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Valley Creek is a 23.4 square mile watershed that is closer to the Philadelphia Metropolitan area than any of the other Green Valleys Association watersheds. Because of this location, it has experienced the most dramatic change in development of any area within GVA. Valley Creek traverses 430 acres of the region known as the “Great Valley.” It flows through Great Valley Corporate Center (the high-tech center of the area), and Chesterbrook (along the US Route 202 corridor), to it’s mouth at the Schuylkill River in Valley Forge National Historical Park (VFNHP). It is a Class A trout fishery with nature preserves, parks and lands under conservation easement along the stream. In 1993, Valley Creek was awarded the highest protection the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has to offer: Exceptional Value.
The extensive residential and commercial development that has affected Valley Creek in the last decade-and-a-half has caused a major shift in water dynamics in the area. Unlike the other GVA watersheds, which depend primarily on a system of private wells and private septic systems, Valley Creek has evolved to a system of public water supply and public sewers. The result of this self-contained system is that water supplies in the area are no longer directly dependent on the groundwater feeding the Valley Creek. This in and of itself does not lessen the importance of the quality of the stream, and it remains a significant member of the ecosystem in the area. It is a major resource to Valley Forge National Historical Park and is a volume contributor to the water supply of the Schuylkill River.
Great Valley lies on a significant limestone vein passing through southeastern Pennsylvania and extending into New Jersey. The quarrying of limestone is an important industry in the area. As a result, the area is pocked by many quarries and frequently suffers disruptive sinkholes that occur in area highways when acid rain erodes the limestone base beneath the road. |
WATERSHEDS CONTINUED…
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