Land Resources | Biotic Resources | Water Quantity/The Water Balance | Water Quality/Pollution |
County-wide Natural Systems | Emerging Issues
Water Quantity/The Water Balance
Stormwater, floodplains, surface water base flow, and groundwater
Water providers are relying heavily on surface water intakes when the water balance would be better managed through tapping both surface and ground water supplies. Ground water wells remain as an important source of potable water in Chester County. As of 1998, 40 percent of the county’s population received drinking water from ground water wells, but not all parts of the County have access to high yields. High yielding sedimentary and carbonate rock underlie just 10 percent of the County. There may be sufficient available groundwater and surface water supplies to meet the public water supply needs of Chester County through 2020 and beyond, maintaining water quality is an issue.
Ongoing development is expected to continue to change the stormwater and flooding characteristics of the county and adapting to this will likely be labor intensive and costly.
- Stormwater
Stormwater management is a major concerns for municipalities. Often, the most recent developer to build within a community is expected to rectify stormwater problems that have accumulated over time. In Watersheds, reducing stormwater runoff is regarded as the highest management priority.
Stormwater issues are not fully understood by many municipal officials and planners, and there are insufficient mechanisms for explaining this complex topic to them. - Flooding
The growth of impervious surfaces in Chester County has contributed to increased flooding events. The County’s Department of Emergency Services has noticed an increase in water-related emergencies, along with flooding in areas that have never experienced it in the past. Stormwater-related flooding areas such as Downingtown and Caln Township are now experiencing greater floods, which is being attributed in part to development upstream - Restoration programs
As areas with large unprotected open spaces have diminished, protected open spaces are becoming the last remaining areas for maintaining, enhancing and restoring natural resources. Therefore, protected open spaces might serve as mitigation sites for natural communities, water quality, and air quality, or for locating projects that buffer climate change. Funding for preserving open spaces as natural resources is available but limited.
Water purveyors transfer surface water from one watershed to another, which hampers efforts to promote adequate water volumes in stream. The amount of water flowing in the streams of Chester County is managed by various entities. Base flow does not rely solely on naturally occurring processes. Surface water quantity is a major regional issues since the Schuylkill, Susquehanna, Octoraro and Brandywine are all being drawn upon as water sources. Chester County’s streams are used as a water supply for both Chester County and all the surrounding Counties. Also, private entities pump out water into streams but when they close there is a reduction of the in-stream flow.
Land Resources | Biotic Resources | Water Quantity/The Water Balance | Water Quality/Pollution |
County-wide Natural Systems | Emerging Issues
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