The Kidder Township Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on May 18 to oppose the redesignation of the Tunkhannock Creek watershed from High Quality to Exceptional Value Waters designation. (Kidder Township opposes basin redesignation, Times News, May 19, 2017).

The Tunkhannock Creek basin drains approximately 32 square miles of the Pocono Plateau, in an area that includes some of the Poconos' most outstanding natural features including the Long Pond and Fern Ridge Bog nature preserves, Big Boulder/Lake Harmony, and the Mosey Wood wetland.According to the 2016 Evaluation Report prepared by the Department of Environmental Protection, the watershed supports a diverse population of rare aquatic plant and macroinvertebrate communities and qualifies under 25 Pennsylvania Code 93.1 water quality standards as an "outstanding national, state, regional or local resource water" and a "surface water of exceptional ecological significance."This is more than enough evidence that the Tunkhannock Creek Basin deserves the highest level of protection under Pennsylvania's environmental laws.In opposing the redesignation, Kidder Township is at odds with several highly respected organizations including the Tobyhanna Tunkhannock Watershed Association and The Nature Conservancy.The redesignation is also supported by the Bethlehem Water Authority, which has always been a good neighbor to the township, managing hundreds of acres of forest and riparian habitat that has benefited the residents of Carbon County for decades.Our regional economy is heavily dependent on tourism and outdoor recreation, which in turn is dependent on the quality and quantity of local water resources.By opposing the redesignation of the watershed to Exceptional Value Waters, Kidder Township is acting irresponsibly and is holding backprogress in achieving full protection for the outstanding waterways of the Poconos.Juliet PerrinAlbrightsville