Understanding Our Watersheds
By Todd Sampsell, Director
Northwest Conservation Programs

French Creek and Lake Pleasant are both important natural features in northwestern Pennsylvania. Lake Pleasant, located in Venango Township, Erie County is considered the most ecologically intact glacial lake in the region. French Creek, flowing from southwestern New York through Erie, Crawford, Mercer, and Venango counties to its confluence with the Allegheny River at Franklin is used heavily for fishing and canoeing, and hosts one of the most diverse communities of aquatic life of any stream in the state. Comprehensive assessments of both watersheds is a priority for WPC in order to understand how the watersheds operate naturally, how they are affected by human activities, and how municipalities, organizations, citizens, and state government can work together to protect these natural aquatic treasures.

For the past two years, scientists from WPC and partner organizations including the Argonne National Laboratores, Edinboro University, The Nature Conservancy, the French Creek Project and, and numerous volunteers have been studying the watersheds aided by Growing Greener grants from the Dept. of Environmental Protection, the Western Pennsylvania Watershed Protection Program, and the Sansom-Elligator Foundation.

The results of these studies are detailed in reports developed by WPC early in 2004.

WPC began to focus protection efforts on Lake Pleasant in the 1990s, working with landowners to acquire properties and minimize the kind of lakeshore development that has degraded many other natural lakes in the region. Subsequent research at the lake concentrated on understanding how groundwater and surface water move to the lake, the source and flow path of pollutants, the impact of past gravel mining on natural hydrology, and the implications for the lake's living organisms.

Findings indicate that Lake Pleasant is in relatively good condition but several threats were identified. Further gravel mining in the watershed could threaten adequate water levels and the lake's ability to buffer acid rain; runoff from a nearby state highway introduces sediments laden with heavy metals and other substances toxic to aquatic life; and nutrient levels are relatively high in the lake, which could spur algal growth and diminish oxygen levels needed by fish and other aquatic organisms.

French Creek's watershed covers over 1,200 square miles and is a diverse mixture of woodlots, agriculture and urban land uses. Agricultural activity in the watershed poses a potential for introduction of high levels of nutrients and sediment. As a result the French Creek Watershed Conservation Plan recommended an assessment of nutrient loading and sedimentation, and development of strategies to minimize pollution from agricultural sources.

As a first step in determining the health of the French Creek watershed, WPC scientists initiated a watershed assessment in 2002 to document water quality and identify areas in the watershed most impacted by pollution and unwise land uses. The "1 st Annual State of the Stream Report on the Health of French Creek" completed in early 2004, documents land use activities throughout the watershed and water quality test results from over 100 sites. The report indicates nutrient loading and streambed sedimentation as a clear threat to the more than two-dozen freshwater mussel species and nearly 90 species of fish known to inhabit the flows of French Creek.

This information will allow WPC, French Creek Project, county conservation districts and other agencies to prioritize funding to assist landowners in addressing nutrient and sediment pollution in the French Creek watershed. The comprehensive understanding of the watershed and its problems raises the hope that pollution can be addressed through cooperative efforts, without further regulations being imposed by regulatory agencies.

Watershed assessments such as those done at French Creek and Lake Pleasant provide sound scientific information the public and government can use to protect both watersheds and private property rights. These studies also enable society to more efficiently utilize limited funding for the protection, restoration and enhancement of our lakes, rivers, and streams.