Streamwatch Project

East Branch of White Clay Creek: Water Quality Near the Borough of Avondale

A more intensive survey of the East Branch in the borough of Avondale was done in October 2005 by Avondale High School student, Dylan Kee, under the direction of the Stroud Water Research Center. Data was collected and processed in comparable way to other Streamwatch data (see methods) with the exception of 2 samples instead of 4.

View a map of Avondale sampling sites.

Macroinvertebrates indicated that the Avondale Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) on the west fork of the East Branch appears to be a major contributor to stream degradation. All sites upstream of the STP scored Fair (ranged from 9.5 to 12.2), although the West Fork (D) above the STP appeared to be experiencing a decrease in water quality. Immediately downstream of the STP the MAIS score was Poor (4.0). The addition of the east fork (MAIS ≥12) temporarily raised the MAIS score to 6.4, but the addition of Trout Run (Site 25), a notoriously poor water quality stream, resulted in a MAIS score ≤5.0 at the two sampling locations south of the borough.  The East Branch remains poor south of Avondale even with the addition of the West and Middle Branches, which were rated as Fair. The large forested areas in the state parks in Pennsylvania and Delaware also do little to improve the water quality of the Lower Mainstem through Delaware. Move cursor over graph to see an enlarged view.

A survey done in 1997 by PA Department of Environmental Protection reported excellent conditions above the borough of Avondale, good water quality below the STP, poor water quality at Trout Run, and good/fair water quality below the borough (Boyer 1997). Their results suggest water quality has become more degraded (from 1997 to 2005) at all the Avondale sites with the exception of Trout Run, which remains in as poor condition as previously reported. The fact that Boyer (1997) reported no negative affect of the STP suggests the population growth in the watershed may be putting greater demand on the plant.

Compared to 19 sites in the Schuylkill watershed (black bars), MAIS scores for half the Avondale sites (colored bars) suggest moderate environmental stresses, while the other half grouped with the worst Schuylkill sites, those exposed to such disturbances as acid mine drainage (West, Little, and Main Schuylkill) and extensive urbanization (Wissahickon). To make the Avondale and Schuylkill sites comparable, all streams were sampled in 2005 and samples were processed with a 0.25-mm sieve. As a result MAIS scores for Avondale are lower than reported in first figure, because those were processed with a 1-mm sieve. Move cursor over graph to see an enlarged view.