Doylestown Partnering With Society On Fonthill Stormwater Project

DOYLESTOWN, PA — The Bucks County Historical Society (BCHS) and Doylestown Borough are partnering on a project to environmentally manage stormwater runoff at the grounds of the Fonthill Castle in Doylestown Township.

The borough and the society recently signed a stormwater easement agreement with construction work now underway on a new drainage channel located east of the castle’s historic Sycamore Allee along East Court Street.

The new channel will replace an existing manmade ditch and wind its way through the field while preserving historical features on the property.

“The borough’s project to manage stormwater runoff at Fonthill Castle dovetails perfectly with BCHS’s master plan to transform the grounds of this National Historic Landmark and enhance the 69-acres of privately owned land open at no charge to the public while upholding Henry Mercer’s vision and long-lasting legacy in Bucks County,” said Kyle McKoy, BCHS President, and CEO.

The project dates back to February 1990 when the Federal Government (DEP) required that each state manage silt and eroded sediment. Through the federally mandated program MS4 (Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System), Pennsylvania forwarded the Cooks Run project to Doylestown Borough and Doylestown Township.

The borough asked the BCHS to allocate the stormwater management project for Fonthill to the borough because of the stormwater runoff that flows into the borough from the site. The borough subsequently received permits from the township and sent out a bid.

The contract was recently awarded to Land-Tech Enterprises, Inc. of Warrington, a specialty contractor with expertise in landscaping, masonry, demolition, concrete, and earthwork.

The construction staging phase of the project began Nov. 4 and involved the set up of a temporary work area and the arrival of heavy equipment and materials. The plan includes a 90-day work schedule, barring any delays due to inclement weather.

Funding is provided by Doylestown Borough, which is also managing the work and future maintenance.

Heavy equipment and materials for the Fonthill stormwater management project arrived on site November 4. Land-Tech Enterprises, Inc. of Warrington is doing the work. (Photo courtesy of the Bucks County Historical Society)

In addition to benefiting the Fonthill Castle property and the Doylestown community, the stormwater project is expected to generate a positive environmental impact for Cooks Run, Neshaminy Creek, and ultimately the Delaware River.

The Delaware River is the longest undammed river east of the Mississippi and has more than 2,000 tributaries. One of those tributaries is the 40.7-mile-long Neshaminy Creek that runs through Doylestown Township. The Neshaminy Creek watershed is a highly developed suburban landscape where impervious surfaces cause frequent flooding by restricting groundwater recharge and increasing contaminated stormwater runoff.

Cooks Run is a stream with about a 3.3-square mile watershed that discharges into Neshaminy Creek. Both Neshaminy Creek and Cooks Run have been listed on the state’s List of Impaired Waters since 1996 due to siltation, sediment, and pollutants from urban runoff and storm sewers.

Fonthill is located within the Cooks Run subwatershed. Stormwater management within the Fonthill project site will promote the health, safety and welfare of the Neshaminy Creek Watershed.

Green stormwater infrastructure will remove surface stormwater and its impacts, recharge groundwater, provide passive irrigation, support future landscape plantings, and help re-establish water courses throughout the site while protecting against immediate downstream erosion and flooding.