The first phase for a stormwater management plan for Schuylkill County has been completed and a report of the findings was presented by the Benesch engineering firm to township and borough officials at a meeting held Tuesday evening at the courthouse in Pottsville.

Phase One was conducted in accordance with a grant of $15,000 Schuylkill County received from Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) under Act 167. Phase One listed an inventory of relevant watershed problems which will be addressed in Phase Two, but there may be a delay in receiving funds until the state adopts a budget.The purpose of an Act 167 study was to encourage planning and management of stormwater runoffs in each watershed which is consistent with sound water and land use practices. Also, it authorizes a comprehensive program of stormwater management be adopted to preserve and restore the flood carrying capacity of Commonwealth streams and identify provision to do so to preserve to the maximum extent practicable natural stormwater runoff regimes and natural course, current and cross-section of water of the Commonwealth and to protect and conserve groundwaters and groundwater recharge areas.Phase Two plan will include criteria and standards for control of stormwater runoff from existing and new development and all other regulated activities, which are necessary to minimize dangers to property and life and carry out the purposes of the Act.The report from Phase One identifies stormwater as being water that runs off the land into surface waters during and immediately following a rainfall event. In a watershed undergoing land cover conversion or urban expansion, the volume of stormwater resulting from a particular rainfall event increases because of the reduction in previous land area, such as natural land cover being changed to pavement, concrete, buildings or unmanaged cropland.Stormwater runoff can be substantially degraded by increasing the pollutant load to the rivers and streams. The report claims as land disturbance and development has increased so has the problem of dealing with the increased quantitly and decreased quality of stormwater runoff. Failure to properly manage results in floods, stream channel erosion and situation, degraded water quality as well as reduced groundwater recharge. The impacts can be minimized by appropriate runoff and stormwater management designs the officials were told.Act 167 was enacted in 1978 and its official title is Pennsylvania Storm Water Management Act. The act requires counties to prepare and adopt stormwater management plans to provide for standards and criteria throughout a watershed for the management of stormwater runoffs from existing and new land development sites.14 watershedsThe county covers a land area of 783.6 square miles. Within the county there are 457 miles of ordered streams within 14 major watersheds. The county watersheds are located at the headwaters of the Susquehanna River and Delaware River basins. The central and eastern sheds, including the Little Schuylkill River and Schuylkill River watersheds are tributary to the Delaware River and cover 40 percent of the county (314.9 square miles). :The west and north portions of the county that flow to the Lower and Middle Susquehanna River subbasins, respectively, account for the majority of the watershed area in the county and include Catawissa Creek, Mahanoy Creek, Mahantongo Creek, Nescopeck Creek, Roaring Creek, Swatara Creek and Wiconisco Creek watersheds. These watersheds cover 51 percent of the county (400.7 square miles). The eastern watersheds in the county are the Black Creek, Lizard Creek, Mauch Chunk Creek, Mahoning Creek and Nesquehoning Creek watersheds which flow to the Lehigh River and account for nine percent of the county (67.5) square miles.The report to local officials stated the majority of the watersheds in the county are "unique" because they possess many qualities of undeveloped watersheds yet some have local floodlong problems due to development and moderate urbanizations. Also past and present mining activities have significantly impacted the hydrologic regime in the county, water quality and groundwater resources.Set goalThe goal of the stormwater management plan is to lay the framework for establishing management criteria to preserve and restore the natural hydrologic regime of the watersheds through holistic analysis and coordination of the sciences that are integrated in a watershed and through development of comprehensive management strategies. Also to preserve and restore the natural hydrologic regime of the watersheds by identifying streams and water resources which lack stormwater controls. "This is imparative," the officials were told. The Phase One Scope of Study presents the concept and approach that has been developed to fully meet the specific requirements of Act 167 for this stormwater management planning effort.The goal is to develop standards and criteria to regulate development and activities that impact stormwater runoff.Analyze and evaluate alternative stragegies to address existing stormwater quality and quantity problems int he subwatersheds.Provide standards and criteria for control of stormwater runoff that wil accomodate various types of land development activities over the next 10 years.Once Phase Two is completed boroughs and townships will be ask to either update existing ordinances or enact new ones to meet the control needs.Among the officials attending were Jim Turner, of East Brunswick Township and Robert Leibensperger, Rush Township. Charles Ross, executive director of the Schuylkill County Planning Commission, chaired the meeting.