Natural Resources
Natural Resources Plan presentation, January 15, 2007 (PDF, 15.4 MB)
Because natural resources are the foundation for land use and agriculture in Chester County, Natural Resources was identified as one of the topics to be addressed by the Landscapes2 Steering Committee.
Why Plan for Natural Resources?
Economic benefits from the natural resources infrastructure
Natural resources have shaped the land use and economy of Chester County for over three centuries. The County’s first farms, mill towns, and highways were all established here because of the County’s valuable natural resources. In recent years, County residents have come to realize that maintaining waterways, forests and hillsides is an economic issue as well as an ecological imperative. Wetlands and riparian buffers purify water, reducing the need for more water treatment plants. Flood damage can be reduced when floodways and steep slopes are properly managed and appropriately vegetated.
Preservation of world-class agricultural soils
Chester County contains productive agricultural Piedmont soils that do not require irrigation. As a result, agriculture remains a prominent industry in the County. The County has an interconnected ecosystem supporting wildlife and a sustainable tourism economy.
Retention of unique ecosystems
The 100-square-mile Hopewell Big Woods in Chester and Berks Counties is one of the last major woodlands in the Boston to Washington, DC corridor. Conservation of this ecosystem provides, economic, environmental and health benefits. Although the threat of non-native plants remains, education about the benefits of native plants and lawn reduction are making progress. There are also efforts underway to protect hedgerows and heritage trees.
Managing the suburban-wildlife interface
The County still has a number of cold-water fisheries that support trout. There are fewer than 20 state designated “Species of Special Concern” in the County, but the bog turtle is the only animal listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. Vector diseases are another wildlife concern. The presence of Lyme disease, the impact of fecal contamination near ponds, and the overpopulation of species like deer and Canada geese now affect both land planning and public health. West Nile virus concerns have raised awareness of the value of increasing wetland habitat for the birds that eat the mosquitoes that spread this disease.
Balancing the water/wastewater budget
Chester County is a “headwaters” community with 1,306 miles of streams, of which 54 percent are “first order streams” that warrant protection. One pressing issue facing the County is maintaining the water balance through integrated water and wastewater planning. Such planning helps insure that waterways and underground aquifers tapped for drinking supplies are replaced over time by treated water from septic systems and treatment plants. Managing the water balance will keep water in the watershed; help manage growth; and help plan water and wastewater infrastructure together rather than as two separate efforts.
Pollution and water quantity management opportunities
Watershed and surface water quality impairments due to pollution are also concerns. Although the County has a number of officially designated impaired streams, these waterways can be improved through techniques as simple as planting riparian buffers. Surface water quantity issues such as flooding and stormwater runoff have become important as increased development raises the demand for potable water, while resulting in more impervious surfaces that generate runoff. Increased development in conjunction with ongoing climate change may well increase flooding events.
Understanding emerging natural resource issues
Landscapes2 needs to address emerging environmental issues based on public comments, local official input, and the maps and studies of engineers and scientists dealing with everything from animal ecology to stormwater. The various state and federal laws that will apply to municipalities must also be considered because these regulations, and the local zoning that implements them, are the tools which put theoretical environmental concepts into practice in our communities.