Darby-Cobbs Watershed

Although the Schuylkill Watershed is really important, as its size affects many people and wildlife habitats, I've moved my focus just west to study the Darby-Cobbs Watershed.

I have found a surprising wealth of information through the Philadelphia Water Department and Philly H2O, a site displaying the findings of a history consultant's look into the watershed history of the city. The Philadelphia Water Department (PWD)'s website is a great compilation of work that has been done and current status of the watershed.  It has links to its partner organizations and many reports that have been created.


There are a few issues in the watershed, as identified by PWD, including trash, water quality concerns, degraded habitat, and decreased diversity of aquatic life.  The most important concern, to me, is the limited public awareness and sense of stewardship for Cobbs Creek, as was found in 2004.  Something I can easily contribute to is adding more information to the wikipedia webpages about the history, issues, and ways to connect with other resources for Cobbs Creek and one of its tributaries Indian Creek.  I'm particularly interested in this area of the watershed because it falls within a combined sewer system and is extra vulnerable to polluting the creek.  And they have undergone some stormwater management activities I would like to explore, including a stream daylighting project of Indian Creek within Morris Park.

There are quite a few (old) assessments and plans written about the watershed that I plan on reviewing to see what gaps may exist in what is needed now and how they fit in with the Philadelphia 2035 vision.  These include the following:

o   River Conservation Plan, 2005 (Darby Creek Valley Association)

o   Comprehensive Characterization Report for Darby-Cobbs Watershed, 2004 (PWD)

o   Cobbs Creek Integrated Watershed Management Plan, 2004 (PWD)

o   Watershed Act 167, Stormwater Management Plan, 2004 (Delaware County Planning Department and PWD)

o   Trail Master Plan for Cobbs Creek Park, 2001(Fairmount Park Commission)

o   Cobbs Creek: A Gateway to Many Places and to Cleaner Water, 2009 (Darby-Cobbs Watershed Partnership)