What is a Watershed?
This question comes up quite frequently at the Conservancy. If you ask Google, you’ll get a wide range of answers; but essentially, a watershed is an area of land that channels water, either from rainfall or snowmelt, into streams, creeks, and rivers then directs it towards a single outflow where it empties into a sea or ocean. In our case, the Perkiomen Creek collects rainfall and snowmelt from its headwaters, receives additional flow along the way from several tributaries, including the Unami, Swamp, East Branch, and Skippack Creeks, then merges with the Schuylkill River making its way towards the Delaware and ultimately into the Atlantic.
Yet, the Perkiomen Watershed is more than just the sum of these tributaries. It's the rocks over which the water flows, the trees lining its banks, the soil in its floodplain. It’s the plants bringing life to the nooks and crannies on the streamside crags. And it’s the animals making their homes in its hidden places. Sometimes we’d like to think that these elements of nature are the extent of the watershed, but the watershed is more. It’s also the roads, buildings, houses, lawns and playgrounds in the uplands beyond the creek. These, too, are a part of the watershed, and influence the quality of its waters. The watershed is also made up of the people who live within it. That’s you and me. All of these elements combined, both natural and man-made that lie within the Perkiomen Valley, are part of the Watershed.
We are the stewards of all that lies between these hills. We have the responsibility to protect and restore the quality of the creek and the lands surrounding it. But the entire community must join together to do this. Together, we have had some great successes. We need to continue this work, and the Conservancy needs your support to do so. Please join us or renew your membership today!
