Section
1. The Watershed Today
LAND USE AND
POPULATION CHANGE
Nearly 85 percent of the watershed remains in agriculture and forest. Such
uses are beneficial to the watershed, provided that good management practices,
such as soil erosion and pesticide control, are also applied. By allowing
rain and snow to seep into the soil, forests and well-managed agricultural
lands help to replenish ground and surface waters, and sustain the health
of the entire watershed ecosystem.
While watershed-wide land use statistics are meaningful, they can also be misleading. For example, although approximately 15 percent of the entire watershed is developed, some tributaries such as lower Wissahickon Creek, Skippack and Valley Creeks have as much as 45 percent of their land in urban-suburban uses, with more development anticipated. With the continuation of current land use patterns, future growth is likely to have increasing negative consequences on the watershed ecosystem as described elsewhere in this report.
Between 1985-1995, population growth increased in the watershed by about 231,000 (see Figure 6, Community and River Conservation Planning). Tributaries especially threatened by growth include the Upper Manatawny, Pickering, Swamp Creek, Hay Creek, French Creek, Unami Creek and the Upper Perkiomen. The impact of population growth is strongest in the small headwater streams. On the other hand, certain parts of the watershed have been losing population for many years. They include portions of Schuylkill County, the City of Philadelphia and many historic riverfront communities.
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