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Stormwater Management/
Tookany Creek Watershed

 

Naming Seven Streams

Invasive Species Management

Sump Pump and Ground Water Standards Ordinance (pdf) - Adopted May 2005
   Sump Pump Inspections Underway

Stormwater Management Ordinance (pdf) - Adopted September 2004

Management Plan

Pennsylvania Act 167 Stormwater Management Plan

Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4)

Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Management Plan

Cheltenham Township Public Works Stormwater Quality Operations and Maintenance Manual (pdf)

Use Your WaterSense

 

 

Sump Pump Inspections

Sump pumps illegally discharging into the sanitary sewer system is a major contributor to the water pollution in Cheltenham Township. During rainfalls, sump pump discharges can overload the sanitary sewers, causing sewage backups into homes and businesses that also infiltrate local waterways.

    Under the Sump Pump and Groundwater Standards Ordinance adopted in May 2005, the Township will begin property inspections to identify and eliminate illegal sump pump connections. The inspections began in October 2005 and will take several years to complete. An inspector wearing proper identification will visit each property and ask to enter the premises. If no one is present, the inspector will leave information asking the resident to contact the Public Works Department to schedule an appointment at the property owner’s convenience. The Township may periodically re-inspect any building or premise.

        See the full Sump Pump and Groundwater Standards Ordinance for more complete details.

 

Cheltenham Township's
Top 10 Tips for Cleaner Water

MORE INFO:

EPA MS4 Info

EPA Stormwater Outreach Materials and Reference Documents

EPA National Menu of Stormwater Best Management Practices

Pennsylvania DEP Website

When It Rains, It Drains (pdf file)

Stormwater BMPs for the Homeowner (pdf)

A Homeowner's Guide to Stormwater Management - Phila. Water Dept. (PDF)

Wissahickon Watershed Partnership & Homeowner's Guide to Stormwater Management (pdf)

After the Storm (pdf)

Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed website

On-line video that highlights green techniques.

Where to Recycle Used Oil

Celebrate the Tookany Creek Watershed
  Page 1 (pdf file)
  Page 2 (pdf file)

Saving Our Local Watershed: Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed (pdf file)

Make Your Home the Solution to Stormwater Pollution (pdf file)

Plant a Tree

Trees clean air of pollutants, reduce summer heat, buffer noise, reduce stormwater runoff and recharge water tables.

  The PA Horticultural Society

 

Clean Water Tips for Businesses (pdf)

Best Management Practices for Businesses

Auto Maintenance, Repair & Fueling

Restaurant & Food Services

 

 

Reduce Runoff: Slow It Down, Spread It Out, Soak It In

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Botanic Garden produced this nine-minute on-line video that highlights green techniques such as rain gardens, green roofs and rain barrels to help manage stormwater runoff.

 

 

Management Plan

The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) awarded a grant to Cheltenham Township to study how to conserve river resources and protect river values in the four suburban municipalities along the Tookany Creek in Montgomery County.  Officials from Cheltenham and Abington Townships and Jenkintown and Rockledge Boroughs conducted a public meeting on Thursday, May 22, 2003, at Curtis Hall for the purpose of releasing to the public, the preliminary draft of the Tookany Creek Watershed Management Plan (TCWMP) study.  The final presentation of the plan was unveiled in September 2003 and subsequently adopted by the Cheltenham Township Board of Commissioners in December 2003.  The Tookany Creek was subsequently listed on the Pennsylvania Rivers Registry by the Pennsylvania Deparetment of Conservation and Natural Resources in April 2004.

The TCWMP was developed by environmental consultant, Heritage Conservancy, of Doylestown, PA, in cooperation with Cheltenham Township, Abington Township, Jenkintown Borough, and Rockledge Borough.  The recommendations of the TCWMP will identify and document significant river resources, identify potential threats and implementation strategies that will restore, maintain, or enhance these resources. The plan identifies a number of projects to enhance the overall health of the watershed. Since the plan has been adopted, the Township is eligible for implementation funds annually from the DCNR.

For further information, contact Cheltenham Township Assistant Township Manager Bryan T. Havir.

The Tookany Creek Watershed Management Plan Final Report - October 10, 2003 (PDF File)
 

CHELTENHAM NAMES SEVEN SMALL STREAMS  

        Cheltenham Township officials have extended the deadline for public comments on proposed names for seven small streams that feed into the main stem of the Tookany Creek in the community.  Naming a stream creates greater awareness of the waterway by including it on official maps, which in turns helps ensure protection for it during development considerations.  Each proposed name has a historical connection:

· Shady Nook Creek (Glenside): located on the Shady Nook Farm on a 1909 atlas.

· Leech’s Run (Chelten Hills): named after Tobias Leech, one of the community’s founders, and identified by that name in a 1912 newspaper article.

· Milltown Creek (Cheltenham Village): named for the original town name of what is now Cheltenham Village.

· Burholme Creek (Cheltenham Village): originates in the Burholme Creek Watershed.

· Shoemaker Run (Elkins Park): named after the influential Shoemaker family.

· Brookwood Run (Melrose Park): located on the Brookwood estate on a 1909 atlas.

· Barker’s Run (Wyncote): beginning of waterway located on the Barker property on an 1871 atlas.

        After the names are finalized, township officials will request free signs from the Southeastern Pennsylvania Resource and Conservation Development Council to post along the streams.  Residents can comment on the proposed names and see a map of the stream locations. 

 

Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4)

The federally mandated Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System, which was designed to monitor and improve water quality in waterways across the nation, will soon impact residents, businesses and developers in Cheltenham. Working with neighboring communities, the Township is developing an extensive storm water management program that incorporates six required components:

1.    Public Education and Outreach

2.    Public involvement and Participation

3.    Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination

4.    Construction Stormwater Runoff Management

5.    Post Construction Stormwater Management

6.    Pollution Prevention and Good Housekeeping.

The Township must submit annual reports detailing the program’s progress to the Department of Environmental Protection, which will oversee the effort in every state.

Pennsylvania Act 167 Stormwater Management Plan

Cheltenham Township, in partnership with the Philadelphia Water Department (PWD), is requesting cooperation from our residents for an on-going, mult-phase watershed-wide study we are undertaking of the Tookany Creek. The study will entail the collection of survey data at over 100 sites. PWD crews will install metal rebar, set up survey equipment to take cross-section measurements and use global positioning system equipment to spatially identify the locations of these sites. 

The study will help the Township determine the flow patterns in the Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed, which in turn will aid our efforts to mitigate storm flow damage to the stream. Study information will help the Township design projects aimed at decreasing the erosive effects of storm water, reducing the quantity of water that flows into the streams, and stabilizing and restoring the stream banks so they can withstand storm flows. The Township’s approach will emphasize hydraulic sustainability, better manage on-site storm water, enhance riparian and biological habitats, and improve aesthetics. In addition, the data will be used for a storm water management study of the entire Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed.

 

We completed Phase I of the study in January 2004. Significant fieldwork will continue over the next several years, and the Township requests residents’ cooperation and understanding if PWD crews need access to the creek through the rear of some properties while conducting the study. PWD crews will carry photo IDs in view on the persons at all times. Anyone with questions may contact Cheltenham Township for more information.

    

 

Green City, Clean Waters from GreenTreks Network on Vimeo.

 


CURTIS ARBORETUM BUFFER PLANTINGS.  Volunteers from the Cheltenham Township Environmental Advisory Council, Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership and Arcadia University planted more than 800 native trees and shrubs in the riparian buffer along Rock Creek in Curtis Arboretum in Wyncote in November 2009.  The additional plants, which were purchased through a Tree Vitalize grant, will help improve water quality in local waterways by filtering out pollutants and slowing creek water during flood events. 

 

Use Your WaterSense! (An EPA Partnership Program)

By making just a few small changes to your daily routine, you can save a significant amount of water, save money and preserve water supplies for future generations. The WaterSense label will help you identify high-efficiency products and programs. These water-efficienct products provide the same performance and quality you've come to expect, but with the added benefit of water savings.

 

Along with using WaterSense labeled products, adopt the following water-efficient practices to save money and protect the environment:

Fix That Leak!

Challenge: Leaky faucets that drip at the rate of one drip per second can waste more than 3,000 gallons of water each year.
Solution: If you're unsure whether you have a leak, read your water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter does not read exactly the same, you probably have a leak.

Challenge: A leaky toilet can waste about 200 gallons of water every day.
Solution: To tell if your toilet has a leak, place a drop of food coloring in the tank; if the color shows in the bowl without flushing, you have a leak.

For more information, read about WaterSense's annual Fix a Leak Week.

 

Shower Power

Challenge: A full bath tub requires about 70 gallons of water, while taking a five-minute shower uses 10 to 25 gallons.
Solution: If you take a bath, stopper the drain immediately and adjust the temperature as you fill the tub.

 

Turn It Off!

Challenge: The average bathroom faucet flows at a rate of two gallons per minute.
Solution: Turning off the tap while brushing your teeth in the morning and at bedtime can save up to 8 gallons of water per day, which equals 240 gallons a month!

 

Water Wisely

Challenge: The typical single-family suburban household uses at least 30 percent of their water outdoors for irrigation. Some experts estimate that more than 50 percent of landscape water use goes to waste due to evaporation or runoff caused by overwatering.
Solution: Drip irrigation systems use between 20 to 50 percent less water than conventional in-ground sprinkler systems. They are also much more efficient than conventional sprinklers because no water is lost to wind, runoff, and evaporation. If your in-ground system uses 100,000 gallons annually, you could potentially save more than 200,000 gallons over the lifetime of a drip irrigation should you choose to install it. That adds up to savings of at least $1,150!

 

Make It a Full Load

Challenge: The average washing machine uses about 41 gallons of water per load.
Solution: High-efficiency washing machines use less than 28 gallons of water per load. To achieve even greater savings, wash only full loads of laundry or use the appropriate load size selection on the washing machine.

 

Don't Flush Your Money Down the Drain!

Challenge: If your toilet is from 1992 or earlier, you probably have an inefficient model that uses at least 3.5 gallons per flush.
Solution: New and improved high-efficiency models use less than 1.3 gallons per flush—that's at least 60 percent less than their older, less efficient counterparts. Compared to a 3.5 gallons per flush toilet, a WaterSense labeled toilet could save a family of four more than $90 annually on their water bill, and $2,000 over the lifetime of the toilet.

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