Section 2: Regional Profile
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SECTION 2: REGIONAL PROFILE SECTION 2: Regional Profile This section provides a political, physical, demographic and economic description of the Lehigh Valley, and details the inventory of assets (population, general building stock, and critical facilities and infrastructure) assembled to assess the vulnerability of the Lehigh Valley to natural, man-made and technological hazards. 2.1 Location The counties of Lehigh and Northampton, together measuring about 729 square miles, are located in the central eastern portion of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania about 80 miles west of New York City and 50 miles north of Philadelphia (see Figure 2-1). Figure 2-1. Regional Setting Source: LVPC DMA 2000 Hazard Mitigation Plan Update– Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania 2-1 April 2013 SECTION 2: REGIONAL PROFILE 2.2 History In the 1730s Scotch-Irish and German settlers began the agricultural development of the Lehigh Valley. During the 19th and 20th centuries, canals, railroads, and highways coupled with the manufacturing of steel, cement, heavy trucks and chemicals continued to transform the economy and the landscape. The rivers and streams of the Lehigh Valley have played an important role in its history and development. The area’s three cities and some of its major boroughs grew along the banks of the Lehigh or Delaware rivers. The Lehigh and Delaware Navigation Canals owed their existence to these rivers. Many streams served as the sites for early mills that were dependent on a supply of running water. Most major industries also were located along the banks of rivers or streams (LVPC, 2010). Further details on the history of the Lehigh Valley may be found in the following sources: Lehigh Valley Profile and Trends – 2012 Edition (www.lvpc.org) Lehigh Valley History Website: http://lehighvalleyhistory.com 2.3 Government and Political Subdivisions The Lehigh Valley contains 62 incorporated municipalities, 25 in Lehigh County and 38 in Northampton County (the City of Bethlehem lies within both counties). There are a total of three cities (City of Allentown, City of Bethlehem and City of Easton), 27 boroughs and 32 townships (see Figure 2-2). The two counties form the core of a metropolitan area defined by the Bureau of the Census as the Allentown- Bethlehem-Easton Metropolitan Statistical Area (ABE MSA) (LVPC, 2012). The Pennsylvania Constitution provides that the State Legislature classify local governments according to population size. Lehigh and Northampton counties are each Third Class Pennsylvania counties, as their population according to the 2010 U.S. Census was in the 250,000 to 500,000 range. Both counties adopted Home Rule charters in 1978, which provide for nine-member elected legislative bodies and elected county executives. The 3 cities are classified as third class cities as defined by the State of Pennsylvania based on their populations. Third class cities have populations below 250,000. The 32 townships are classified as either first class or second class townships. In the Lehigh Valley, there are only 5 townships classified as first class (Lower Macungie, Salisbury, South Whitehall, Whitehall, and Bethlehem townships) (LVPC, 2012). DMA 2000 Hazard Mitigation Plan Update– Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania 2-2 April 2013 SECTION 2: REGIONAL PROFILE Figure 2-2. Classification of Municipalities Source: LVPC, 2010 2.4 Physical Setting This section presents the physical setting of the Lehigh Valley, including: hydrography and hydrology, topography and geology, climate, and land use/land cover. 2.4.1 Hydrography and Hydrology Two major rivers flow through the region, the Lehigh and Delaware. The Lehigh River flows through Lehigh Gap at the northern boundary of Lehigh and Northampton counties southbound to Allentown where it makes an abrupt turn eastward. From Allentown the Lehigh flows eastward to its confluence with the Delaware River at Easton. Major tributary streams flowing into the Lehigh River are Little Lehigh Creek, Hokendauqua Creek, Monocacy Creek and Saucon Creek. Bushkill Creek and Martins Creek flow directly into the Delaware. The entire Lehigh Valley lies within the Delaware River Basin, which drains a total area of 13,539 square miles in the states of Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Delaware (LVHMP, 2006). DMA 2000 Hazard Mitigation Plan Update– Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania 2-3 April 2013 SECTION 2: REGIONAL PROFILE Per the 1978 Pennsylvania Stormwater Management Act (Act 167), counties are required to prepare stormwater management plans on a watershed-by-watershed basis that provide for the improved management of the stormwater impacts associated with the development of land. Within Lehigh and Northampton counties, the state has designated 16 Act 167 study areas, as identified on Figure 2-3. Table 2-1 summarizes the municipalities each Stormwater Management Plan covers. Figure 2-3. Stormwater Management Plans Source: LVPC, 2012 DMA 2000 Hazard Mitigation Plan Update– Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania 2-4 April 2013 SECTION 2: REGIONAL PROFILE Table 2-1. Stormwater Management Plans for the Lehigh Valley Title Lehigh County Northampton County Bethlehem Township Bushkill Township City of Easton Forks Township Lower Nazareth Township Moore Township Bushkill Creek Watershed- Act 167- Nazareth Borough Storm Water Management Plan, May Palmer Township 1992 Plainfield Township Stockertown Borough Tatamy Borough Upper Nazareth Township Wilson Borough Wind Gap Borough Allen Township City of Bethlehem City of Allentown East Allen Township Catasauqua Creek Watershed and Catasauqua Borough Freemansburg Borough Lehigh River Sub-Basin 4- Act 167- Fountain Hill Borough Hanover Township Storm Water Management Plan, Hanover Township Lower Saucon Township February 1997 Salisbury Township Moore Township Whitehall Township Northampton Borough North Catasauqua Borough Coplay Borough Coplay Creek Watershed and Lehigh North Whitehall Township River Sub-Basin 2- Act 167-Storm South Whitehall Township Water Management Plan, November Washington Township 1994 Whitehall Township Bethlehem Township City of Easton Delaware River Sub-Basin 2 and Lehigh Glendon Borough River Sub-Basin 5 (Fry's Run Study Lower Saucon Township Area)-Act 167-Storm Water Palmer Township Management Plan, February 1999 West Easton Borough Williams Township Wilson Borough Allen Township Hokendauqua Creek Watershed and East Allen Township Lehigh River Sub-Basin 3- Act 167- Lehigh Township Storm Water Management Plan, Moore Township September 1997 Northampton Borough North Catasauqua Borough City of Allentown Heidelberg Township Lowhill Township Lynn Township Jordan Creek Watershed- Act 167- North Whitehall Township Storm Water Management Plan, May South Whitehall Township 1992 Upper Macungie Township Washington Township Weisenberg Township Whitehall Township DMA 2000 Hazard Mitigation Plan Update– Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania 2-5 April 2013 SECTION 2: REGIONAL PROFILE Title Lehigh County Northampton County Alburtis Borough City of Allentown Emmaus Borough Lower Macungie Township Little Lehigh Creek Watershed - Act Macungie Borough 167-Storm Water Management Plan Salisbury Township Update, June 1999 South Whitehall Township Upper Macungie Township Upper Milford Township Weisenberg Township Maiden Creek Headwaters- Act 167- Heidelberg Township Storm Water Management Plan, April Lynn Township 2010 Weisenberg Township Bangor Borough East Bangor Borough City of Easton Martins/Jacoby Creeks Watershed and Forks Township Delaware Sub-Basin 1 - Act 167-Storm Lower Mount Bethel Township Water Management Plan, February Pen Argyl Borough 1996 Plainfield Township Portland Borough Roseto Borough Upper Mount Bethel Township Bath Borough City of Bethlehem Bethlehem Township Bushkill Township Chapman Borough Monocacy Creek - Act 167 - Stormwater Hanover Township East Allen Township Management Plan, March 1989 Hanover Township Lower Nazareth Township Moore Township Nazareth Borough Upper Nazareth Township City of Bethlehem Nancy Run Watershed - Act 167-Storm Bethlehem Township Water Management Plan, March 1989 Freemansburg Borough Lower Macungie Township Perkiomen Creek Headwaters- Act 167- Lower Milford Township Storm Water Management Plan, Upper Milford Township October 2009 Upper Saucon Township Sacony Creek Headwaters- Act 167- Storm Water Management Plan, April Weisenberg Township 2010 Coopersburg Borough City of Bethlehem Lower Milford Township Saucon Creek - Act 167 - Stormwater Hellertown Borough Salisbury Township Management Plan, April, 1991 Lower Saucon Township Upper Milford Township Williams Township Upper Saucon Township Trout/Bertsch Creeks and Lehigh River Heidelberg Township Lehigh Township Sub-Basin- Act 167-Storm Water Slatington Borough Walnutport Borough Management Plan, April 1995 Washington Township Source: LVPC DMA 2000 Hazard Mitigation Plan Update– Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania 2-6 April 2013 SECTION 2: REGIONAL PROFILE 2.4.2 Topography The Lehigh Valley is bounded on the north by the Blue Mountain and on the east by the Delaware River. To the south lies the Lehigh Mountain Range, known as South Mountain. To the west, the plain breaks into low, rolling hills which rise to form a divide between lands drained by the Lehigh and Schuylkill rivers (LVHMP, 2006). Blue Mountain, otherwise known as Kittatinny Ridge, extends southwest to the Maryland border. The mountain forms the northern boundary of Lehigh and Northampton counties. Lehigh Mountain and South Mountain are two landmark ridges on the southern border of Allentown. There are parts of a section of the mountains called