Schuylkill River Valley Pumps $590 Million Into Local Economy

PHOENIXVILLE, PA -- A report issued by the Schuylkill River Heritage Area had some impressive findings: the area generates $589.9 million each year.

The reports includes towns that are based along the banks of the Schuylkill. The area also supports 6,154 jobs and creates $37.7 million in tax revenue, the report shows.

National Heritage Areas, located around the country, are public-private partnerships which support historic preservation, natural resource conservation, recreation, heritage tourism, and educational projects.

NHA's aim to leverage an area's cultural and enviornmental value into economic results. In the Schuylkill Valley, it's working, and other NHA's around the country are looking to the Schuylkill as an example. 

The Schuylkill River NHA endeavors to restore and improve the water quality of the Schuylkill River, which serves as the “spine” of the NHA’s geography, the report states:

Conservation of the Schuylkill River and the promotion of its use have been top priorities since the origins of the organization in the mid-1970s as the Schuylkill River Greenway Association. Residents of the region and tourists have long associated the Schuylkill River with pollution. The Schuylkill River NHA has taken numerous steps to change that image. The NHA has partnered with major organizations such as Exelon, the Philadelphia Water Department, Aqua, and Coca-Cola and10 to create The Schuylkill River Restoration Fund, a program that generates funding for water quality and restoration projects for the Schuylkill River watershed.

Of the $589.9 million, about $588.1 came from tourism expenditures, $1.1 million came from operations, $388,000 came from grantmaking activities, and capital expenditures accounted for $279,000.

See details and the full report here.