| Watershed Management Plans |
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The Little Nescopeck Creek watershed is located in southern Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. The drainage basin of the Little Nescopeck Creek encompasses approximately 14 square miles and lies within Sugarloaf and Butler Townships, the Borough of Conyngham and a very small portion of Hazel Township. The stream flows from its headwaters in Butler Township approximately 10 miles to its confluence with the Nescopeck Creek in Sybertsville. The Jeddo Tunnel, which drains 32.24 square miles and discharges an average of 40,000 gallons per minute into the Little Nescopeck Creek, is one of the largest mine water discharges in the anthracite region. Abandoned mine drainage discharge from the Jeddo Tunnel is the major identified source of non-point-source pollution in the Little Nescopeck Creek watershed. Little Nescopeck Creek receives all the flow from the Tunnel. For this reason, significant attention is directed in this plan toward the Jeddo Tunnel system. |
The Little Nescopeck Creek is classified as a High Quality-Cold Water Fishery (HQ-CWF) stream above the tunnel discharge, as is Nescopeck Creek upstream from its confluence with the Little Nescopeck. The quality-impaired Little Nescopeck Creek joins Nescopeck Creek, which eventually enters the Susquehanna River near Berwick, Pennsylvania. The impacts of the Little Nescopeck Creek are evident in the Nescopeck Creek, the Susquehanna River and the Chesapeake Bay.
Wildlands Conservancy has received a Pennsylvania Rivers Conservation Program Planning Grant for the Little Nescopeck Creek. A study of the Little Nescopeck Creek and the preparation and publication of a comprehensive Little Nescopeck Creek Watershed Conservation Plan were the intended outcomes of the grant. The Pennsylvania Rivers Conservation Program was created by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR). The objective of the program is to conserve, restore and enhance Pennsylvania's rivers through partnership, education, awareness and stewardship.
The primary goals of the Little Nescopeck Creek Project are to restore the physical and biological health of the stream; establish management practices to prevent additional degradation of the stream; preserve critical cultural and natural resource areas within the watershed; and, ultimately, have the Little Nescopeck Creek listed on the Pennsylvania Rivers Registry. Inclusion on the Registry will qualify the Little Nescopeck Creek watershed for technical and financial assistance from the state for restoration and improvement projects.
In order for the Little Nescopeck Creek to be included on the Registry, the management plan must identify the historical, cultural, natural and physical resources along the creek. The plan must also characterize the water quality and aquatic life of the stream, as well as identify any problem areas in the watershed. In addition, the plan must contain recommendations for conservation and preservation of the Little Nescopeck Creek based on information collected as part of this project and input from public hearings and informational meetings with municipalities.
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(PDF:
Executive Summary 60 KB / 7 pages,
PDF:
Report 2.914 KB / 162 pages
PDF:
Appendices 14,858 KB/ 187 pages.)
Wildlands Conservancy's Watershed Management Plans