Streamwatch Project

Introduction

About White Clay Creek

The White Clay Creek watershed (107 square miles or 280 km²) includes parts of Chester County, Pennsylvania and New Castle County, Delaware. Nearly 120,000 people get their drinking water from the White Clay Creek and the Cockeysville aquifer that underlies portions of the watershed. The White Clay has three main branches in Pennsylvania (East, Middle, and West) and three main tributaries in Delaware (Middle Run, Pike Creek, and Mill Creek). The White Clay joins the Christina River near Newport, Delaware, which in turn, flows into the Delaware River near Wilmington.

In 2000 Federal legislation designated White Clay Creek and its tributaries as a National Wild and Scenic River signifying it as possessing outstanding scenic, wildlife, recreational and cultural value. That marked the first time an entire watershed - rather than just a section of river - had been designated. Approximately 17% of the watershed is protected open space including the White Clay Creek Preserve (PA) and White Clay Creek State Park (DE). A variety of habitats provide a rich diversity of fish and wildlife: 21 species of fish, 33 species small mammals, 27 species of reptiles and amphibians, and over 900 species of breeding birds. It is also a cultural and historic location that was originally settled by the Lenape Native Americans and presently has 38 properties on the National Register of Historic Places.

Monitoring Water Quality

In the 1990's hundreds of thousands of volunteers became involved in various water monitoring programs throughout the country, spurred on by a growing national environmental awareness. Many volunteer groups emphasized biological monitoring in their programs because it provides a better assessment of long-term effects than chemical monitoring. As these groups are increasingly becoming more scientific, there is a push for regulatory agencies to recognize and accept their data. This trend requires standardization, communication, and training among the organizations.

The White Clay Watershed Association's (WCWA) Stream Watch Program, a collaborative effort of the Stroud Water Research Center and WCWA volunteers, was initiated because of concerns of rapid land development taking place near streams in the White Clay Creek watershed. A progression of classroom, laboratory and field training exercises at the Center led to the collection of stream samples in 1991 and has continued through 2008 with 15 of the last 18 years being sampled.

Macroinvertebrates were collected annually (late March - early April) from up to 16 sites on the White Clay Creek and its tributaries. Several additional sites were sampled one time. Water chemistry (e.g., ammonia, nitrate phosphate, pH, alkalinity) was also sampled at the same time for 8 of the 15 years. Read more about sampling methods.

The three major goals for this project:

1. Develop a biomonitoring program that can be implemented by volunteers.
2. Evaluate water quality in White Clay Creek and its tributaries using aquatic macroinvertebrates.
3. Make data available to local education outreach and community groups in order to encourage efforts to assess, improve, and/or protect water quality in White Clay Creek.

Streamwatch Project Results

Read more about the study by visiting the following pages. You can also access any Streamwatch page from the menu in the sidebar.

• Methods
• Data Analysis
• Watershed Study Map–view the watershed as a whole and/or select results from individual sites.
• Rating Water Quality
• White Clay Creek versus other streams in the region
• Water Quality Over Time
• Land Use and Water Quality

Want to spread the word about water quality in White Clay Creek? Download a printable brochure.

Acknowledgments

This work was accomplished with the help and dedication of multiple volunteers from the White Clay Watershed Association, Stroud Water Research Center and the Delaware Nature Society.

The White Clay Creek Wild and Scenic Watershed Management Committee generously provided support throughout this study, including the development of the Streamwatch web pages. Funding also provided by the Stroud Water Research Center Endowment.