Members of the Hay Creek Watershed braved the cold to take water samples at 14 locations in the Hay Creek Watershed, Sunday, Jan. 19. In 2013, Hay Creek Watershed Association received a grant to purchase supplies and to partner with Green Valleys Association of Chester County to do the analysis. The grant was from the Schuylkill Highlands with funding provided by William Penn Foundation. Water analysis included testing for chemicals, dissolved oxygen, pH (acidity), nitrates, phosphorus and fecal coliform.
The Watershed Association has been monitoring the watershed for 14 years. Patience Kaltenbach, Vice President of the Watershed Association stated, ‘Today’s monitoring is the first time of a renewed monitoring of 14 sites as a long term effort.’
As stated by the Hay Creek Watershed Association mission statement, the organization ‘actively protects, preserves and restores Hay Creek and its watershed through advocacy, education, community involvement, and stewardship of the areas within or affecting the watershed.’ The association also promotes an understanding of how the watershed relates to current and future land-use situations as well as help identify water quality problems, and support efforts to recognize or improve stream water quality.
‘Monitoring water quality trends and changes tie back to land use,’ Larry Lloyd, Hay Creek Watershed Association board member, said.
