How To Help
Here are some ways you can help:
- Let lawns grow taller and minimize use of fertilizer and chemicals. [Why?]
- Plant more native trees, plants, and gardens, especially along stream banks. [Why?]
- Install a rain barrel at your home to catch rainwater from your use. Rainwater can be used to water lawns and gardens— and saves you money! [Why?]
- Dispose of dog waste in the trash or toilet instead of the street where it washes into storm drains and puts bacteria in the creek. [Why?]
- Always dispose of trash in trash receptacles, not in storm drains or on the ground. [Why?]
- Fix cars that leak oil or antifreeze onto the pavement. [Why?]
- Recycle your electronics ethically— don’t leave them on the curb or send them to a landfill where they leak toxic chemicals into our land and waterways. [Why?]
- Be sure to drive ATVs only in approved areas, not in local parks. [Why?]
- Volunteer with a local environmental or park group to help with stream clean-ups, water quality monitoring, or restoration projects.
- Donate to TTF Watershed Partnership or your local watershed organization.
1. Stormwater
One of the most important factors affecting the health of urban creeks today is stormwater. Many people don’t realize that stormwater runoff is a major source of water pollution in the Philadelphia area and in cities nationwide. Dirt, chemicals and other pollutants on buildings and roads are washed off during storms into sewers, and pollute our local streams and rivers. As a result, creeks flood, stream banks erode, natural stream habitats get washed away, and overloaded sanitary pipes discharge raw sewage into our streams.
By absorbing rainwater, plants and soil naturally reduce flooding and cleanse the water of pollutants. In urban areas where plants and trees have been removed and the soil has been covered by pavement and buildings, rainwater cannot be absorbed into the land. The city is building some bigger pipes and tanks to store rainwater during storms. This is helpful, but it is very expensive and difficult and does not fix the root of the problem. Ultimately, we need to have less rain go into the storm drains, and more rain go into the land. Natural stormwater management methods that rely on plants, trees and soil to filter rainwater reduce flow into storm drains and sewers. These techniques beautify neighborhoods and parks and improve the health of our waterways while reducing strain on municipal sanitary and drinking water systems.
2. Neglected & Misused Waterways
Litter is a very large problem in Philadelphia and the surrounding area. Most people don’t realize that storm drains on the streets lead to our creeks. Chip bags, candy wrappers, gum and cigarette butts discarded on the sidewalks or out of car windows ultimately make their way from the street, through the storm drain system to the creek. In addition, motor oil, antifreeze and windshield wiper fluid from cars, and salt and sand from road treatments make the same journey and eventually end up poisoning the creek habitat.
Parkland surrounding our creeks provide natural areas that can be used for walking, biking, picnicking and recreating. Unfortunately, because these areas are generally isolated from the bustle of the city, they are also sometimes used for illegal dumping. People bring large volumes of trash or construction waste and dump them into the parkland and creeks. This is not only unhealthy for the natural stream habitat, but it makes the parks unattractive and unhealthy for people looking to enjoy the city’s natural areas. Other common illegal behaviors that negatively affect the creek include ATV use, which destroys native plants and erodes stream banks, and graffiti which makes the parks unattractive and unsafe-feeling for legal park-users.
3. Invasive Plants
Invasive plants are plants that were brought to this area from other parts of the world, and that grow faster and bigger than the ones that do belong here. Because invasive plants are so aggressive, they crowd out native plants and drastically change the local ecosystem. For example, plants that produce seeds or berries that sustain local or migrating bird populations are replaced by plants that have little or no food value for those species. Invasive plants can negatively affect all sorts of different animals and insects by displacing their food supply, their habitat or other important resources.
Invasive plants have a devastating effect on our local streams. Shallow-rooted invasives like Japanese Knotweed, Garlic Mustard and Lesser Celandine have invaded creek banks in this area and crowded out the native, long-rooted plants such as Trout Lily and Bloodroot. Without the long roots of the native plants to stabilize the soil along the edges of the creeks, stream banks erode at an alarming rate. Soil from erosion kills the insect larvae that feed our native fish. Erosion also widens streams and undercuts trees that provide crucial shade. This ultimately creates a wider, shallower, warmer creek that cannot sustain the native fish and aquatic life that thrive in deeper, cooler waters.
RELATED STORMWATER MANAGEMENT RESOURCES:
Guide for Homeowners [.pdf]
Guide for Auto Maintainence [.pdf]
Guide for Businesses [.pdf]
Guide for Restaurants [.pdf]
Guide for School Campuses [.pdf]
See our complete list of watershed resources.
