SOURCE WATER PROTECTION IN BERKS COUNTY

1. SOURCE WATER PROTECTION IN BERKS COUNTY

2. Overview of Source Water Protection in Berks County • Major sources of contamination included (PA DEP source water assessments Year ??): • Abandoned Mine Drainage • Agricultural Practices • Urban/Suburban Storm Water Runoff • Sewage Overflows • Transportation Accidents • Protection priorities included: • Land areas within a 5 hour time of travel to an intake • Sub-watersheds along the Schuylkill River and across the northwestern portion of the county

3. Potential Sources of Pollution Wastewater Discharge AgricultureRunoff Sewer Overflows Fires & Accidents Construction Dam Sediments Tire Piles Road Salt Algae Wildlife

4. Berks County Water Intakesin the Schuylkill Watershed • 8 drinking water utilities have surface water treatment plants • Auburn Borough Municipal Authority (2) • Birdsboro Municipal Authority (4) • Boyertown Municipal Authority (3) • Hamburg Borough (1) • Hamburg Center (3) • Reading Area Water Authority (2) • Wernersville State (2) • Western Berks Water Authority (1)

5. Map of Schuylkill River with intakes

6. Municipal Roles in Source Water Protection • Human activity impacts water quality • Development, farming, roadway and domestic sewerage and other activities can all have negative effects on stream quality

7. Population Changes in the Berks County Region Changes in Population 1990 - 2000

8. Changes in Developed Lands 1990 - 2000 Berks County

9. AMD Urban/ Suburban Rural (for now) Agr. Schuylkill River Landuse & Stream Impairments

10. Berks County Land Cover 2000

11. Source Water Protection in the Tulpehocken Creek Region • Home to over 62,000 people • 66% agriculture, 8% developed, 24% forested • 219 square miles • Blue Marsh Lake is a major recreational resource for swimming, boating, fishing, hiking and biking • Western Berks Water Authority Intake, Wernersville Intake

12. Impaired Streams Map

13. Priority Runoff Protection Areas Tulpehocken and Wernersville Intakes: • Bern, Penn, Bernville, Jefferson, North Heidelberg, Lower Heidelberg, South Heidelberg, Heidelberg and Marion Townships • Source Water Protection Resources • The Tulpehocken Creek Conservation Plan • Source Water Assessments for Western Berks and Wernersville

14. Source Water Protection Zones for Western Berks and Wernersville Intakes

15. Priority Protection Areas for the Schuylkill Watershed

16. Source Water Protectionin the Maiden Creek Region • Home to over 37,000 people • 58% agriculture, 4% developed, 34% forested • 216 square miles • Lake Ontelaunee is a major recreational resource for fishing, hiking and biking • Lake Ontelaunee and Maiden Creek supply Reading Area Water Authorities drinking water

17. Impaired Streams Map

18. Priority Runoff Protection Areas for Reading Area Water Authorities Intakes • Richmond, Greenwich, Perry, Windsor, Albany, Maiden Creek and Ontelaunee Townships • Source Water Protection Activities • RAWA developing a Source Water Protection Plan • Kutztown developing a Wellhead Protection Plan • Schuylkill Action Network implementing streambank restoration projects in the watershed.

19. Priority Protection Areas for the Schuylkill Watersheds

20. Source Water Protection in theMonocacy and Manatawny Region • Home to over 33,000 people • 53% agriculture, 5% developed, 41% forested • 117 square miles • Ironstone Creek, Popodickon Reservoir and Trout Run Reservoir supply drinking water to the Boyertown Water Authority

21. Impaired Streams Map

22. Priority Runoff Protection Areas for Reading Area Water Authorities Intakes • Earl, Colebrookdale and lower Pike Townships and the Borough of Boyertown

23. Source Water ProtectionZones for Boyertown

24. Priority Protection Areasfor the Schuylkill Watershed

25. Home to 9700 people 28% agriculture, 4% developed, 67% forested 4 square miles – Birdsboro Reservoirs Source Water Protection in the Hay and Allegheny Region

26. Water Intakes and Impaired Streams in the Hay and Allegheny Watershed Region

27. Priority Runoff Protection Areas – Birdsboro Municipal Authority • Hay Creek Watershed – Robeson, Union and New Morgan Townships • Birdsboro Municipal Authority is developing a Source Water Protection Plan, will want to work with Municipal Officials

28. Source Water Protection Zones, Birdsboro and Pottstown Intakes

29. Priority Protection Areas for Schuylkill Watershed

30. Practicing Source Water Protection … • Immediate Intake Areas (less than ½ mile upstream from intake) • preserve open land/buffers

31. Practicing Source Water Protection … (Cont.) • High Priority Areas (less than 5 hour travel time and within ¼ mile of streambank) • preserve buffers, connect buffers, reclaim buffers • enhanced storm water Best Management Practices • redevelopment should include BMPs • public properties have “gold standard” BMPs • stricter controls for runoff (ordinances) (no buffer bypassing) • limit development to low impact activities, redirect to areas further from the drinking water intake • no floodplain development (FEMA buyouts)

32. Practicing Source Water Protection … • Moderate Priority Areas (between 5 and 25 hours of travel time) • Continue to preserve buffers whenever possible • General development preferred, with buffer restrictions • Connection of High Priority Areas from one intake to another

33. Practicing Source Water Protection … (Cont.) • Other Items To Consider • Synergy with regional “trails” • Sewer system capacity and sewer overflows • Coordination with Storm Water Requirements • “Green Infrastructure” • Costs of fixing impaired streams (100’s of $$$ millions)

34. What’s In Your Water Supply?

35. Credits This (workshop, brochure, video, etc.) has been funded (or partially funded) by the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania Citizen Education Fund through a Section 319 Federal Clean Water Act grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency administered by Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

36. End Of Presentation