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Schuylkill River Corridor
The Schuylkill River Corridor is perhaps the best known of the Vital Landscapes in Greater Philadelphia. Less well known is the critical importance of the River to the region.
From the headwaters in Schuylkill County to its mouth in Philadelphia, the Schuylkill River watershed includes over 180 streams and covers more than 1,900 square miles within Pennsylvania. The watershed drains portions of eleven counties and links three million people in a way that most of them do not realize. More than 1.5 million people rely on the Schuylkill and its tributaries for drinking water – including more than half of the residents of Philadelphia. Many others along the river corridor depend on this resource for their livelihoods and for its rich recreational opportunities.
The section of the Schuylkill River that flows through the five-county southeastern Pennsylvania region ranks as one of the area’s most important natural and recreational assets. In addition to its value as a water source, the River is home to hundreds of miles of popular biking, hiking and walking trails. Major state and county tourism promotion efforts are highlighting these trails and the river itself as major outdoor recreation attractions.
WE NEED TO ACT
While much of the land along the southern portion of the Schuylkill is already developed, there are still opportunities to preserve land along the northern sections of the River. Rapid growth in suburban Montgomery and Chester Counties means that conservancies and watershed groups must act quickly.
In the Schuylkill River Watershed Conservation Plan, conservation groups and scientists called for strategic efforts to preserve Greenspace “nodes” such as wetlands, Important Bird Areas and large blocks of contiguous forest, as well as Greenspace “corridors” that link “nodes” and act as riparian buffers. Such buffers provide a natural filter for stormwater runoff flowing into the river and tributaries, reducing nutrient load and limiting flooding.
Without these protection efforts, the Schuylkill’s water quality will degrade, the cost of water treatment will increase, flooding will worsen, and recreational opportunities will disappear.
FACTS & FIGURES
Total Acres: 18,000
High Value Acreage: 16,000
Developed Acres: 10,000
Protected Acres: 6,000
Additional Protected Acres Goal: 1,000
Data current as of July 2006
RESOURCE FEATURES
- Woodlands with diverse flora and fauna
- Farmlands with soils of statewide importance
- Parks and interconnected regional trails
SPECIAL DESIGNATIONS
TREASURES
COUNTIES
Chester, Montgomery, Philadelphia
MUNICIPALITIES (all or part)
East Coventry, East Pikeland, East Vincent, North Coventry, Phoenixville, Schuylkill, Spring City, Tredyffrin, Bridgeport, Conshohocken, Limerick, Lower Merion, Lower Pottsgrove, Lower Providence, Norristown, Plymouth, Pottstown, Royersford, Upper Merion, Upper Providence, West Conshohocken, West Norriton, West Pottsgrove, Whitemarsh, Philadelphia
WATERSHEDS/SUB-AREAS
French Creek, Manatawny Creek, Perkiomen Creek, Pickering Creek, Schuylkill River, Wissahickon Creek
GROWING LIST OF ORGANIZATIONS ACTIVE IN THE AREA
Schuylkill River Greenway Association, Natural Lands Trust, Pennsylvania Environmental Council, Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, Heritage Conservancy, Montgomery County Lands Trust, French and Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust, Green Valleys Association, Open Land Conservancy
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