Land Resources | Biotic Resources | Water Quantity/The Water Balance | Water Quality/Pollution |
County-wide Natural Systems | Emerging Issues
Water Quality/Pollution
Pollution sources, pollution from runoff, surface/groundwater degradation, sewage discharge
Over a period of decades, nitrate and bacterial pollution has contaminated groundwater supplies.
- Nitrate and bacteria pollution
The number one groundwater quality issue in Chester County is nitrate levels and bacteria pollution. Reversing this trend is a challenge because there are no state or County septic tank regulations; no requirements regarding pump-out; and nitrate removal systems are expensive. As a result, septic systems seep nitrates into the groundwater, especially in rural communities and in the Octoraro Watershed. The problem is still not fully understood but appears to be due to un-managed applied nutrients seeping deep into the groundwater over a period of 30 to 40 years. Nitrates also impact surface waters. The Octoraro Creek is now on the impaired streams list, and nitrate concentration is the biggest issue. Nutrient removal systems are available, but they are expensive for both individual homeowners and large public systems. - Groundwater pollution
Ground water and surface waters are hydrologically connected, and so pollution in one leads to pollution in the other. Because the Great Valley is underlain by limestone with solution cavities, its groundwater is much more likely to be contaminated by surface water pollution. High nitrate levels in groundwater is more common in agricultural communities where fertilizer or manure is applied to cropland. Elevated nitrate concentrations in ground water, such as in the Octoraro Watershed, could spur more public water service in rural areas.
There is no coordinated regional approach to improving designated impaired streams or addressing the pollution which caused their degradation.
- Impaired streams
The state has listed 21 percent of Chester County’s total stream miles as impaired. However, municipal planning often focuses on identifying EV/HQ stream, but does not include measures to restore impaired streams. Currently there is a patchwork of specific water resource regulations in Chester County that may not cover all parts of the County. - Central planning needs
There is no entity empowered to do watershed-wide planning in Pennsylvania. It has been a struggle for public entities to coordinate all the processes of development while keeping water resources protected. While such organizations as the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) promote growth management through water quality, utility, and land use planning, their primarily function is an advocate for the river, with less emphasis on the watershed as a whole. - Downstream impacts
Chester County has no single major river to rally public interest. As a result there has been no push to create a unified, county-wide policy on streams. However, every municipality in the County is connected to at least one stream. The county has 1,306 miles of streams, 54 percent of which are “first order streams.” The County’s streams supply water for its eight downstream counties. - Inconsistent watershed preservation
Watershed management is inconsistent throughout the County partially because we are divided by two major watersheds, the Delaware and the Chesapeake. The Chesapeake Bay watershed programs are significantly different from the Delaware basin programs.
Exceptional Value and High Quality stream designations are becoming so common in some parts of the County that their value as a resource protection tool is becoming diluted. Exceptional Value/High Quality streams cover so much of Chester County that their protection value has become diminished. If an entire municipality is HQ/EV then developers will be encouraged to build anywhere because all places will have an equal impact. The northern part of the County is so highly covered with EV streams that some foresee a situation where the few non-EV watersheds could become dumping ground.
Land Resources | Biotic Resources | Water Quantity/The Water Balance | Water Quality/Pollution |
County-wide Natural Systems | Emerging Issues
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