DENY DEP’S RECOMMENDATION FOR “NO CHANGE” TO WHETSTONE RUN’S STATUS IN DELAWARE COUNTY

Whetstone Run in Marple Township, Delaware County is one of the last remaining high quality streams in the Darby Creek Valley Watershed (DCVA). This Tuesday, April 20, 2021, the Pennsylvania Environmental Quality Board (EQB) is scheduled to vote not to protect this important stream.

We need to act now to demand the EQB withhold their vote until further studies are completed.

In 2017, DCVA petitioned the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to upgrade the designation of an unnamed tributary to Whetstone Run from Warm Water Fishery (WWF)/Migratory Fishery (MF) to High Quality – Warm Water Fishes, Migratory Fishes (HQ-WWF, MF). Such a re-designation would afford the creek additional special protections from pollution and development. DEP is currently recommending “no change” and no special protections for this important headwater forested stream. However, in its initial investigation of the stream, DEP:

• Failed to include three years of macroinvertebrate data provided by DCVA.
• Failed to use accurate local comparison streams.
• Chose “reference” sample locations in streams with significantly larger watersheds (2,432 acres) than the Southern Tributary’s watershed (166.4 acres), leading to comparisons that are technically unsound.  
• Failed to address DCVA’s comments addressing these errors during the open comment period.

We have mere days to act to urge the EQB to deny DEP’s recommendation for “no change” to Whetstone Run’s status. 

Take action now and urge members of the EQB to withhold their vote, and send the application back to DEP for further technical analysis.

Whetstone Run is the highest functioning stream in the Darby Creek Valley watershed; losing it due to an incorrect Water Quality designation would be a significant loss for the watershed. The EQB shouldnot accept the recommendation of “no change” based on the Department’s accompanying report. The review period for this petition has been relatively brief, and rulemaking action on it is premature. There is no need for a rapid decision based on questionable information. Serious technical issues remain outstanding, which the DEP needs to explain.