Little Neshaminy Creek River Conservation Plan Little Neshaminy Creek at Forks of the Neshaminy September 2007 This project was funded by a Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund Program Grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation. 85 Old Dublin Pike Doylestown, PA 18901 (215) 345-7020 (215) 345-4328 www.heritageconservancy.org Pennsylvania Coastal Zone Management Program FINAL REPORT “Little Neshaminy Creek River Conservation Plan” Final Report September 2007 CZM PROJECT NUMBER: CZ1: 2004-PD.08 This project was funded, in part, through a Federal Coastal Zone Management Grant, administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Funding provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), United States Department of Commerce, under Award Number: NA07OZ0130. The views expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA, the PA DEP nor any of their sub-agencies. ` Table of Contents Magidson Property – Forks of the Neshaminy Little Neshaminy Creek River Conservation Plan Acknowledgements................................................................................................................1 I. River Conservation Plans............................................................................................ 3 Study Area Location.................................................................................................... 3 Planning History.......................................................................................................... 4 II. The Planning Process................................................................................................... 7 Steering Committee..................................................................................................... 7 Community Participation ........................................................................................... 7 III. Plan Goals and Objectives........................................................................................11 IV. Issues Concerns and Constraints .............................................................................23 Community Input on Issues....................................................................................24 Closing of the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove ................27 V. Project Area Characteristics......................................................................................29 Location ......................................................................................................................29 Size...............................................................................................................................29 Major Tributaries.......................................................................................................30 VI. Land Resources...........................................................................................................41 Geology and Topography ........................................................................................41 Soil Types....................................................................................................................42 Land Cover.................................................................................................................45 Municipal Planning & Zoning.................................................................................49 Analysis .......................................................................................................................51 VII. Demographic Trends.................................................................................................53 Methodology ..............................................................................................................53 Population Growth Trends: 1990 - 2000 .............................................................53 Family and Household Characteristics...................................................................56 Economic and Employment Information.............................................................60 Analysis .......................................................................................................................61 VIII. Parks, Recreation and Open Space..........................................................................63 State and County Parks.............................................................................................63 Municipal Parks and Open Space ...........................................................................63 Greenways & Trails...................................................................................................67 Analysis .......................................................................................................................69 IX. Biological Resources ..................................................................................................71 Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Inventory (PNDI) .............................................71 County Natural Areas Inventories..........................................................................76 Analysis .......................................................................................................................77 X. Water Resources .........................................................................................................79 Summary of Water Cycle..........................................................................................79 Water Quality in the Little Neshaminy Creek.......................................................81 Lakes/Ponds/Reservoirs/Impoundments............................................................88 Wetlands .....................................................................................................................90 Floodplains .................................................................................................................91 Riparian Buffers.........................................................................................................93 Flooding......................................................................................................................94 Water Supply ..............................................................................................................96 Municipal Dischargers ..............................................................................................97 National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System...............................................98 Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Information System (CERCLIS) Hazardous Waste Sites.............................99 Stormwater Planning and Regulations in the Watershed..................................100 Analysis .....................................................................................................................103 XI. Archeological and Historic Resources ..................................................................107 Pre-Historic Era.......................................................................................................107 Archaeological Resources.......................................................................................108 Historic Resources ..................................................................................................109 National Historic Landmarks ................................................................................110 Analysis .....................................................................................................................112 XII. Stream Visual Assessments: Summary of Restoration Priorities ......................115 XIII. Public Survey.............................................................................................................119 Summary of the Survey’s Findings .......................................................................124 XIV. Management Options and Action Plan.................................................................127 Partner Organizations.............................................................................................127 General RCP Goals.................................................................................................133 Projects Listed by Municipality .............................................................................133 Management Options Matrix ................................................................................137 XV. Bibliography ..............................................................................................................151 Books, Periodicals, Articles....................................................................................151 Internet Resources ..................................................................................................152 Appendix A. Ordinance Review Matrix...................................................................173 Appendix B. Residents Survey ..................................................................................177 Appendix C. Comments on Draft Plan ...................................................................181 Figures Figure 1 – Regional Context....................................................................................3 Figure 2 – River Conservation Plans within the Neshaminy