We all depend on clean water to live.
Water from rainfall, snowmelt, and lawn maintenance flows through our yards, streets, and neighborhoods to creeks and rivers, taking with it a variety of harmful pollutants. Because the land, the water beneath it, and the creeks and rivers are all interconnected, what absorbs into the ground near our homes affects us and everyone who lives downstream.
What is a watershed?
A watershed is the land area from which water flows downhill to form a stream. In our case, the Buck Doe Run Watershed is anywhere on land where water flows to either the Buck Run or Doe Run creeks. Eventually, the water within the Buck and Doe Run creeks empties into the west branch of the Brandywine Creek. The Brandywine then flows south, meets the Christina River and joins the Delaware River, which runs into the Delaware Bay and finally, the Atlantic Ocean.
What you can do...
Plant flowers, grasses, shrubs, and trees native to the Buck and Doe Run creeks. Native plants rarely need additional water, fertilizers, or pesticides and can survive weather extremes. They provide wildlife habitat and four-season interest to your home landscape. Native plants hold soil so it does not erode into wetlands and streams where sediment can suffocate fish, frogs, and other important creatures.
Don’t spend so much time mowing, #1! Mow your grass, but not so short and not so often. Taller grass means deeper roots, which means less watering. Plant native trees and shrubs where shade and cover are desired, or in steep or other difficult to mow areas. Connect the beds so they are easier to mow.
Don’t spend so much time mowing, #2! Replace the native landscape that existed prior to your house by creating a meadow, a woodland grove, or a wetland. Taller vegetated natural areas slow the flow of rainwater and filter pollutants that come from the roads and lawns before reaching underground drinking water supplies. Natural areas provide a place for songbirds to live. It is important to check your township ordinances to ensure that this is allowable.
Treat your lawn like the ecosystem it is and minimize chemical dependency. Allow clover to grow; it creates its own nitrogen, decreasing fertilizer needs. Let lawn clippings stay or apply them as compost to your lawn. This also reduces the need for fertilizer. Choose a lawn care company that uses natural, organic, and/or slow release products and practices Integrated Pest Management.
You, too, can practice Integrated Pest Management (IPM): Monitor pest and weed invasions. Accept the small invasions and control the larger ones with beneficial insects, amphibians, and birds. Weeds can be controlled by corn gluten or other organic materials, and some pests can be scared away with the water noise. Chemicals upset the balance of nature and may cause more harm than good.
Make every raindrop count! Use a rain barrel. Create a rain garden in poorly drained areas or divert your downspout to outlet to your rain garden. Native wetland plants help to clean the water as it returns to underground drinking water supplies. Rain gardens attract critters that eat unwanted insects.
Looking to the Future: Becoming a Greenway Corridor
The idea of the greenway corridor is an effort of the Brandywine Conservancy. Conservancy representatives will be visiting municipalities in the watershed to promote the greenway concept and to educate officials and residents on its location and function. It is important to note that this is NOT an effort to construct a hard surface trail. It is an effort to conserve, protect, enhance, and preserve the ribbon of green that exists along Buck Run from the Route 30 roadway to its confluence with the Brandywine.
The greenway is important for wildlife (habitat and migration), water quality (non-point source pollution and thermal pollution), and preserving a sense of history, place, and beauty unique to the Brandywine Valley. If you or your municipality would like more information on the greenway corridor, please contact Robert Lonsdorf, Brandywine Conservancy, (610) 388-2700.
Map of the Buck Run Greenway (PDF)
More info on the Buck Run Greenway (PDF)
