The
drainage basin of Roaring Creek (40º 52’ 57” N, 76º 24’ 54”
W), southern
Columbia
County, encompasses 80
square miles and includes parts of Montour, Northumberland, and
Schuylkill
Counties
.
Roaring Creek and its South Branch flow 40 stream miles to their
confluence with the
Susquehanna River
just west of the Borough of Catawissa.
Mugser Run is the largest tributary of the Creek, totaling 10
stream miles.
Forest
land accounts for over
40% of land cover in the watershed.
This is largely attributed to the 9, 000 acres of water company
property recently acquired by the Department of Conservation and Natural
Resources (DCNR) along the South Branch of Roaring Creek.
A private water company continues to have rights to water in
three reservoirs on the South Branch, however the DCNR owns and manages
the surrounding forest using best management practices.
Although Northumberland County does not account for a large
percentage of the Roaring Creek basin, water from the reservoirs
supplies drinking water to Coal, Mt. Carmel and Shamokin Townships
(approximately 15, 400 people, U.S. Census Bureau, 2004) because their
groundwater has been contaminated by mining practices.
There are approximately 3, 500 residents in the Roaring Creek
watershed (U. S. Census Bureau, 2000), the majority of who are farmers.
Approximately 2% of the land cover in the watershed is low or
medium density residential property while almost 40% of land cover is
agricultural (i. e. cropland, orchards, pasture, tree farms).
The
Roaring Creek watershed is unique for this region of
Pennsylvania
.
Whereas most surrounding watersheds are severely impaired by acid
mine drainage, biological assessment by the Department of Environmental
Protection deemed Roaring Creek, the South Branch of Roaring Creek, and
most of its tributaries ‘high quality’ within Chapter 93 guidelines.
Regular stocking of brook trout (Salvelinus
fontinalis), brown trout (Salmo
trutta), and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
along the main stem, South branch, and tributaries by PA Fish and Boat
Commission has made Roaring Creek watershed a popular recreation
destination.
Rapidly
changing land use may soon threaten these special value streams,
however. The Columbia County
Planning Commission’s 2004 Annual Report states that subdivision
activity in the
Roaring
Creek
Valley
tripled from 2003 to
2004. In addition, intensity
of animal agriculture in the watershed has significantly increased in
the past 8 years (T. Rush, pers. comm).
Also, higher than expected nitrogen and phosphorous
concentrations were found by Limnology students from Bloomsburg
University of Pennsylvania when they sampled the main stem of Roaring
Creek from its headwaters to its mouth at base flow in summer 2005 (S.
Rier, pers. comm.). Phosphorous
concentrations (measured as soluble reactive phosphorous) increased from
1.62 ppb to 12.49 ppb from the headwaters of Roaring Creek to Queen’s
City, 7 miles downstream. At
these same locations, nitrogen concentrations (as nitrate) increased
from 126.1 ppb to 1528.28 ppb. This
could be indicative of inappropriate manure application (timing or
distance from stream), leaking private septic systems, or malfunctioning
sewage treatment plants. Without
proper monitoring and protection, water quality in Roaring Creek and its
tributaries will quickly degrade.
The Roaring Creek Valley Conservation Association was founded in
February 2006 with a mission to conserve the natural resources of the
basin and its rich culture through watershed stewardship, education, and
monitoring. The goals
include promoting best management practices for multiple land use
activities throughout the watershed, supporting land use plans and
activities that address
stormwater issues and flooding, conserving native plants, animals, and
aquatic life within the watershed, and monitoring streams and
groundwater and supporting activities for the remediation of polluted
waterways and wells.
This project will include background information gathering and field
components. We know that
chemical and biological assessments have been conducted in the watershed
(DEP, EPA,
Bloomsburg
University
, egs.), but little is
known about the physical condition of the streams.
We propose to conduct in-stream visual assessments along major
tributaries, main stem Roaring Creek, and South Branch Roaring Creek
through the help of volunteers from the Association, local high school
students, and
Bloomsburg
University
to add to existing
knowledge of stream conditions. By
combining results of the physical, biological, and chemical assessments,
it will be possible to rank sites for priority conservation action.
Primary
partners in this project (outside of Association members) include the
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), Department of
Environmental Protection (DEP), and
Bloomsburg
University
.
All partners will assist with aspects of visual assessments,
either through training volunteers and/ or conducting assessments, as
well as provide professional guidance through the development of the
Conservation Plan. In
addition, Dr. Steven Rier, stream ecologist from
Bloomsburg
University
, Martin Friday,
aquatic biologist with the DEP, and Mark Deibler, District Forester with
the DCNR, have agreed to review and comment on the draft Conservation
Plan.
For
More Information
Roaring Creek