WASHINGTON, DC— U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) joined colleagues in the House and Senate in introducing legislation to add portions of the White Clay Creek and its tributaries to the existing Wild and Scenic Rivers designation for waterways. Senators Tom Carper (D-DE) and Chris Coons (D-DE) joined Senator Casey in introducing the White Clay Creek Wild and Scenic River Expansion Act in the Senate, and U.S. Representatives Joe Pitts (R-PA) and John Carney (D-DE) introduced the bill in the House.
“Protecting the White Clay Creek watershed will not only help protect a vital source of drinking water for thousands of Pennsylvanians, but will also preserve historical and wildlife resources,” Senator Casey said. “This bill will further ensure hikers, fishermen and families recreating in the watershed have a pristine environment to enjoy for years to come.”
The bill will expand the original designation to include a 7.4-mile stretch of stream in Pennsylvania’s New Garden Township that was originally omitted due to its consideration for a dam. That consideration has since been withdrawn and the Township is now supportive of the designation.
In 2000, Congress designated a large majority of White Clay Creek and its tributaries as part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Then-Senator Joe Biden (D-DE) was the lead sponsor for the Senate bill and Representative Mike Castle (R-DE) was the lead sponsor for the House version. This marked the first time a whole watershed, rather than individual river segments, had been designated into the system.
The 69,000-acre White Clay Creek watershed is home to 33 species of mammals, 21 species of fish, 27 species of reptiles and amphibians, and over 90 species of birds. White Clay Creek is also stocked with brown and rainbow trout, and is an important resource for fishermen. Protected land in the watershed also provides recreational opportunities for hikers, bikers, birders, hunters, and others. White Clay Creek and the Cockeysville aquifer that lies beneath portions of the watershed are important sources of drinking water for over 128,000 citizens in Pennsylvania and Delaware.
The bill is supported by the White Clay Creek Watershed Management Committee, which is comprised of 40 local, state, and federal agency representatives, as well as organizations and businesses. Among its members is the National Park Service, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, New Castle County Department of Land Use, London Britain Township, United Water Delaware, White Clay Outfitters, the Brandywine Conservancy, the Delaware Ornithological Society, Stroud Water Research Center, Chester County Planning Division, and SE Regional Office Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources.
###
