Newsletter Article

Green Stormwater Infrastructure For the Future

It seems that everything is going “green” these days… and that’s a good thing. You may have heard of things like rain gardens, permeable pavement and bioswales described as Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI). These new practices attempt to mimic the natural water cycle by promoting infiltration at the source of stormwater run-off, slowing it down and recharging our natural ground water systems.

Traditional stormwater infrastructure is designed to quickly direct run off from roofs, driveways, parking lots and other impermeable surfaces into streams and waterways. Sometimes referred to as grey infrastructure, traditional stormwater infrastructure often uses catchments and underground pipes that outlet directly into waterways. The problem with this tradition method of stormwater management is that stormwater doesn’t have a chance to slowly infiltrate native soils into the groundwater. Instead, surface water flows directly to streams, often with greater volume. This surface water is often warmer coming from warm pavement and roof tops harming temperature sensitive fish like trout and aquatic insects. And surface run off picks up pet waste, oils and antifreeze from cars, road salt and fertilizers and sends these pollutants directly to streams untreated.

By mimicking the natural water cycle, green stormwater infrastructure aims to treat stormwater at its source and then slowly and naturally absorb it into the soil or native vegetation and filter it into the groundwater. A Guide to Green Stormwater Infrastructure is available at Homeowner Resources , and describes sixteen of these practices; their benefits, applications, costs, operation and maintenance with photos of local examples. These GSI practices include:

Bioretention basins and Bioswales
Rain Garden Systems
Downspout and Stormwater Planters
Stormwater Curb Bump-outs
Cisterns and Rain Barrels
Permeable Pavement
Tree Trenches and Filter Boxes
Lawn to Meadow Conversion
Riparian Buffer Plantings
Underground Infiltration Systems
Dry Well and Small-Scale Infiltration Trenches
Green Roofs
Conservation Design/Reduced Pavement Areas
Constructed Wetlands

While some of these practices are relatively simple to design and install, some will require engineered designs.

However, compared to highly engineered gray conveyance systems, GSI is cost-effective, resilient and provides

communities with enhanced natural aesthetics. Many of these systems have the co-benefits of improved wildlife habitats for terrestrial and aquatic wildlife and pollinators as well as climate resilience and carbon sequestrations in vegetation and soils. Public funding is available for some of these projects that demonstrate benefits to water quality, flooding, wildlife habitat and climate resilience. For more information on designing and installing green stormwater infrastructure, contact your municipality at (municipality phone and email contact) or complete this request form at Christina Watersheds Municipal Partnership at https://cwmp.org/contact/

Article written by Sarah Sharp, Lead Planner, Brandywine Conservancy, www.brandywine.org/conservancy and Brian Winslow, Watershed Conservation Director, Brandywine Red Clay Alliance, www.brandywineredclay.org

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Understanding Illicit Stormwater Discharge

IDDE Example — Oil and antifreeze dumped in storm sewers make their way to streams and are illicit discharges.

Imagine looking at a house to buy and seeing soapy water flowing from a pipe into a ditch. Would that make you reconsider buying the house, not knowing what this discharge was? Or noticing a murky colored stream that smelled musty, like sewage, even though it hadn’t rained for days. These are both signs of illicit stormwater discharge. Illicit discharges happen when things other than rainwater go into the stormwater system.

Stormwater systems utilize stormwater grates, underground pipes, and open swales to convey untreated surface storm run-off to water bodies, including streams and lakes. When any of these illicit discharges enter the stormwater system, these pollutants can cause public health concerns, including harmful bacteria counts, fish kills, and excess nutrients that harm aquatic wildlife.

Examples of Illicit Discharge

Soapy water, like from car washing or laundry, going into waterways.
Waste from septic tanks or industries entering stormwater systems.
Dumping waste oil, chemicals, or pesticides into storm drains.

Recognizing Illicit Discharge

Strange colors, smells, or scum in water could mean illicit discharge.
Dead fish and other wildlife can also indicate a problem.
Makeshift pipes or hoses leading to waterways might be illicit discharge, especially if you see something draining from them on dry days.

The gray colored water, soapy scum layer, and musty-sewer odor indicate a potential illicit discharge (left). A large number of dead fish in a stream may indicate pollution from an illicit discharge (right).

What You Can Do

Dispose of chemicals properly at special collection events. Visit https://www.chestercountyswa.org/117/Household-Hazardous-Waste for a list of dates for household waste collection events.
Handle pet waste correctly to prevent harmful bacteria and excess nutrients from entering our waterways.
Wash your car on your lawn so that excess water, soap, and dirt are filtered through grass and vegetation.

Together We Can Help

Report illicit discharges to local authorities or environmental agencies. Remember, what you put on land ends up in the water. Let’s work together to keep streams and lakes clean! To report an illicit discharge call your local municipality, conservation district or PADEP Incident Report at 866-255-5158 or on-line at https://greenport.pa.gov/obPublic/EnvironmentalComplaintForm/

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Article written by Brian Winslow, Watershed Conservation Director, Brandywine Red Clay Alliance, www.brandywineredclay.org

Over-Seasoned: Our Taste for Salt is Killing Our Freshwater Ecosystems

This article originally appeared on the Brandywine Conservancy blog and the Stroud Center’s website.

By John K. Jackson, Ph.D.

The American palate has developed a taste for salt, not only in our diets — to the detriment of our blood pressure — but also, in standard consumeristic fashion, in a cornucopia of markets that promise to make our lives easier. We soften our household water with salt, coat our crop fields and pastures with salt-laced fertilizers and compost, and deice our roads, bridges, and parking lots with rock salt and brine.

The widespread and intense use of salt is now threatening our streams and rivers, marshes and ponds, and even groundwater — freshwater resources that were never meant to be so salty. This is a new problem that scientists, environmental managers, and regulators are racing to understand.

Based on data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and Chester County Water Resources Authority, salt concentrations in Brandywine Creek at Chadds Ford are now high year-round due to groundwater contamination, averaging more than triple what was measured in 1972 (when the Clean Water Act was passed), and are approaching 10 times what was observed in 1950.

Recent USGS data suggest almost 37,000 tons of salt flow by the Brandywine River Museum of Art each year, or 100 tons (200,000 pounds) per day. Moreover, with assistance from Stroud Water Research Center™, volunteers from the Penn State Master Watershed Stewards and The Nature Conservancy’s Pennsylvania and Delaware chapters have found other Brandywine sites also remain salty all summer. Our organizations have measured salt concentrations in some tributaries near West Chester, Pennsylvania, and First State National Historical Park that approached that of seawater during winter storms.

Salt being scooped onto driveway — A metal scoop full of road salt being sprinkled on pavement.

Road deicing is the primary source of elevated salts in the Brandywine Valley. Winter storms and icy surfaces are a safety threat and legal liability, and they throw a wrench in the economic gears of our society by interrupting the movement of workers, materials, and products. Because salt is relatively inexpensive and readily available, it has become the primary answer to reducing winter storm woes. Over time, we have increased salt use to meet greater expectations for easy winter travel. Today, we are applying salt at a rate that was unimaginable 70 years ago.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation applies an average of over 800,000 tons of road salt per year. Local municipalities and commercial applicators apply at least that much, if not more, to roads and parking lots. Together this represents at least 200-400 pounds of road salt per year for each one of Pennsylvania’s 12.8 million residents.

Most of this salt moves quickly to streams and wetlands through gutters, pipes and ditches during storms, or soaks into the ground where it eventually mixes with groundwater and then emerges months or years later in streams and wetlands. Over decades, the cumulative impact is that our groundwater, wetlands and waterways have become increasingly salty to a degree and consistency that is dangerous.

There are several reasons why this is dangerous. Road salt can contaminate drinking water wells located near roads or salt storage areas. It can also contribute to lead mobilization in some drinking water systems such as was observed in Flint, Michigan. Bioassays conducted by the Stroud Center and other researchers have demonstrated there is currently enough salt in some streams to kill many freshwater fish, insects, amphibians, and mussels that are adapted to low-salt environments.

And let’s not ignore the economic costs associated with road salt use. Montréal’s newspaper The City and the New York nonprofit AdkAction reported on the costs. Based on their estimates, every $100 spent on road salt in Montréal and New York results in several hundred dollars in damage to public infrastructure and private property due to metal and concrete corrosion. We see this damage in the form of rusty bridges, crumbling concrete, and cars and trucks in need of rust repairs to fix functional, structural and cosmetic damage.

Our intensive use of deicing salts is unsustainable. Our streams, wetlands and groundwater will increasingly suffer, more locations will develop drinking water problems, and our tax base and pocketbooks will feel the greater repair costs.

Steps We Can Take to Reduce Salt Use

Red shovel in snow — Red shovel propped up in snow

Reducing salt use is not going to happen fast as we have grown to expect snow- and ice-free roads and parking lots. Some communities and businesses in New York and Colorado have found compromises that balance safety, economic and convenience benefits with public health, environmental, and private/public property costs of winter deicing programs. These compromises have reduced road salt use by as much as 50%, as reported in Lake George, New York, by Spectrum News.

There are things we can do to help: shovel or plow surfaces soon after a storm so that the sun can help melt what remains; apply traction enhancers such as sand or crushed limestone rather than salt; follow recommended salt application rates (they are surprisingly low); and sweep up salt waste before it dissolves in rain or snow melt.

Finally, talk to your municipal and commercial applicators about participating in professional training programs designed to reduce excess salt use through more efficient plowing equipment, calibrated salt application, and effective use of salt brines. Our region would benefit from a certification program such as can be found in New Hampshire, Minnesota, and Madison, Wisconsin to improve deicing practices and help identify trained professionals.

LEARN MORE AND TAKE ACTION

Kelting, Daniel & Laxson, Corey. (2010). Review of Effects and Costs of Road De-icing with Recommendations for Winter Road Management in the Adirondack Park.

Download and share Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership’s Save Our Streams From Road Salt flyer.

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Be a Good Stormwater Neighbor

In recent years, flooding has become increasingly dangerous and devastating in Chester County and across the country. In fact, flooding is the most prevalent natural disaster in Pennsylvania, causing over $1 million worth of property damage annually. Chester county has 2,300 miles of streams and around 250 problem areas of known flooding. Many smaller flooding issues cause erosion and flooded basements on residential properties. Although these statistics are alarming, there are ways residents can help prevent flooding and be good stormwater neighbors to each other.

Being a good stormwater neighbor means carrying out practices on your property to help mitigate flooding, while not disrupting the property and boundaries of your neighbors. The most important thing to remember is that stormwater does not follow property lines. Even if you and your neighbors have fences the outflow of water will go wherever it wants. This can lead to neighbor disputes, which should be handled with cooperation and open communication. To avoid conflicts, familiarize yourself with how rainwater and snow melt flow onto your property. Look for entrances, exits and problem areas where flooding occurs. Flow should be redirected into vegetated areas that slow down the water and infiltrate water and pollutants. If you live near a stream, drainage swale, or pond, you can plant a riparian buffer along the edge of the water. This will prevent erosion on your property and improve water quality.

An easy place to start is to ensure that all the existing stormwater structures on your property are functioning properly. Check if drains from driveways and downspouts are clear of debris and flowing properly. Make sure not to hose off pathways and try sweeping instead, so debris doesn’t flow into your drains. Clean stormwater grates in front of your home after cutting the grass or raking leaves. Yard waste blocks stormwater grates and reduces oxygen in the water which causes dead zones. Finally, be sure that culverts are not blocked by trash or woody debris.

Some other techniques to try at home include planting rain gardens, installing rain barrels and creating dry wells to infiltrate water to recharge groundwater. Simple practices, maintenance and repairs like these can go a long way to reduce flooding on your property. If your community works together, flood prevention is possible.

To learn more about what you can do at home visit www.cwmp.org and check out the up to date calendar of events, webinars and more.

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Catching the Rain One Drop at a Time

Stormwater runoff is one of the main causes of pollution in the United States, yet it is not at the forefront of the minds of many. Stormwater, simply the precipitation that falls, is absorbed into the ground or falls into bodies of water. Stormwater pollution occurs when precipitation, such as rainfall, picks up harmful substances (road salts, oil, chemicals, and other debris). That polluted stormwater can run off the land and carry that pollution into waterways. This nonpoint source pollution, which doesn’t come from one specific location or origin, is difficult to regulate, yet can be a major cause of river impairment.

The White Clay, Red Clay, and Brandywine Creek are major drinking water sources, but polluted runoff from rain events makes cleaning the water for consumption incredibly costly and difficult. In a healthy stream, vegetation in riparian areas, such as forests and meadows near the riverbank, slow down rain as it gradually soaks through soils. This percolation allows pollutants to filter out while also replenishing groundwater. In developed areas, the speed and intensity of rain runoff intensify over concrete and other impervious surfaces, runoff has no time to filter out pollutants. Because stormwater is the largest source of pollution in our watersheds which are largely comprised of privately owned land, the Catch the Rain Program was born.

Catch the Rain was created in 2016, supported by the Dockstader Foundation and spearheaded by the White Clay Wild and Scenic Program and the Brandywine Conservancy. The program hopes to improve water quality by promoting Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) practices. These practices are designed to capture and detain rainfall, reduce the overall stormwater speed and volume running off into the River, and stimulate the natural filtering processes of soil. The program reaches out to suburban homeowners (and homeowner associations) and educates, encourages, and provides monetary incentives for the voluntary implementation of green stormwater practices such as rain gardens and tree planting. The program also works with municipalities to install GSI practices on municipal land, practices that can also be used as demonstration sites. These GSI practices have other benefits as well, including enhanced community beauty, increased property values, improved drinking water quality, and additional habitat for birds and pollinators.

The program is currently focused in the White Clay Creek watershed, but a long term goal is to expand it to the entire Brandywine-Christina basin. A few highlights from 2020 include an 850 square feet rain garden at Paper Mill Park in New Castle County, Delaware, and another 850 sq. ft. rain garden (as seen below) located in front of the Avon Grove Public Library in West Grove Borough, a riparian (streamside) buffer planting on two acres along the Middle Branch on private land in Franklin Township, and a conservation landscape and buffer planting along 100 feet of a small stream on private lands also located in Franklin Township. Both rain gardens were installed in spring 2020 and have withstood three major storm events without any issues and with reduced stormwater runoff to White Clay Creek. Upkeep and maintenance of these gardens is a top priority to ensure long-term success.

Shane Morgan — Recently installed rain garden full of stormwater during a two-inch rainstorm in July 2020.

Rain garden in bloom three months after installation.

In October, using the West Grove rain garden as a hands-on demonstration site, individuals representing multiple MS4 communities including public works staff, municipal managers, and engineers, attended a live training workshop focusing on green stormwater infrastructure. The half-day workshop was hosted by the Christina Watersheds Municipal Partnership and free of charge thanks to an environmental education grant awarded by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts. The workshop was live and also streamed virtually for those who couldn’t attend.

Since the program’s inception in October 2016, there have been 93 residential applicants and 2 municipal partners install 41 practices. The costs for these projects have totaled close to $82,000, funded through a combination of federal Wild and Scenic funds, outside funding sources such as grants, and landowners (see graph below). The program has implemented municipal rain gardens, riparian buffers, and several smaller-scale residential practices like rain barrel installations, tree plantings, and conservation landscaping. The White Clay Creek Watershed is a great example of how a developed watershed can use the voluntary actions of those who live in the area to improve water quality. Partnerships between different organizations, municipalities, and volunteers are what creates a positive difference in the health of our local watersheds.

If you or your community reside in the White Clay watershed and are interested in learning more about this cost-share program to help the environment, please contact Shane Morgan at mpc@whiteclay.org. Learn more about the Catch the Rain Rebate Program or register for a site visit at whiteclay.org/catchtherain.

These articles are provided to CWMP member municipalities by CWMP Planning Team members and partners. Publishing and posting these articles is encouraged. These articles may be republished without further permission if published as written and if credit is given to the author and their organization as listed at the end of each article. If this article is to be used in any other manner or revised, permission from the author is required.

Download pdf of article here: Catching_the_Rain_One_Drop_at_a_Time

Lawn Alternatives

Lawn Troubles? Think outside the box! [link to text document]

If your grass looks like most of the turf grass in Chester County, your lawn is most likely composed of cool season grasses whose roots only extend about three inches below the soil surface. While cool season grasses are nice to walk on in bare feet or have a badminton match on, they score very low in the infiltration and evapotranspiration departments. In other words, rain water just sits on top of the lawn or quickly runs off. If you would like to reduce ponding on your property, decrease runoff coming off of your property, or improve water quality by making changes on your property, you have options!

Warm season grasses are a great place to start. They have deep root systems which provide increased infiltration and soil stabilization, helping to reduce soil erosion, ponding, and runoff. They also have improved evapotranspiration as compared to cool season grasses. They grow in bunches, and can provide texture to the landscape. There are a handful of native and popular warm season grasses which can be ordered from most local nurseries. Big bluestem, little bluestem, indiangrass, and switchgrass are all native to North America and are considered the most prominent species of the tallgrass prairie. They each provide bird habitat and have autumn appeal. Warm season grasses can be planted in fields, lawns, and gardens. They work best on dry and sunny sites.

Pesky Wet Spots

Do you have a spot on your property that you can’t mow during the rainy season because it’s too soggy? Your best bet is to plant a tree there to take up that water. If you have overhead wires, underground utilities, or other site restrictions, it might not be appropriate to plant a tree. In those cases, there are other options – either shrubs or herbaceous plants.

Is the wet spot on your lawn in a shady area? Trees suited for these conditions are sugar maple, river birch, flowering dogwood, and pin oak. Appropriate shrubs are smooth alder, pagoda dogwood, wild hydrangea, spicebush, and rosebay (rhododendron). Herbaceous perennial plants suited for shady and wet conditions are jack-in-the-pulpit, wild ginger, dutchman’s breeches, cardinal flower, golden ragwort, Jacob’s ladder, and foamflower. Native ferns which would also be appropriate include maidenhair fern, wood ferns, cinnamon fern, interrupted fern, and Christmas fern.Is it a sunny wet spot? Eastern white pine, tuliptree, red maple, white oak, and eastern hemlock are large trees that thrive on sunny and wet sites. A smaller tree that will do well in these conditions is a serviceberry, also known as shadbush. If you are looking for something in the 5-10 foot range, with robust root systems to hold the soil in place and increase infiltration and evapotranspiration, look no further than Pennsylvania native shrubs. Summersweet, red-osier dogwood, winterberry, red chokeberry, and ninebark are a few that would thrive in sunny and wet conditions. Perhaps woody vegetation just isn’t for you. While herbaceous plants don’t have as strong of roots and aren’t quite as good at taking up the water as trees and shrubs, they can still provide major improvements from cool season grasses found in lawns. Consider plants such as bee-balm, wild blue phlox, swamp milkweed, joe-pye-weed, gaura, oxeye sunflower, great blue lobelia, mountain mints, New England aster, New York ironweed, and culver’s root.

For scientific names of the plants discussed above and more information on benefits of landscaping with native plants, visit:

http://elibrary.dcnr.pa.gov/GetDocument?docId=1742582&DocName=sf-Native_Plants_Landscaping-brochure.pdf

Content provided by:

Cori Trice
Watershed Coordinator
Chester County Conservation District

Biological Indicators of Water Quality

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Examining the quality of a stream or waterway can be done in many ways and with different levels of technicality. However, you don’t necessarily need high end, precision sensors, or a warehouse full of expensive equipment to know how healthy a stream in your own backyard might be. A glimpse into the biodiversity of the critters that inhabit a fresh water ecosystem can reveal abundant information about the quality of the water and the overall status of the stream.

Streams in Chester County and across the globe are teeming with life. Some of that life is seen clear as day, while some hides under rocks or might even be too small to see with the naked eye. Groups of organisms that we can see and use as indicators of water quality include amphibians, macroinvertebrates, and fishes. While not true for every ecosystem, generally if you find a stream to be inhabited by many different types of species, chances are it’s in fairly good health. Certain groups of animals can tell you more than others based on their living requirements and tolerances. For example, salamanders and other amphibians are unique in that they have the novel ability to breathe through their skin. This is known a cutaneous respiration. While cutaneous respiration allows them to thrive in specialized environments, it also makes them very susceptible to absorbing toxins through their skin. It would not be uncommon to find an absence of salamanders or even deceased ones in heavily polluted streams or immediately following a toxic spill event. On another note, certain species of mayflies have specific tolerances for dissolved oxygen. They can only be found in pristine streams were persistently high levels of dissolved oxygen readily flows over their feather-like gills. Individual indicators such as these provide a glimpse into the overall quality of stream.

When water quality professionals examine biological indicators, often the community as a whole is assessed. Different species are assigned certain categories or weights based on their tolerances, or special living parameters. Many metrics are measured to determine a score that correlates with a certain degree of water quality. But you don’t need fancy metrics or calculations to learn about your stream’s health. Anyone with a few good identification books and an interest to explore can research the biodiversity in a nearby stream. So next time you are out and about on a hike, or walking your dog by a stream, take a second and flip over a rock or peer into a clear shallow pool. You may be surprised by what you discover.

Content provided by Tom Oranzi at Chester County Conservation District. Contact CCCD at 610-925-4920 ex 100.

Invasive Species: Why You Should Care and How to Help

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It is a common misconception that all non-native organisms are considered invasive species. In fact, some non-native species have valuable agricultural and medicinal uses. They are only considered invasive when they cause ecological or economic harm to their environment. The reason that this can become such a big issue is because humans are moving plant species to different regions at a much faster rate than the plants would spread through natural expansion. Most invasive species outcompete native organisms for limited resources and are capable of altering entire habitats. Not only do invasive plants degrade the quality of water and soil, but the further they spread, the more expensive it is to control them. Invasive plants have the ability to displace and kill off native species in pastures and cropland. Invasive pests can also cause major damage to a crop yield, resulting in economic loss.

Garlic Mustard Rosette – These invasive species release chemicals inhibiting the growth of nearby plant species

Lists of invasive plant species in Chester County can be found through resources like the Brandywine Conservancy, municipality ordinances, or PA DCNR. A few commonly-seen invasive species present in Chester County include garlic mustard (shown in the photo), tree-of-heaven (correlated with the spotted lanternfly), Norway maple, Canada thistle, and mile-a-minute weed.

There are several ways homeowners can take action to help control invasive species in Chester County. The easiest thing to do is to take precautions such as cleaning your boots before hiking in a new area. This prevents accidental transporting of non-native organisms into a different habitat. It is also important to eliminate the introduction of non-native species like exotic houseplants or aquarium pets into the outside environment. Buying native species, especially for landscaping purposes, is an effective way to reduce the spread of invasive species. It is important to be educated on native alternatives and have a conversation with your landscaper about the types of species you want on your property.

Lastly, early detection and rapid response is key to limiting Chester County’s invasive species and reducing the cost of controls. It is crucial to first familiarize yourself with plant species, what to look for, and how to dispose of invasive species properly if you choose to remove plants from your property on your own. A great way to have an impact is to volunteer with organizations and conservancies that hold invasive plant management projects. There are volunteer days dedicated to manually removing invasive plants, and even pests like the spotted lanternfly, in local parks and wildlife areas. You can report sightings to the Chester County Penn State Extension Office and find more information through DCNR and PA Department of Agriculture.

Content provided by:

Cori Trice
Watershed Coordinator
Chester County Conservation District