Environmental Group Awarded for Stormwater Management

For the last five years, the Springfield Township Environmental Advisory Committee (STEAC) has been working on two projects to manage and reduce stormwater runoff. 

The volunteer group’s efforts will be honored by the Chester - Ridley - Crum Watersheds Association (CRC) at their 7th Annual Awards Dinner at the White Manor Country Club in Willistown Township Thursday, Nov. 3.

Along with Aqua Pennsylvania and Elwyn, Inc., STEAC members will be recognized for their outstanding contribution for the protection of our local water resources.

“At CRC we applaud the work of the STEAC team who have demonstrated their long-term, multi-year commitment in improving stormwater management in Springfield,” said Anne Murphy, CRC’s executive director.

CRC is a nonprofit organization devoted to the protection of water resources and the natural environment of the Chester, Ridley, and Valleys; its stewardship encompasses 132 square miles and 35 municipalities.

Murphy said the Springfield projects are “a very valuable demonstration on the technologies available to municipalities to manage storm water. They are a model for communities everywhere.”

With approximately $400,000 in funding from the Department of  Environmental Protection, STEAC members oversaw the construction of , according to Michael Christopher, STEAC chairman.

The first BMP was installed behind the , where an infiltration swale was created to absorb storm water run off. The over flow runs into a bio retention basin covered with specialized plants designed to soak up maximum moisture,  including winter berry, iris and grasses.

“It is really a rain garden, but on a smaller scale,” Christopher noted.  The other BMP is a bio retention basin installed at the bottom of the sledding hill.

Christopher credits Arthur McGarity, Swarthmore College Professor of Engineering, with the grant writing and modeling guidance needed to launch the projects. Ecosite Inc., of Columbia, Md., designed the BMPs. The incentive for STEAC, Christopher said, was a Federal regulation that requires a reduction of storm water and pollution in municipalities with separate storm water systems within five years.

“With better management of storm water we can reduce flooding and pollution,” Christopher said. “Our (BMPs) may only have a small effect, but it is enough to help to clean up some of the sediment and nitrogen that washes off in storm water. The ultimate goal is to see an overall improvement in water quality and to benefit our own Darby Creek.”