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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 waterwaysby filtering out pollutants and slowing creek water
during flood events.
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:
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.
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!
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!
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.
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.
