The Wissahickon Creek is one of our region’s treasured streams. Meandering from its headwaters in upper Montgomery County through Valley Green to its confluence with the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, the creek provides recreational, aesthetic and ecological benefits. Despite its charm, however, the creek faces several challenges.
A significant portion of the flow in the upper section of the creek comes from discharges from wastewater treatment plants. Even after performing mandated treatment, the plants discharge nutrients and other pollutants into the creek. In addition, land development, installation of impervious surfaces, and other activities occurring within the Wissahickon Creek watershed increase the volume and rate of stormwater runoff. This runoff carries sediment, nutrients and other pollutants to the creek and the extraordinary volume erodes the banks in every storm. As a result, Pennsylvania has listed the creek as impaired for both sediment and nutrients, and the EPA has established a total maximum daily load (TMDL) allocating the creek’s assimilative capacity for nutrients and sediment among dischargers.
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