| Watershed Management Plans |
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The Monocacy Creek watershed occupies approximately 48.8-square miles, mostly within Northampton County, but also partly within Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The mouth of this limestone stream is located in the City of Bethlehem where it converges with the Lehigh River. The Monocacy Creek is a well-reknowned stream for its ability to sustain a naturally reproducing trout population, a rarity in city environments. The primary goals of the Monocacy Creek Rivers Conservation Management Plan are: to restore the physical and biological health of the stream, establish management practices to prevent additional degradation of the stream, preserve critical cultural and natural resource areas within the watershed, and ultimately have the Monocacy Creek listed on the Pennsylvania Rivers Registry. Inclusion on the Registry will qualify the Monocacy Creek corridor for technical and financial assistance from the state for restoration and improvement projects. |
In order for the Monocacy Creek to be included on the Registry the management plan must identify the historical, cultural, natural and physical resources along the creek. The plan must also characterize the water quality and aquatic life of the stream, as well as identify any problem areas along the stream. In addition, the plan must contain recommendations for conservation and preservation of the Monocacy Creek based partly on input from public hearings and informational meetings with municipalities.
The Monocacy Creek was chosen for this project because of its importance to the Lehigh Valley as a natural resource. The Monocacy Creek is classified, in Chapter 93 of the Pa. Water Quality Standards, as a "High Quality-Cold Water Fishery" (HQ-CWF). The excellent water quality of the creek provides many uses to the residents and visitors of Lehigh and Northampton counties. Recreational and aesthetic uses of the Monocacy Creek are especially important to the region. These factors combined with the easy accessibility of the creek's resources make it imperative to restore and conserv the Monocacy Creek watershed for today and future generations.
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(PDF:
Executive Summary: 62 KB/ 8 pages,
PDF: Complete Report: 8,589 KB, 122 pages,
PDF:
Appendices, 249 KB, 32 pages)
Wildlands Conservancy's Watershed Management Plans