Land Resources | Biotic Resources | Water Quantity/The Water Balance | Water Quality/Pollution |
County-wide Natural Systems | Emerging Issues
County-wide Natural Systems
Integrated water planning, municipal water regulations, multi-municipal planning
There is a need for integrated water and wastewater planning at the local
or regional level.
- The water balance
The water balance is being altered by changes across the County’s land surface including impervious surfaces and the overuse of lawn. Flooding and drought remain ongoing concerns, especially with climate change. - Wastewater treatment
There has been a shortfall in outreach to inform the public that treatment techniques such as spray and drip irrigation are safe and good for the environment. There is a misperception that spray and drip fields are toxic when in fact they are safer than stream discharge. Spray irrigation systems could be used more extensively to promote infiltration.
Overlapping programs regulating water resources by state and federal agencies are highly technical and can be confusing for the local planners and elected officials who must implement them.
- Overlapping requirements
Regulations regarding floodplains, waterways, hydric soils and wetlands all relate to the same riparian corridors, yet these regulations are enacted separately at different times. The Department of Environmental resources MS4 program applies to 60 of the County’s 73 municipalities and eventually will apply to all of them. This is even more complicated by the fact that MS4, NPDES and TMLD requirements have not yet been fully completed, so local officials do not know what to expect. - Complex regulations
Federal/State National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) applies to all municipalities in Chester County. It is rather complex and not always understood by local officials. There are also Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) pollution requirements in NPDES permits, but many people do not understand the connection between them. Most municipalities are not equipped to address non-point source pollution. Furthermore, PA Act 167 Stormwater Management Planning management plans have been costly and slow to be implemented and the DEP often requires specific language which is highly technical and difficult for local officials to understand. - Municipal implementation
Municipalities have responsibility for implementing a variety of water resource regulations that are not directly related to land use regulations. PA Act 537 municipal wastewater planning does not include requirements to address the availability of water supplies for projected wastewater demands. - Regional initiatives
Public water withdrawals can be regulated by the state, the Delaware River Basin Commission or the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, but these regulations are often not fully understood by local officials. Chesapeake Bay Tributary Strategy nutrient reduction and runoff management impacts southwest Chester County.
Scientifically important natural resource issues are not always communicated to planners and local officials.
- Biodiversity and resource inventories
Biodiversity is often viewed as an idealistic long term goal, but it is more prudent to regard it as a ecological health index. When biodiversity is low, that should be seen as a red flag requiring short term action. For example, diversity of aquatic insects and micro-invertebrate reflect not just animal populations, but also water quality conditions and the conditions on the watershed landscapes. There are extensive wetland complexes in Chester County that have not been mapped as such and are largely unknown. - Legacy sediments
Legacy sediments are previously eroded soils, which may contain contaminants, that were deposited in floodplains and stream channels long ago. Legacy sediments can be eroded and released as contaminants down stream. These sediments often come from the back-up behind numerous small mill dams that existed in past centuries and are long forgotten. As a result, these sediments may appear to be part of the natural landscape, and may even be covered with historic buildings and trees.
Land Resources | Biotic Resources | Water Quantity/The Water Balance | Water Quality/Pollution |
County-wide Natural Systems | Emerging Issues
Printable version of ALL issues (PDF, 56 KB)