The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) awarded a grant to Cheltenham Township to study how to conserve river resources and protect river values in the four suburban municipalities along the Tookany Creek in Montgomery County. Officials from Cheltenham and Abington Townships and Jenkintown and Rockledge Boroughs conducted a public meeting on Thursday, May 22, 2003, at Curtis Hall for the purpose of releasing to the public, the preliminary draft of the Tookany Creek Watershed Management Plan (TCWMP) study. The final presentation of the plan was unveiled in September 2003 and subsequently adopted by the Cheltenham Township Board of Commissioners in December 2003. The Tookany Creek was subsequently listed on the Pennsylvania Rivers Registry by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources in April 2004.
The TCWMP was developed by environmental consultant, Heritage Conservancy, of Doylestown, PA, in cooperation with Cheltenham Township, Abington Township, Jenkintown Borough, and Rockledge Borough. The recommendations of the TCWMP will identify and document significant river resources, identify potential threats and implementation strategies that will restore, maintain, or enhance these resources. The plan identifies a number of projects to enhance the overall health of the watershed. Since the plan has been adopted, the Township is eligible for implementation funds annually from the DCNR.
For further information, contact Cheltenham Township Assistant Township Manager Bryan T. Havir.
The Tookany Creek Watershed Management Plan Final Report - October 10, 2003 (PDF File)
The federally mandated Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System, which was designed to monitor and improve water quality in waterways across the nation, will soon impact residents, businesses and developers in Cheltenham. Working with neighboring communities, the Township is developing an extensive storm water management program that incorporates six required components:
1. Public Education and Outreach
2. Public involvement and Participation
3. Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination
4. Construction Stormwater Runoff Management
5. Post Construction Stormwater Management
6. Pollution Prevention and Good Housekeeping.
The Township must submit annual reports detailing the program's progress to the Department of Environmental Protection, which will oversee the effort in every state.
Between 2004 and 2009, Cheltenham Township, in partnership with the Philadelphia Water Department (PWD), completed a multi-phase watershed-wide study along the Tookany Creek. The study entailed the collection of survey data at over 100 sites. PWD crews installed metal rebar, set up survey equipment to take cross-section measurements and use global positioning system equipment to spatially identify the locations of these sites.
The study was used to measure the flow patterns in the Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed, which in turn will aid our ongoing efforts to mitigate storm flow damage to the stream. Study information will help the Township design projects aimed at decreasing the erosive effects of storm water, reducing the quantity of water that flows into the streams, and stabilizing and restoring the stream banks so they can withstand storm flows. The Township's approach emphasized hydraulic sustainability, better manage on-site storm water, enhance riparian and biological habitats, and improve aesthetics. In addition, the data will be used for a storm water management study of the entire Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed.
The study was used to create a new watershed-wide stormwater management ordinance adopted by the Township in May 2010. [Municipal Code Chapter 290 Stormwater Watershed Management]
Tookany-Tacony Frankford Watershed Base Map
The Tookany-Tacony/Frankford Watershed Comprehensive Characterization Report (2005) contains detailed technical information about land use, geology, soils, topography, demographics, meteorology, hydrology, water quality, ecology, fluvial geomorphology, and pollutant loads in the watershed.
The Tookany-Tacony/Frankford Watershed Integrated Watershed Management Plan (2005) outlines the characteristics and problems within the watershed – utilizing supporting technical data – and define improvement strategies for implementation.
The Tookany Creek Watershed Management Plan (2003) presents a number of ways to improve not only the creek, but quality of life for residents as well.
The Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed: An Evolution In Watershed Thinking, a visioning document (not an official endorsement of any of the future potential projects indicated herein by the Philadelphia Water Department, the Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership, Inc. or any of the partner organizations or municipalities).
The Tookany-Tacony/Frankford Act 167 Plan (2008), as required by the Pennsylvania Stormwater Management Act of 1978, focuses on controling stormwater runoff on a watershed-wide basis.