The primary goals of the Jordan Creek Watershed Assessment Plan are to identify specific potential pollution sites and establish management practices to prevent additional degradation of the stream. The Jordan Creek is impacted by NPS pollution. Agricultural lands, the major land-use within the watershed, on-lot septic systems and urban run-off are the identified sources of NPS pollution within the Jordan Creek watershed and the focus of this report. This report also addresses the amount of existing riparian buffer along the main stem of the Jordan Creek and its main tributaries. Specific studies were conducted to identify trends in water quality, to closely investigate potential areas where NPS pollution may be entering the creek as well as areas that possess substantial protection against NPS pollution. The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission was contracted to conduct studies relevant to the hydrologic trends of the Jordan Creek watershed as well as a study of the relationship of the land-use versus water quality in the watershed. Wildlands Conservancy conducted a streamwalk to visually assess areas that were potentially vulnerable to NPS pollution along the main stem of the Jordan Creek. The streamwalk was conducted using a hand-held Global Positioning System unit and converting that data into Geographical Information System software to produce coverages of various attributes of the stream. Wildlands Conservancy also utilized digital orthophotography to study areas of the Jordan Creek watershed for the presence or absence of sufficient riparian buffers. This assessment plan identifies
specific management practices designed to mitigate
non-point source pollution. Specific remediation
sites and associated costs, when possible,
have been included in order to facilitate immediate
action within the Jordan Creek watershed. Wildlands
Conservancy hopes to work with a broad-based
partnership in order to assist in the implementation
of many of these recommendations.
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