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Chester, Ridley, Crum & Darby Priority Area
The streams of densely populated Delaware County are critical parts of the regions natural and cultural heritage. For generations, Delaware County residents have relied on the creeks for drinking water, used them for recreation, and benefited from the habitat they provide for wildlife and native plants.
At the same time, large sections of the Chester, Ridley, Crum and Darby Creeks in the county have become virtually invisible, obscured by housing developments, shopping centers and major highways. Development along the creeks and in their headwaters has had a major impact on both the health of the natural resources and the lives of residents downstream. Witness the recurring flooding along Darby Creek in part a result of the loss of open lands upstream which would otherwise filter and disperse stormwater.
This vital landscape encompasses more than 43,000 acres of high-value agricultural, natural and recreational resources. Remarkably, conservationists have identified 11,000 acres of land that could still be preserved, ensuring that the watersheds here and downstream are protected from further degradation.
WE NEED TO ACT
Each creek has its own story, but they share similar fates unless efforts to preserve the land around them and improve their quality succeed. Today, significant portions of Darby, Crum, and Chester Creeks flowing into the Delaware River from this area are listed as impaired by the PA Department of Environmental Protection. The lower sections in particular are affected by heavy urban and industrial development. Such impairments impact wildlife well beyond the creeks themselves. Flooding, pollution, rising cost of water treatment, and degradation of recreational resources will all continue unless these important creeks are cared for and the land around them is preserved.
FACTS & FIGURES
Total Acres: 60,000
High Value Acres: 43,000
Developed Acres: 28,000
Protected Acres: 10,000
Additional Protected Acres Goal: 11,000
Data current as of July 2006
RESOURCE FEATURES
- Exceptional and high value streams
- Unique wetlands
- Unique plant habitat within serpentine barrens
- Parks and interconnected regional trails
SPECIAL DESIGNATIONS
TREASURES
COUNTIES
Chester, Delaware, Philadelphia
MUNICIPALITIES (all or part)
Birmingham, East Goshen, Easttown, Thornbury, Tredyffrin, Westtown, Willistown, Aldan, Aston, Bethel, Brookhaven, Chadds Ford, Chester City, Chester Twp, Chester Heights, Clifton Heights, Collingdale, Colwyn, Concord, Darby Boro, Darby Twp, Eddystone, Edgmont, Folcroft, Haverford, Lansdowne, Marple, Media, Middletown, Nether Providence, Newtown, Norwood, Parkside, Prospect Park, Radnor, Ridley, Rose Valley, Sharon Hill, Springfield, Swarthmore, Tinicum, Upland, Upper Chichester, Upper Darby, Upper Providence, Yeadon, Philadelphia, West Goshen, West Chester
WATERSHEDS/SUB-AREAS
Chester Creek, Crum Creek, Darby/Cobbs Creek, Delaware River, Marcus Hook Creek, Naaman Creek, Ridley Creek
GROWING LIST OF ORGANIZATIONS ACTIVE IN THE AREA
Delaware Riverkeeper Network, Chester Ridley Crum Watersheds Association, Willistown Conservation Trust, Darby Creek Valley Association, Natural Lands Trust, Crum Creek Watershed Partnership, TreeVitalie
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