The Parks Foundation has partnered with the Penn State University Master Watershed Stewardship Program to study the 88 miles of streams within the nine county parks. This assessment will help guide decisions about stormwater management to prevent erosion and undermining of infrastructure, reduce sedimentation, increase stream health, and identify negative influences that could impact visitor experiences. This work will expand upon the Ecological Assessments the Parks Foundation has already been conducting of the land-based condition in the parks over the past six years.
The Stewards will study the streams in all nine parks over a three-year period. The parks have been divided into North, East, and South/West regions with teams assigned to each region from the corps of 19 volunteers. Despite a pandemic-related delay of the delivery of equipment, the volunteers are fully operational and assessing the chemical, biological and physical condition of the streams.
Chemical monitoring involves testing several parameters monthly with test kits that identify the amount of water in the streams, conductivity (influenced by road salt), levels of Nitrate and Phosphate (linked to fertilizers), and pH (impacted by Acid Mine Drainage.) Invertebrates that live in the stream as immature forms and/or adults serve as biological indicators of stream conditions and are surveyed in the spring and fall.
The Stewards have undergone 40 hours of basic training and instruction on individual techniques. Their technical expertise will be invaluable to support watershed organizations as they develop similar projects throughout the county. The Parks Foundation funded the purchase of study equipment.
