pollutants like fertilizer, oil, and road salt, which ultimately reach our waterways. 

Luckily, you have come to the right spot to learn about a potential solution! Bioretention basins are a fantastic treatment option for stormwater management. These basins, also known as rain gardens, are depressions in the ground that absorb excess stormwater runoff. Bioretention basins typically consist of native plants on top of a combined soil/sand bed, topped with a layer of mulch. The runoff water will flow into the basin, where it goes through two main scenarios. When runoff water flows into the basin, it first passes through the mulch, which traps larger debris. It then filters through the soil/sand bed, where finer particles and pollutants are captured, and beneficial microorganisms break down contaminants. Some of this filtered water infiltrates into the groundwater. Meanwhile, native plants absorb a portion of the water through their roots, which is crucial for photosynthesis, cooling, and nutrient transport. This process not only supports plant growth but also enhances the basin’s filtration capacity by stabilizing the soil. Thus, bioretention basins effectively filter runoff water while supporting plant life, creating a sustainable system for water management and the local ecosystem. It’s a win-win scenario for everything involved! In addition to reducing stormwater runoff, these basins provide numerous other benefits, including:

        Improving water quality: Bioretention basins offer a variety of pollutant-removal mechanisms. This can include filtration through the vegetation, evaporation, transpiration, and infiltration into the soil. The best basins can remove suspended solids, metals, and nutrients.  Studies show that bioretention areas can remove 75% of phosphorus and nitrogen, 95% of metals, and 90% of organics, bacteria, and sediment. When large amounts of these contaminants enter waterways,  they can produce toxins that harm people, animals, and aquatic life. 

       Improving water quantity: Soaking up the stormwater runoff allows the water to infiltrate into the ground and become groundwater. This keeps our streams and rivers flowing and fills up the groundwater that we eventually clean and drink.  Groundwater is also cleaner and colder than storm water, which strongly benefits stream life.

       Habitat improvement: Using native trees and flowers creates habitats for animals such as birds and insects, especially pollinators. If you build multiple bioretention basins together, the benefits only get better for the inhabitants, and if you do not have space to build a basin, planting even a small space with native plants can benefit local wildlife and waterways! Here are other ways to reduce stormwater runoff and stormwater pollution on your property.     

Appearance: Bioretention basins are very pleasant to look at, like outside the Rushton Conservation Center!

Bioretention basins offer versatile applications across diverse environments, including right here at Rushton Woods Preserve! WCT staff are currently working with ThinkGreen and Meliora to design and install a new basin this year. This project is possible through generous funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. This new construction will join the rain garden outside of the Rushton Conservation Center, which works to reduce the stormwater impact from the building and parking lot on the preserve. 

Check out Rushton Woods Preserve when the basin and deck are complete, any day of the week from dusk to dawn!

Interested in making your own rain garden? Check out this website to learn how to make a simple rain garden in your own yard: https://www.bhg.com/gardening/landscaping-projects/landscape-basics/make-a-rain-garden/

Sources

https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2021-11/bmp-bioretention-rain-gardens.pdf

https://www.hamiltontn.gov/pdf/WaterQuality/bmps/9.1rag.pdf

https://www.lakesuperiorstreams.org/stormwater/toolkit/bioretention.html#:~:text=An%20engineered%20soil%20bed%20containing,of%20six%20to%20nine%20inches.

Fact Sheet: Bioretention Areas

https://www.epa.gov/soakuptherain/soak-rain-whats-problem

By: Rhys Hals 

Erosion of streambeds is a major threat to the health of our ecosystems. Some erosion over time is natural, but too much too quickly results in soil getting washed away and deposited elsewhere, greatly altering the state of the stream, the biodiversity in it, and the overall aquatic habitat. During intense rain events, water washes over impervious surfaces such as parking lots and driveways and picks up speed as it heads toward a stream. As it makes its way across the land, this water cuts down and through the soil. When the water reaches the stream and has a lot of velocity from heavy rain, it can widen the streambed, or cause erosion near the headwaters of the water body. A deep crevice caused by this kind of erosion near the headwaters of a stream is called a headcut.

Headwaters are the source or origin of a stream or creek, the furthest point from where the steam empties. Headwaters are vital in ecological health¹. Yet, despite the importance of these waters, they are disproportionately unmonitored. As runoff from highly developed or agricultural areas empties into headwaters, the stability of the stream is thrown off. The water can become overrun with chemicals and synthetic fertilizers, decreasing water quality and sometimes resulting in algal blooms. Changes in headwaters can go undetected but result in big downstream ecological issues.

• ¹ https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/gcb.14516
• ² https://soils.org.uk/news/soil-the-elephant-in-the-room/

By: Lauren McGrath

Welcome to Creek Week, our annual week-long celebration of Ridley, Crum, and Darby Creeks. 

Since its inception in 2017, the goal of the Watershed Protection Program has been to study relationships between land conservation and water quality in the headwaters of Ridley, Crum, and Darby Creeks. We have worked to accomplish this goal through monthly water quality sampling and annual aquatic macroinvertebrate sampling. To date, we have collected over 11,500 water quality measurements and sorted and identified over 12,000 aquatic macroinvertebrates. We published the State of our Streams Report in 2022, summarizing our findings, and plan to publish an updated edition next year.

In 2021, we launched the Darby & Cobbs Creek Community Science program in partnership with Darby Creek Valley Association and with support from Stroud Water Research Center. This program, which started with the humble goal of recruiting five volunteers to collect water quality samples in Darby Creek, has grown wildly, with 40 volunteers sampling at 31 sites throughout the Darby Creek and its tributaries, including Cobbs Creek.

Our watershed research has led to exciting discoveries. In 2022, we partnered with the Academy of Natural Sciences to formally document two previously undocumented populations of freshwater mussels in Ridley and Crum Creeks. We were thrilled by the results – both streams had over 70 mussels in a 500 meter stretch. When a volunteer reported finding freshwater mussels near her sample sites in Darby Creek, we were eager to conduct another survey. In May, we partnered with Delaware Riverkeeper Network and found 853 mussels in less than 500 meters of stream and evidence of breeding. Freshwater mussels are one of the most imperiled groups of organisms on the planet, and finding a population as robust as the one in Darby Creek is astonishing. 

No less astonishing than the discovery of our beloved bivalves thriving in Darby Creek was documenting the first sighting of an animal that has not been seen in Ridley Creek in over 100 years – the River Otter! In December, we set up wildlife cameras to monitor a local beaver. We captured many photos of the beaver and, to our shock and joy, a River Otter checking out the camera. River Otters were hunted to near extinction in Pennsylvania and have made a comeback through conservation and reintroduction efforts. Their presence in Ridley Creek is a testament to the long history of land conservation in the region.

To improve habitat for wildlife in Ridley Creek, from mussels to River Otters, we planted nearly 1,500 native trees and shrubs at Ashbridge Preserve from 2019 to 2023. These plants – comprising 53 different species – stabilize the stream bank, reduce erosion, and provide habitat for a myriad of species. Join us for a volunteer day this Thursday, June 27, to maintain this tree planting and ensure it continues to thrive. Sign up here.

From water chemistry to River Otters, one message is clear: everything that happens on the land impacts the water. Open space benefits water quality, development degrades it. We hope you take some time this Creek Week to explore your local stream – you never know what you might find!

Every day this week, we will post a blog about something going on in our local waterways:

• Monday – Soils and Water Quality
• Tuesday – Bioretention Basins
• Wednesday – Riparian Buffers
• Thursday – Aquatic Parasites
• Friday – Invasive Fish
• Saturday – Case Study: Little Crum Creek

John Holback | Stewardship Manager

Our new 90 acre Kestrel Hill Preserve (KHP) contains about 25 acres of what were agricultural fields, historically used to farm corn and soybeans. After acquiring the property, we’ve begun the process of converting the field from agriculture to a warm season grassland. This is no small feat- a ‘no-till-drill’ was used to plant a variety of native grasses and forbs which will germinate over the next 12 months and begin to fill the fields. In the meantime, an annual cover crop of oats was sown to keep out unwanted weeds and help hold the loose topsoil in place. By replacing the old ag fields with a warm season grassland meadow, we can expect healthier soil, increased carbon sequestration, and more biodiversity.

On May 17th, John Holback completed the meadow seeding at KHP. Over the next couple weeks we can expect a flush of growth from the annual oats which will need to be mowed every so often to help the perennials get established. We may see some Black Eyed Susans and other flowering perennials this year, but they will be mowed along with the oats. Mowing is crucial for proper meadow establishment as it prevents weeds from going to seed while perennial plants establish healthy root systems. Agriculture to meadow conversion is a multi-year process in which our current work will be rewarded by lush growth in the long-run.

Willistown Conservation Trust (WCT) was recently awarded $9,983 to address water quality monitoring in the Ridley and Crum Creek watersheds thanks to a new grant partnership between Aqua and the Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC). Aqua’s “Protect Your Drinking Water” grant program was designed to fund watershed protection and education projects that address pollutants of concern to public water supplies, such as fertilizer runoff, road salts, and bacteria. This inaugural year focused on upstream areas of the Chester, Ridley, and Crum Creek Watersheds in Delaware and Chester Counties, benefitting Aqua customers in those communities. 

The goal of the program is to raise awareness of and engage new partners in source water protection, which is the first barrier against contamination of public water supplies. Effective source water protection helps reduce public health risks and water treatment costs, among other benefits to communities and the environment. PEC’s Water Team will administer the new grant program in partnership with Aqua, an Essential Utilities company, thanks to a generous donation through the company’s Essential Foundation. 

Since 2017, WCT’s Watershed Protection Program’s monthly water chemistry sampling protocol is designed to capture the variability and rapid change in water quality in small order streams as a result of human activity. This research helps us to understand how human actions on the landscape impact the quality of local waterways and make targeted recommendations within the community to foster high quality water for all downstream users. Funding will provide support for another year of monthly water chemistry data collection at 10 sample sites sites and the publication of an updated State of our Streams Report to educate and engage streamside landowners in the headwaters of Ridley and Crum Creek.

The WCT’s Watershed Protection Program has meticulously examined how human activities upon the landscape influence water quality. Water chemistry is an excellent tool to rapidly gain an understanding of what is happening in the stream, and this research is targeted to capture the potential changes across the watershed and over time that exists in small headwater streams.  

Small order streams and wetlands are at high risk for degradation due to development pressures, stormwater runoff, and climate change, which can lead to overall decrease in system health. These small, often overlooked streams serve as the lifeblood of larger river systems, playing a vital role in regulating water flow, filtering pollutants, and providing habitat for diverse aquatic species. Headwater streams also contribute significantly to the overall health of watersheds, influencing water quality and nutrient cycling downstream. Understanding the ecology of headwater streams helps in the assessment of the impacts of human activities, such as land development and climate change, on freshwater ecosystems. By studying headwater stream ecosystems, we are able to gain insights into fundamental ecological processes and develop strategies for protecting and restoring these essential habitats.

As WCT continues to learn and share more about the baseline of Ridley and Crum Creeks, we are able to foster environmental awareness among local residents by highlighting the connections between human activities, land use practices, and water quality. Residents can learn about the impacts of pollution, urbanization, and other factors on stream ecosystems, empowering them to make informed decisions and advocate for environmental protection and conservation efforts.

Studying water chemistry offers multifaceted benefits for environmental protection, scientific research, water management, public health, and education. By comprehensively understanding the chemical characteristics of water sources, WCT’s community can work collaboratively to address complex water challenges and promote sustainable water resource management practices for all downstream users. WCT believes that we can all work together to improve the health of our shared drinking water sources. Life depends on it. 

WCT is pleased to be among an esteemed group of grant recipients working to protect and restore our local watersheds.

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In addition to WCT, other grantees include:

Natural Lands: For the creation of a permanent deer exclusion area within the floodplain of Crum Creek at Hildacy Preserve to improve the ecosystem and water quality benefits of the site, which will serve as a public showcase of best management practices for floodplain restoration. 

Colonial Pennsylvania Plantation: To host educational programming along Ridley Creek to empower youth to make connections between past, present, and future while learning to be good stewards of the land and water resources in the area. Programs in the “Colonial Creek Learning Series” will include a STEM camp, a Back-to-School Science Day, and a community-wide Streams Learning Day.

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To learn more about WCT’s Watershed Protection Program, visit https://wctrust.org/watershed/. 

About Pennsylvania Environmental Council:
Founded in 1970, the Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC)’s mission is to protect and
restore the natural and built environments through innovation, collaboration, education, and
advocacy. We work closely with government, business, nonprofit, and community stakeholders
to advance our shared goals in energy and climate policy, trail development and outdoor
recreation, watershed protection and restoration, reforestation, and conservation-focused
economic development. PEC is active throughout Commonwealth, with regional offices in
Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, State College, and Dallas, PA. Learn more at pecpa.org.

About Aqua Pennsylvania:
Aqua Pennsylvania serves approximately 1.5 million people in 32 counties throughout the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Visit AquaWater.com for more information or follow Aqua on
Facebook at facebook.com/MyAquaWater and on X at @MyAquaWater.