Plants in a new 9,000-square-foot rain garden along the Route 100 corridor in Lionville look small now, but they will grow into a lush, beautiful area that will lead to clean water in the Pink Creek Watershed.
Partners in Uwchlan Township are optimistic about the impact that rain gardens could have on the Pine Creek Watershed.
This fall, the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary (PDE) took the lead on creating a large rain garden along the Route 100 corridor in Lionville. The overall objective is to keep stormwater pollution out of the headwaters of Pine Creek, a native trout stream and a tributary of the Pickering Creek, which is a source of drinking water for more than a half-million people in Chester and Montgomery counties. Pickering Creek drains into the Schuylkill River, the largest tributary of the Delaware River and Bay.
A rain garden is a shallow basin created to collect stormwater from roofs, parking lots, or other hard surfaces. Stormwater can carry gasoline, oil, dirt, animal waste, and other pollutants into local waterways. With its water-loving plants, a rain garden captures stormwater and removes contaminants as the runoff soaks into the ground.
The new 9,000-square-foot rain garden is situated directly between the Exton Medical Arts building and Pine Creek, forming a buffer of trees, shrubs, and perennial plants along the stream. The building has a large parking lot that formerly drained directly into Pine Creek. Although the new plants and trees are small now, they will grow into a lush area that is not only beautiful but substantial enough to capture and filter stormwater, which will protect local water quality.
“We’re thrilled to be part of this,” said Scott Furman, co-owner of the medical arts property. “It’s a wonderful cause. I’m hoping that the garden will improve the water quality of our creeks and streams. Aside from that, it’s a beautiful garden.”
“This has been such a fantastic project, and we can’t wait to see the impact it’ll have on this stretch of Pine Creek,” said Kate Hutelmyer, PDE’s Collaborative Programs Manager. “It can be challenging to restore streams in a commercialized area like this, but with the incredible support we’ve received from the landowners, Uwchlan Township, and our funders, we can start to change the water quality narrative here.”
Chester County municipalities are working for ways to address stormwater management challenges in their more urbanized communities. Here in the Pine Creek watershed, PDE is hopeful that this project is just the tip of the iceberg in working with local landowners to find innovative ways to manage stormwater and protect waterways.
PDE thanks Scott Furman and property co-owner Brett Furman and extends a great deal of gratitude to Uwchlan Township, the Schuylkill Action Network, and consulting firms ThinkGreen and Meliora Designs for their support of this project. PDE also gives a huge thanks to the project’s funders: the William Penn Foundation, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Schuylkill River Restoration Fund, and Aqua Pennsylvania.
