East Central Wayne County Comprehensive Plan - Natural Features, Land Suitability Page 170

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Physiographic Divisions of Pennsylvania

NATURAL FEATURES, LAND SUITABILITY FOR DEVELOPMENT AND DEVELOPMENT CONCERNS

IntroductionThe residents of East Central Wayne County (ECWC)are fortunate in that most of the area remainsundeveloped. The large expanses of agricultural landand private forest land, combined with interspersedresidential and limited, small-scale commercialdevelopment combine to create the rural character ofthe Townships and the quality lifestyle. Although theagricultural land and forest land are extensive, theenvironmental quality of the three Townships and thevitality of the rural working landscape are very fragile.Clean, plentiful water, pure air, open land, vegetationand wildlife can be irreparably damaged bydevelopment undertaken without concern for thenatural environment and careful planning and land usemanagement. Rivers, streams, lakes, ponds andwetlands are natural features that make an areaappealing to development; however, it is also thesetypes of natural areas that tend to be more sensitive todevelopment. To preserve the attractiveness of the

ECWC Planning Area, consistent enforcement of suchregulations as sewage, erosion and sedimentation, andstorm water management, is vital. The fact that thealmost ninety-five percent of the Planning Areacurrently is forested or is used for agriculture does notdiminish the need for careful planning and land usemanagement. Instead, the conservation of these areasare key to preserving agriculture and the communitycharacter of the Townships.

Internal and external social and economic factors arethe key determinant to the future development of thePlanning Area. The area's environment is its majorasset for fostering future development. At the sametime, the various elements of the natural environmentmust be conserved because the environment has afinite, limited capacity for development. And, giventhe interrelationship of all elements of theenvironment, a change in one element often results inan unexpected effect on another element.

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Physiographic Provinces of Eastern PA

Physiography and GeologyThe natural features of ECWC Planning Area are adirect result of its geological past. Bedrock geologyand glacial geology are key factors affecting thenatural environment and development pattern byproviding the base for the formation of soils. Thethree Townships lie in the Glaciated Low PlateauSection of the Appalachian Plateaus Province, one ofthe major physiographic divisions of theCommonwealth. See the Physiographic Divisions ofPennsylvania Figure1 and the PhysiographicProvinces of Eastern Pennsylvania Figure.2 ECWCand most of Wayne County is underlain primarily bybedrock of the Devonian System which is some 350 to400 million years old, and comprised of shale,sandstone, limestone and chert. The Soil Survey ofWayne County reports that the Catskill continental

group, which is Upper Devonian in age, is the oldestbedrock underlying glacial drift throughout about 95percent of Wayne County. It consists chiefly of red tobrown sandstone and shale. The Catskill sandstone isused commercially as building stone. The Catskillformation is the most important source of groundwater in Wayne County. More wells have been drilledinto this formation than into any other bedrockformation.3

Geological studies are a vital part of the developmentprocess. Will the sewage disposal method consideredbe adequate? Can mineral resources be extractedwhile being compatible with current zoning? What arethe possible effects of a land development thatproposed a large amount of cut and fill for theirproject? An understanding of the geology of an areawill allow the land use planner to answer theseimportant questions. The effect of development ongroundwater is largely dependent on the area geologyand the soils which developed from the underlyingbedrock.

1Pennsylvania Geology Summarized,Pennsylvania Topographic and Geologic Survey, B.Willard, 1968.

2Report 65, Groundwater Resources of PikeCounty, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Topographic andGeologic Survey, D. K. Davis, 1989.

3Soil Survey of Wayne County Pennsylvania,United State Department of Agriculture, 1985, p. 2.

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Water Bearing Geology

GroundwaterGroundwater is that subsurface water in the saturatedzone - the zone in which all the spaces or interstices inthe rocks, ideally, are filled with water under pressureequal to or greater than atmospheric pressure. Rocksthat are capable of yielding usable supplies of water towells or springs are called aquifers.4 (See the WaterBearing Geology Figure.)

Groundwater is the source for all potable water in theECWC Planning Area and its protection is one of theparamount issues facing the community. The PlanningArea and all of Wayne County have been blessed witha clean and plentiful supply of this priceless resource.Without clean water, and the healthy environmentfrom which it derives, the quality of life would sufferdramatically. In addition, a clean and plentiful watersupply is an immeasurable asset in terms of supportingthe local economy. Local officials must take allnecessary actions to protect this vital component of theECWC community. A high majority of communitysurvey respondents in all three Townships support theneed for groundwater studies and action to protectquality and promote conservation

The amount of groundwater use will increase inconcert with the amount of development. Given thePlanning Area’s regional location, the long termdevelopment pattern is expected to follow much thesame path as the last twenty years, although possiblyat an accelerated rate. The primary type ofdevelopment will be residential with a higherproportion of full-time residences and more retail andservice businesses. Few industrial or manufacturingfacilities using high volumes of water are anticipatedin the ECWC Planning Area given the paucity of sitesfor such development, the high cost of land, thecontinuing emergence of Wayne County as a bedroomcommunity, and the availability of sites in improvedbusiness parks in the greater region.

Prior to the 1960's the highest density residential andcommercial development in Wayne County wasconcentrated in Hawley, Honesdale and Waymartwhere public water supplies are available to serve theneeds of the population. Today, most residential andmuch commercial development is occurring in areaswhere groundwater from individual wells is the solesource of potable water. This equates to an increasingdemand for groundwater for residences andbusinesses.

4Report 65, Groundwater Resources of PikeCounty, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Topographic andGeologic Survey, D. K. Davis, 1989.

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Groundwater Overview• Three often misunderstood facts -

• Groundwater is part of the hydrologic cycle and is directly linked to lakes and streams.• During periods of low flow, much of the water in streams is groundwater.• As the amount of stormwater runoff increases, less recharge occurs and stream flow can be affected.

• Groundwater occurs in joints, bedding planes, faults and other fractures in the bedrock. • In glacial deposits, water is stored and moves through the intergranular openings.• Rocks that are capable of yielding usable supplies of water to wells or springs are called aquifers.• Most of the annual groundwater recharge is transmitted through local flow paths and is discharged to nearby streams and

lakes.• Although most groundwater is relatively shallow, there is some deeper flow, and the deeper wells may reach the deeper flow

systems.• Precipitation, evapotranspiration, groundwater discharge to streams, and water withdrawals affect groundwater levels.

Groundwater QuantityAccording to the Soil Survey for Wayne County,precipitation in Wayne County, as measured atHawley, averages just under thirty-nine inches peryear. The amount of rainfall, coupled with the rate ofaquifer recharge, determines the volume ofgroundwater. Based on available studies (see theGroundwater Recharge Rates Sidebar), with long termconsumption primarily residential and large areas ofundeveloped land for recharge, it appears that theoverall supply of groundwater in the Planning Areaand all of Wayne County will be adequate for quitesome time. Using the total open land area of some 130square miles and a very conservative recharge rate of750,000 gallons per day, the average groundwaterrecharge in the Planning Area is estimated at morethan 90,000,000 gallons per day.

On-lot sewage disposal systems are typically designedat a wastewater flow of 400 gallons per day perdwelling unit. Applying this factor to the number ofdwelling units in the Planning Area yields anestimated 1,400,000 gallons per day in residentialwater use. Commercial water use would addadditional amounts, but the total is well below theestimated recharge rate. While sixteen of the 460residents who responded to the Manchester andOregon community surveys reported that their wellshave gone dry, there have been no reports of chronicproblems with inadequate groundwater yield.Nevertheless, as development occurs, the Townshipsshould stress the importance of on-site groundwaterrecharge for development projects and waterconservation.

Estimated Groundwater Recharge Rates In 1989, the Pennsylvania Topographic and Geologic Survey estimates in Water Resources Report 65, Groundwater Resourcesof Pike County, Pennsylvania, that in Pike County the average groundwater discharge is estimated to be about 635(gal/min)/mi2, twice the amount estimated for most areas of Pennsylvania. Based on this, groundwater recharge in is about900,000 gallons per day per square mile of land area.1 In 1964, the U.S. Geological Survey reported that a conservativeestimate for recharge in the Highlands of the Delaware River Basin was 750,000 gpd/sq mi.2 In 1982, a Delaware River Basinstudy of the Upper Delaware Basin reported:• a recharge rate of about 1,000,000 gpd/sq mi for the Upper Pocono Plateau.3• normal year recharge rates in the Upper and Lower Pocono Plateaus range from 900,000 to 1,000,000 gpd/sq mi.4• during a normal year recharge to the Catskill formation which underlies the County is about 930,000 gpd/sq mi.5Sources:1. Water Resources Report 65, Groundwater Resources of Pike County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Topographic and

Geologic Survey, D. K. Davis, 1989, p. 11.2. Water Resources of the Delaware River Basin, Geological Survey Professional Paper 381, U.S. Department of the Interior,

Parker, Garald G, et. al., 1964, p. 91.3. Special Groundwater Study of the Upper Delaware River Basin Study Area III, Volume I , Delaware River Basin

Commission, Wright Associates, R.E., 1982, p. 3-10.4. Special Groundwater Study of the Upper Delaware River Basin Study Area III, Volume II , Delaware River Basin

Commission, Wright Associates, R.E., 1982, p. 8-3.

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However, this is not to suggest thatresidents and local officials should ignorethe important issues of localizedgroundwater supplies and groundwaterconservation. This is particularly importantas development occurs. Wells near largewater uses can be drawn down resulting ininadequate supply. Increases in imperviousareas such as buildings, driveways androads inevitably leads to more stormwaterrunoff and less groundwater recharge. Inaddition, given the characteristics ofaquifers, development in the region can alsoeffect local groundwater availability.Simply stated, groundwater availability is aregional issue and adequate supply is not avalid reason for postponing or avoidingaction to ensure continued adequate supply.

How much groundwater do we have?Most people are surprised to learn thatalmost all of the world unfrozen freshwater exists under the ground.Pennsylvania, having a humid climate,has a lot of water in streams, lakes, andwetlands. But Pennsylvania has muchmore fresh groundwater than surfacewater – more than thirty times as much.Pumping all of Pennsylvania’sgroundwater onto the surface wouldcover the entire state with more thaneight feet of water!

Groundwater Water QualityNo less important is the issue ofgroundwater quality. The potential forgroundwater pollution is always presentbecause bacterial contamination can occurfrom malfunctioning on-lot sewage systemsor poor livestock husbandry, hydrocarbonscan eventually reach groundwater from oilspills or leaking storage tanks, and nitratesand chloride can infiltrate as run-off fromroads and parking lots, sewage systems, andfarm fields. Similar to supply conservation,quality protection must be addressed.

Current regulations typically address waterissues independently even though surfacewater and groundwater are one integratedresource. For example, stormwater runoff

The Hydrologic Cycle in PennsylvaniaEach year on an average, 41 inches of precipitation falls inPennsylvania. Six inches of that enters streams and lakes directlyeither as surface runoff or as flow that enters streams from theunsaturated zone under the land surface. Twenty inches returns tothe atmosphere through evaporation and transpiration. Theremaining fifteen inches infiltrates the soil and moves downward tothe zone of saturation to recharge groundwater, a recharge rate ofabout thirty-seven percent. (See Hydrologic Cycle Figure.)

How Groundwater MovesGroundwater, like surface water, is constantly on the move.However, groundwater moves much slower-at rates ranging fromfeet per day to inches per year depending on the type of soil or rockthrough which it is moving. The natural movement of groundwateris from upland recharge areas to lowland discharge areas -- pointswhere the water table meets the land surface, such as springs, lakes,streams, and wetlands. Most water seeping into the soil moves onlya few miles to the point where it is discharged; in most instances itstays within the same watershed. Groundwater discharging intostreams provides the water that keeps streams flowing year round.Except for a short time during and after rain storms and snow melt,all the water in a stream is provided by groundwater seeping throughstream banks and stream beds. This is called base flow. Frompoints of recharge to points of discharge, groundwater moves slowlythrough small openings in rocks and soil and usually in parallelpaths (i.e., layers). Generally there is little mixing of the water inthese layers because the slow movement of groundwater does notcreate sufficient turbulence for mixing to occur.

Source: Groundwater: A Primer for Pennsylvania, PennsylvaniaGroundwater Policy Education Project, undated.