WATER SUPPLY AND WATER QUALITY CONTROL STUDY BLUE MARSH RESERVOIR SCHUYLKILL RIVER BASIN PENNSYLVANIA PE NNSYLVANIA U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR FEDERAL WATER POLLUTION CONTROL ADMINISTRATION BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02203 June 1968 ------- WATER SUPPLY AND WATER QUALITY CONTROL STUDY BLUE MARSH RESERVOIR SCHUYLKILL RIVER BASIN PENNSYLVANIA Abstract A study has been made which discloses a present and future need (to the year 2020} for storage in the proposed reservoir for municipal and industrial water supplies. There is also an immediate need for storage for flow regulation to control water quality. These conclusions are based on hydrologic, economic and demographic analyses. Future needs are based on projected population and industrial growth. IN COOPERATION WITH THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY U.S. ARMY ENGINEER DISTRICT PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA U. S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Federal Water Pollution Control Administration Northeast Regional Office Boston, Massachusetts June 1968 ------- TABLE OF CONTENTS Page No. LIST OF TABLES iii LIST OF FIGURES iv I. INTRODUCTION 1 Request and Authority 1 Purpose and Scope 1 Acknowledgments 2 II. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS 3 Findings 3 Conclusions 5 III. PROJECT DESCRIPTION 7 Location and Pertinent Data 7 Streamflow 7 Water Quality 8 IV. STUDY AREA DESCRIPTION 13 Location and Boundaries 13 Topography and Geography 14 Climate 15 Principal Communities and Industries 15 V. WATER RESOURCES OF THE STUDY AREA 16 Quantity of Water Available 16 Quality of Water Available 18 ------- TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cont'd) Page No. VI. THE ECONOMY 21 Introduction 21 Present 21 Future 22 VII. WATER REQUIREMENTS - MUNICIPAL AND INDUSTRIAL 27 Present Water Use 27 Existing Sources of Water - Surface and Ground Water 29 Future Municipal and Industrial Water Requirements . 32 VIII. WATER QUALITY CONTROL 40 # Municipal and Industrial Pollution 40 Water Quality Objectives 42 Flow Regulation 44 IX. BENEFITS 48 Water Supply - Municipal and Industrial 50 Water Quality Control 52 X. BILBIOGRAPHY 57 APPENDIX A - Surface Water Withdrawals 58 APPENDIX B - Surface Water Discharges 60 11 ------- LIST OF TABLES No. Table Page No. 1 Water Quality - Tulpehocken Creek (Near Reading) 11 2 Water Quality - Schuylkill River 12 3 Low Flow Statistics - Schuylkill River 17 4 Water Related Industries 24 5 Blue Marsh Study Area - Population 25 6 Projected Production of Water Related Industries 26 7 Present Water Use 28 8 Larger Water Supply Systems in the Blue Marsh Study Area 30 9 Average Daily Per Capita Water Use - 1965 33 10 Future Municipal Water Demands 34 11 Future Self-Supplied Industrial Water Demands - MGD 37 12 Municipal and Industrial Waste Discharges 41 13 Larger Municipal Waste Discharges in the Blue Marsh Study Area 43 14 Streamflow Required to Maintain Quality Control - cfs 45 111 ------- LIST OF FIGURES Following No. Figure Page No. 1 Blue Marsh Study Area 57 IV. ------- I. INTRODUCTION Request and Authority This study was initiated at the request of the District Engineer, Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by letter dated October 15, 1964. The letter requested ... "A review and updating of the recommendations for the development of water supply and flow regulation for quality control for the Blue Marsh Project," located in the Schuylkill River Basin. Authority to conduct this study is provided in the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended (33 U.S.C. 466 et. seq.), and in a Memorandum of Agreement, dated November 4, 1958, between the Department of the Army and the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, relative to Title III of P.L. 500, 85th Congress as amended by P.L. 87-88. Responsibility for this study was transferred to the Department of the Interior as of May 10, 1966, by Reorganization Plan Number 2 of 1966. Purpose and Scope The purpose of this study is to determine the need for and value of storage of water in the proposed Blue Marsh Reservoir for municipal and industrial water supply and for water quality control. This reservoir is proposed by the Corps of Engineers for multi-purpose development. The area considered in this study encompasses portions of Berks, Montgomery, Chester, Bucks, Delaware, and Philadelphia counties, in southeastern Pennsylvania. -1- ------- Project needs and benefits have been evaluated for the period 1970 to 2020. Acknowledgements Information and cooperation provided by the following agencies are gratefully recognized: U. S. Army Engineer District, Philadelphia, Pa. U. S. Geological Survey Delaware River Basin Commission Pennsylvania Department of Health Philadelphia Suburban Water Company -2- ------- II. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS Findings 1. The U.S. Army, Corps of Engineers, is considering construction of a project known as the Blue Marsh Reservoir, on Tulpehocken Creek. This creek is tributary to the Schuylkill River upstream from Reading, Pennsylvania. 2. The Schuylkill River, which flows through southeastern Pennsylvania, is a major tributary of the Delaware River which it joins at the City of Philadelphia. 3. The study area consists of six counties (Berks, Bucks, Montgomery, Chester, Delaware and Philadelphia) lying mostly within the Schuylkill River Basin. 4. The study area is characterized by rolling hills, below Reading, which taper off to tidal marshes at the confluence of the Schuylkill with the Delaware. 5. In 1965, approximately 1.7 million persons lived in the study area with the population density varying from approximately 200,000 people in and around Reading to over one million people in the Norristown- Philadelphia area. 6. The most significant water users in the study area are the people and industries centered in and around the cities of Reading, Pottstown, Norristown and Philadelphia. In 1965, the combined peak daily use for these four urban areas was 487 million gallons per day (MGD). -3- ------- 7. For 1965, estimates of adequately treated waste pro- duced within the study area account for discharges of approximately 38,000 pounds of biochemical oxygen demand. Municipal waste from the urban areas of Reading, Pottstown and Morristown account for 32,000 pounds of this estimate, while the remaining 6,000 pounds are attributable to industrial wastes. 8. The manufacturing categories primarily responsible for industrial waste discharges are: Food and Kindred Products, Paper and Allied Products, Chemicals and Allied Products, Petroleum and Allied Products, Rubber Products, and Primary Metals. 9. The Schuylkill River is used extensively for industrial and municipal water supply. All municipal supplies must receive filtra- tion and chlorination before use. 10. Maintenance of the sport fishery in the Schuylkill River required frequent restocking by the Pennsylvania Department of Fisheries. 11. Water quality in the Schuylkill River is marginal. Observations have revealed dissolved oxygen values less than 4 mg/1, waste concentrations as high as 8 mg/1 of biochemical oxygen demand, and concentrations of organic chemicals exceeding recommended limits of Public Health Service "Drinking Water Standards". -4- ------- Conclusions 1. In the year 2020 approximately 2.9 million people will be using the waters of the Schuylkill Basin for water supply, and approximately 1.9 million people will be using these waters for the dilution and assimilation of treated wastes. 2. Projections to the year 2020 indicate that storage will be necessary to insure 241 MGD for municipal and industrial water sup- plies in the Norristown region of the study area. 3. During a once-in-50 drought occurrence, a draft on storage* of approximately 3,200,000 acre feet will be needed by the year 2020, to sustain acceptable water quality in the Schuylkill River. 4. The augmentation capacity of the Schuylkill Basin is not sufficient to maintain quality control through stream flow regulation. Therefore, quality control practices such as advanced waste treat- ment, in addition to stream flow regulation will be necessary. 5. The minimum annual value of municipal and industrial water supply storage in the Blue Marsh Reservoir is estimated at $370,000. This value is based on the assumption that a single purpose reservoir would be the most efficient means of providing the water needed should * A draft on storage is the sum of the incremental excesses of needed releases over inflows during a drought period. -5- ------- the Federal project not be built. The cost of this single purpose alternative, therefore, is used as a measure of the minimum value of the storage provided by the Federal reservoir. Calculation of the cost is based on amortization over a 100 year period at a Federal interest rate of 3-1/8 percent. Included in the annual cost are expenditures for operation and maintenance. 6. The minimum annual value of storage releases, that will provide a portion of the quality control needed, is estimated at $321,000. This assumes that storage releases for water supply purposes, which also produce quality control benefits, will be provided. 7. The benefits derived from water quality control in the Schuylkill River above Fairmount Dam will be in the form of: a) An improved quality in the raw water used for municipal and industrial water supplies. b) Increased opportunities for recreational activity. c) Enhancement of a desirable fish population. d) Prevention of obnoxious septic and near septic conditions. d) Improvement in the aesthetic qualities of the River. -6- ------- III. PROJECT DESCRIPTION Location and Pertinent Data Blue Marsh Reservoir on Tulpehocken Creek is one of several major projects in the Corps of Engineers' Delaware River Basin plan authorized for Federal construction, to conserve and control the waters of the Delaware River and its tributary streams. The Reservoir will be formed by an earthfill, rock-covered dam across the valley of Tulpehocken Creek about 1 % miles upstream from the mouth of Plum Creek and about 6 miles northwest of Reading, Pa. (See Figure 1). The drainage area above this site totals 175 square miles. The Dam which will be 1,100 feet long and 90 feet high will provide a total reservoir storage capacity of 50,000 acre feet. Current apportionment of this storage assigns 3,000 a.f. to sediment deposition, 14,600 a.f. to water supply and recreation, and 32,400 a.f. to flood control. Streamflow Since December 1950, the U.S. Geological Survey has maintained a Streamflow gaging station on Tulpehocken Creek, 3 miles downstream from the Blue Marsh dam site. The flow record provided by this station shows average daily streamflows in Tulpehocken Creek to be equal to or greater than 88 cfs ninety percent of the time, 72 cfs ninety-five percent of the time, and 60 cfs ninety-eight percent of the time. Average annual flow at the gaging station is 300 cfs. Assuming Streamflow to be proportional to drainage area, the average annual flow at the dam site is estimated at 250 cfs. The drainage area serving the U.S.G.S. gage is 211 square miles. -7- ------- Water Quality The water quality of Tulpehocken Creek is generally good with a few exceptions. Analyses performed by the U. S. Geological Survey and the Pennsylvania Dept. of Health, presented in Table I show high nitrate and hardness concentrations (about 10 mg/1 and 175 mg/1 respectively). Additional analyses by the FWPCA have indicated phosphorus concentration in excess of 0.10 mg/1 and total coliforms greater than 1000/100 ml. The primary source of nitrates would appear to be agricultural and the major source of phosphorus, domestic sewage. Except for small forested areas most of the Tulpehocken drainage basin is farm land. The concentration of nitrogen and phosphorus found is in the range to support optimum growth of planktonic algae. The sources of hardness are limestone and dolomite beds which underlay the headwaters of Tulpehocken Creek. The creek water above Reading, Pa., is considered as "very hard" according to U. S. Public Health Service "Drinking Water Standards". Water treatment may be necessary for industrial use to prevent scale in boilers, water heaters, and pipes. Watershed bacterial counts generally exceed Pennsylvania State Dept. of Health standards for recreational use. The sources are municipal waste water and agricultural runoff. A study should be conducted to determine if more effective effluent chlorination of the sewage treatment plants in the basin, coupled with a reduction in the bacterial count that occurs with reservoir storage, would -8- ------- result in a bacterial density within the recreation standard (1000/lOOml). Also, a means for control of agricultural pollution should be sought. Ground waters which recharge the headwaters of Tulpehocken Creek (Jackson Township, Lebanon County) are now contaminated with arsenic compounds originating from the property of production of pharmaceuti- cals by the Whitmoyer Laboratory. The Pennsylvania Dept. of Health and the Delaware River Basin Commission have approved a permit for controlled ground water decontamination of the area. Whitmoyer Laboratories has informed the DRBC that the contamination will be removed from the ground water and streams to within acceptable limits before the construction of Blue Marsh Dam. The Pennsylvania Dept. of Health has sampled the Tulpehocken Creek near Reading quarterly. Analyses over the past five years show the dissolved oxygen to be never less than 8 mg/1. The BOD range for the same period is about 1-5 mg/1. Water quality in the Schuylkill River is marginal. Those para- meters which have exceeded limits specified by U. S. Public Health Service "Drinking Water Standards" or "Water Quality Criteria" for aquatic life, recreation, municipal or industrial use are: aluminum, copper, iron, manganese, sulfate, phosphate, nitrate, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, pH, hardness, dissolved solids, coliforms, ABS, and stream temperature. Acid mine drainage affects the chemical quality of the main stem Schuylkill River throughout to the confluence with the Delaware River (Table 2). However, below Berne alkaline water from tributaries (the -9- ------- major ones are Tulpehocken and Maiden Creeks) dilutes and neutralizes the acidic Schuylkill River. As a result the normal pH range at Pottstown is 6.5 to 8.0 in contrast to levels below 5 at Berne. The U. S. Geological Survey, prior to the 1965 water year, has reported pH values as low as 3.8 at Pottstown, Pa. A concerted mine drainage abatement program is needed to alleviate the acid condition in the Schuylkill River. Residual hardness and sulfates, comprising most of the dissolved solids concentration, affect water use throughout the length of the Schuylkill River. The effect of dilution from tributary water is reflected in a reduction of dissolved-solids content. The dissolved-solids content exceeded 400 mg/1 at Berne, Pa., 250 mg/1 at Pottstown, and 210 mg/1 at Philadelphia, Pa., less than 50% of the time. Please note that average dissolved-solids concentrations, shown in Table 2, are higher than these values because the 1965 water year flows are lower than average. Dissolved oxygen problems occur in the vicinity of metropolitan areas, particularly near Reading, Pottstown, and Norristown. Pennsyl- vania Dept. of Health analyses reveal summer dissolved oxygen lows of about 7.0 mg/1 near Reading, 5.0 mg/1 near Pottstown, and 4.0 mg/1 near Norristown. The BOD concentration ranges are Reading 1-9 mg/1, Pottstown 1-7 mg/1, and Norristown 2-8 mg/1. -10- ------- TABLE I WATER QUALITY - TULPEHOCKEN CREEK (NEAR READING) (Concentrations in mg/1 Except Where Noted) Constituent Mean Discharge Dissolved Solids Hardness Alkalinity Iron Manganese Sulfate Chloride Fluoride Nitrate pH (4) Color Conductivity Temperature Dissolved Oxygen BOD U.S.G.S.Analysis* Oct. 63 - July 65 Pa. Dept. of Health** 1962 - 1967 Average Range Average Range 109 cfs 53-375 cfs 215.2 174-251 174.4 136-199 169.8 124-196 0.00 (2) (2) 29.7 27- 33 12.3 8.6- 18 0.05 0.00-0.10 9.6 7.8-12.0 7.6 7.1-8.2 4 2-9 no analysis performed no record made no analysis performed no analysis performed 186.0 cfs 250.7 154.0 123.4 0.3 (3) 41.1 12.7 36 - 689 180 - 308 40 - 208 75 - 150 0.1 - 1.0 (3) 19 - 185 7-18 cfs CD no analysis performed no analysis performed 7.8 6.4 - 8.9 17.5 5-45 331.7 300 - 380 micromhos 12.7°C 1 - 24.4°C 11.3 8.2 - 14.4 2.9 1.2 - 4.9 * Seven sample average ** Twenty-two sample average (1) Second lowest value - 120 (2) Two samples contained 0.01 mg/1 (3) One sample contained 0.1 mg/1 (4) Laboratdry determinations -11- ------- to I TABLE 2 WATER QUALITY - SCHUYLKILL RIVER (Concentrations in mg/1 Except Where Noted) Constituent Mean Discharge Dissolved Solids Hardness Alkalinity Aluminum Copper* Iron Manganese Sulfate Chloride Fluoride Nitrate ABS* PH Color Temperature Dissolved Oxygen* BOD* Berne, Pa. Average Range 443 cfs 460 277 0.5 1.3 0.06 0.01 3.6 294 10.3 0.1 8.8 0.04 4.3 4 55°F 10.1 1.9 79-1860 cfs 193-824 109-499 0-2 0.4-4.2 0.00-0.36 0.00-0.02 1.4-7.2 115-552 6.5-16 0.0-0.2 3.9-14 0.00-0.15 3.8-4.7 2-5 32-88 F 8.4-13.4 0.4-5.6 Pottstown, Pa. Average Range 638 cfs 334 182 74 0.06 0.02 0.00 125 42 0.2 16 0.22 7.3 11 9.2 2.7 407-868 cfs 217-452 129-235 51-96 0.00-0.28 0.00-0.03 75-176 19-66 0.2-0.3 12-21 0.05-0.55 6.8-7.8 10-13 5.0-14.2 0.9-5.9 Philadelphia, Pa. Average Range 1310 cfs 299 170 76 0.05 0.01 0.08 112 29 0.3 11 0.22 7.1 7 62°F 8.6 3.4 95-5400 cfs 207-474 120-278 40-110 0.00-0.22 0.00-0.02 0.00-0.36 64-213 18-48 0.2-0.6 6.9-16 0.00-0.62 6.8-7.8 3-12 36-84°F 4.0-14.0 1.6-7.6 *Pennsylvania Dept. of Health Samples 1962-1967, 20 samples. All other parameters U. S. Geological Survey October 1964-September 1965 Monthly samples for Berne and Philadelphia. Pottstown, biannual ------- IV. STUDY AREA DESCRIPTION Location and Boundaries The study area, which is in southeastern Pennsylvania, con- sists of four sub-areas or regions that might feasibly require and subsequently use the Blue Marsh Reservoir to satisfy immediate and future water supply needs. These sub-areas center around the cities of Reading, Pottstown, Norristown and Philadelphia (see Figure 1). With the exception of a portion of the Norristown sub- area, all are within the Schuylkill River drainage basin. Only the communities served by the Philadelphia Suburban Water Company are outside the basin. An additional sub-area requires special reference. The Chester sub-area, comprised of the communities served by the Chester Water Authority, is immediately adjacent to the most southeasterly portion of the Norristown sub-area, and was considered in detail in the "Tocks Island Reservoir, Water Quality Control Study". ' Tulpehocken Creek, on which the Blue Marsh Project is located, joins the Schuylkill River at the City of Reading. The Schuylkill then flows through all of the sub-areas, except Chester, for approximately 70 miles and unites with the Delaware Estuary at the City of Philadelphia. It is the Schuylkill River which is the object of water quality control consideration in this study. The Delaware Estuary and the lower few miles of the Schuylkill below -13- ------- Fairmount Dam are the object of the FWPCA Delaware Estuary Compre- hensive Study and, therefore, are not included in the detailed work of this Blue Marsh Study. The preceding sub-areas constitute the entire study area for the Blue Marsh Project and are situated totally within the Common- wealth of Pennsylvania. The counties involved are Berks, Bucks, Montgomery, Chester, Delaware, and Philadelphia. Topography and Geography The study area is characterized by rolling hills in the vicinity of Reading, which taper off to tidal marsh lands at the confluence of the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers. The Schuylkill River is the study area's principal waterway, and along its banks are located the most densely populated urban areas. The River is not commercially navigable but its six dams and pools create con- ditions suitable for pleasure boats and recreation. Principal tributaries to the Schuylkill are Maiden Creek and Tulpehocken Creek just above Reading; Manatawney Creek at Pottstown; French Creek, Perkiomen Creek and Pickering Creek just above Norristown and Wissahickon Creek just above Philadelphia. Beyond the urban and suburban communities that line the River, there is still much open land well adapted to agriculture and intensely farmed. -14- ------- Climate The average annual temperature of 50°F. and mean annual precipitation of 44 inches are characteristic of the study area's continental climate. Temperatures range from a summer average of 71°F. to a winter average of 30°F. and the rainfall which produces an average annual runoff of 21 inches, occurs rather uniformly throughout the year. This pattern of rainfall is ideal for agriculture. Principal Communities and Industries The study area has been segmented into four metropolitan sub-areas containing many smaller communities but focusing on one larger center community. These four sub-areas center around the cities of Reading, Pottstown, Norristown, and Philadelphia. There is significant industrial development in each of these sub-areas and the industries most directly connected with water uses and waste discharges fall under six general categories. These categories are Chemicals, Paper, Petroleum, Primary Metals, Food and Rubber. -15- ------- V. WATER RESOURCES OF THE STUDY AREA Quantity of Water Available Sufficient streamflows in the Schuylkill River have been reported for a number of years and have thus made possible a statistical analysis of the record for each of 3 gaging stations. The stations, maintained by the U. S. Geological Survey, are located at Philadelphia, Pottstown and Berne, thereby supplying flow data for the entire length of the Schuylkill under study. The statistical characteristics of the low flows at these stations are presented in Table 3. Since runoff is not substantially controlled in the Schuylkill, the flow records of the Berne and Pottstown gages and their associated statistical parameters closely reflect natural streamflow conditions. The flow record for the Philadelphia gage was adjusted to natural conditions by adding to it the upstream water supply diversions made by the city of Philadelphia. The importance of base flow is demonstrated by the data in Table 3, which show that in the Schuylkill River, there is little difference between a 1 in 20 drought and a 1 in 50 drought. The extent of the flow data provided made it possible to reliably interpolate between U.S.G.S. gages to get the flow characteristics at Norristown and Reading. Thus, substantial streamflow information became available for each of the sub-areas in the study area. Ground water is widely used in the study area but yields from wells change significantly from one locality to the other because of the structural variety in underlying geological formations. Most public supplies using ground water are small, serving a few thousand persons -16- ------- TABLE 3 Low Flow Statistics - SchuylMll River Basin Location of Streamflow Gage Schuylkill R. at Philadelphia Schuylkill R. at Fottstown Schuylkill R. at Berne Number of Consecutive Days of Low Flow 7 30 60 120 7 30 60 120 7 30 60 120 Streamflow at Various Recurrence Intervals (CFS) 1 in 10 320 360 U30 51*0 250 280 320 380 70 80 100 120 1 in 20 300 330 380 1*60 220 250 280 320 55 65 80 90 1 in 50 290 320 360 U20 210 220 250 270 1*0 50 60 70 -17- ------- or less. One of the few larger supplies using ground water, serves approximately 13,000 persons from 8 wells having a combined dependable yield of 1.2 MGD or 104 gpm per well. It has been reported that in Berks County, "the (underlying) rocks have been so altered in texture, or folded or faulted to expose the beveled edge of the strata at land surface, that the characteristics of the rocks are seldom uniform throughout any large area. Thus, ground water does not occur uniformly. (2) Average yields are in the order of 40 to 50 gpm." Large quantities of ground water may be present in the study area, but generally, their location is uncertain and their occurrence sporadic. High yield wells do exist but on the average, yields tend to vary between 30 and 100 gpm. By flanking the Schuylkill basin, the Lehigh and Susquehanna Rivers present the possibility of diverting water from either into the study area. The average annual discharge of the Lehigh River at Bethlehem and the Susquehanna River at Harrisburg are 2,236 c.f.s. and 33,870 c.f.s., respectively, as published in "1966 Water Resources Data for Pennsylvania, Part 1, Surface Water Records" by the U. S. Geological Survey. The mini- mum flows are given as 125 c.f.s. and 1,700 c.f.s., respectively. Quality of Water Available The uses of a river can be a good measure of its immediate and potential water quality, and the Schuylkill River is extensively used. It touches the public through large water supply systems. It becomes part and parcel of many industrial processes and its watercourse is home to fish. However, this picture of health is not entirely -18- ------- accurate. The river receives the waste of its surrounding society and this unpretentious use reduces the wholesomeness implied by the river's more prominent uses. Prior to public distribution, the river waters are disinfected through pre-and post chlorination; hardness and suspended matter are removed through coagulation, sedimentation and filtration; and tastes and odors in the water require further treatment. Industrial processes necessitate more specialized treatment of the water and maintenance of the fish population must be supported through restocking by the State. The Schuylkill is recovering from past injustices. Most wastes within the study area are now receiving secondary treatment or its equivalent; and accumulations of coal culm originating from the mining activities in the headwaters of the basin have been removed and are being adequately controlled by upstream de-silting dams. While the Schuylkill is no longer a dirty stream, it is still not a clean stream. With flows on the order of 300 cfs, as measured at Pottstown, the Schuylkill has exhibited dissolved oxygen concentrations below 4.0 mg/1. Low flows have also seen concentrations of organic chemicals beyond the recommended limit of 0.2 mg/1 CCE*^3^. Algae have flourished and calculations show that the residuals from adequately treated waste discharges still result in high concentrations of biochemical oxygen demand. With streamflows between 200 and 300 cfs, BOD's range from 7 to 12 mg/1. *Carbon Chloroform Extractables -19- ------- Although widely variable, ground water quality in the Schuylkill River Basin is generally acceptable for municipal and industrial uses. The ground water hardness ranges from soft to very hard; in some areas the water contains dissolved solids in concentrations up to 400 mg/1, while in others it contains less than 100 mg/1; and a few wells have produced water containing excessive amounts of iron in solution. These conditions are of natural origin, since the ground water is relatively free from man-made pollution. In general, the study area's ground water can be qualitatively characterized as good and, where necessary, objectionable chemical constituents can be removed through treatment. The Lehigh and Susquehanna Rivers are adjacent to the Schuylkill and therefore becomes possible alternative sources of supply for the study area. At present, the water quality of the Lehigh above Allentown is suitable for municipal and industrial purposes, but downstream, the River receiving the waste discharges of Allentown and Bethlehem, becomes degraded. Although these wastes are adequately treated prior to discharge, the Lehigh River below the Allentown-Bethlehem complex will be in need of low flow augmentation by the year 1970. By the year 2010 an annual draft on storage of approximately 110,000 acre-feet will be necessary to maintain desirable quality. Water quality in the upper Susquehanna River adjacent to the study area is poor. It receives raw sewage and is further degraded by abundant amounts of mine drainage. As the river approaches Harrisburg, quality improves but remains marginal. After receiving that city's treated wastes, quality again declines and does not recover for some miles downstream. -20- ------- VI. THE ECONOMY Introduction Effective planning for water resources development requires an economic base from which to evaluate and project the various needs for water. In this study the concern is for municipal and industrial water needs and for instream water quality control. Population and index of production, both projected to the year 2020, are the economic characteristics used to anticipate water supply withdrawals and sub- sequent waste dishcarges that alter stream quality. The Delaware River Basin Commission, which has the authority and the responsibility to approve all water resource developments in the Delaware River Basin, provided the economic analysis of population and industrial growth for this study. The basic method used was extrapola- tion of past trends with consideration given to special circumstances such as saturation of an area or foreknowledge of new plant construction. Since this report is intended to focus on the water and not the economy of the study area, only economic information immediately relevant to defining water needs is presented in the following paragraphs. Although inter-related with the economic forces that create water needs, other aspects of the study areas' economy are not presented. Present Water needs in the study area are associated primarily with the popula- tion and manufacturing industries. In 1965, the study area population was apportioned among its regional sub-areas as follows: -21- ------- Reading sub-area 217,000 persons Pottstown sub-area 218,000 persons Norristown sub-area 834,000 persons Philadelphia sub-area 385,000 persons The total study area populations was 1,654,000 persons. The central city in each sub-area, after which it was named, contained the following number of persons; Reading 97,000, Pottstown 28,000, Norristown 39,000 and Philadelphia 385,000.* The industrial categories in each sub-area which either use large quantities of water or produce substantial amounts of waste are listed in Table 4. The connection between industry and water was established through a 1965 inventory of industrial withdrawals and discharges in the Schuylkill Basin. The inventory compiled by the Delaware River Basin Commission is very complete accounting for at least 95 percent of manufacturing industry self-supplied withdrawals. Future Population in the study area is expected to grow from 1,740,000 in 1970 to 2,940,000 in 2020. This projection was made within the context of census historical population trends and projections for the United States, the Northeast Region of the United States, and the four Delaware River Basin States. Sub-area population projections for each 10-year increment from 1970 to 2020 are presented in Table 5. * Total 1965 population of Philadelphia estimated at 2,040,000 persons, Portion within study area estimated at 385,000 persons. -22- ------- The growth of water related manufacturing is indicated in Table &» which lists the projected index of production for each industrial category. Industrial employment characteristics in the Schuylkill Basin as well as national trends in production were considered in preparing these projections. The projections are equally applicable to any of the sub-areas because the entire study area is considered neither large enough nor of such a geograph- ical orientation as to present significant differences in either the type of workers employed or manufacturing processes used by similar industries located in different sub-areas. -23- ------- TABLE 4 WATER RELATED INDUSTRIES Sub -area Reading Potts town Nor r is town Manufacturing Category Food Paper Chemicals Petroleum Primary Metals Food Paper Chemicals Petroleum Rubber Primary Metals Food Paper Chemicals Rubber Primary Metals Number of Plants 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 2 1 1 1 1 4 6 3 2 Philadelphia Industries in the Philadelphia sub-area are not included here since they withdraw water from and discharge waste to those waters under study by the Delaware Estuary Comprehensive Study. -24- ------- TABLE 5 Blue Marsh Study Area - Population Sub-Area 1970 Population Projections 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 Reading Pottstown Norristown Philadelphia 229,000 241,000 883,000 390,000 250,000 287,000 1,015,000 392,000 272,000 334,000 1,151,000 39^,000 237,000 390,000 1,296,000 396,000 325,000 453,000 1,491,000 398,000 355,000 527,000 1,660,000 400,000 TOTAL 1,743,000 1,944,000 2,151,000 2,319,000 2,667,000 2,942,000 -25- ------- TABLE 6 Projected Production of Water Related Industries Manufacturing Category Index of Production (1960 = 100) 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 Food and Kindred Products Paper and Allied Products Chemicals and Allied Products Petroleum and Coal Products Rubber Products Primary Metals 116 125 161 131 1*5 136 152 165 232 171 195 175 191 209 3^0 228 254 230 234 260 500 316 34o 310 276 302 fiU *U2 ^50 388 315 328 750 515 600 465 -26- ------- VII. WATER REQUIREMENTS - MUNICIPAL AND INDUSTRIAL Present Water Use Water is presently withdrawn and used to support the municipal and industrial activities of the study area in the quantities listed in Table 7. It is also noticeable from this table that industrial water use increases as the sub-areas get closer to Philadelphia. Most of the current population of 1.7 million persons receive their water from public or municipal supplies that rely substantially on surface water as a source. To a minor degree, many subdivisions and people in rural areas find that private low yield wells are sufficient. These supplies, first and foremost, serve the personal needs of the population by supplying them with water for drinking, cooking, cleaning, and watering their lawns, etc. In addition, the municipal supplies provide most commercial establishments and many small industrial plants with the water they need for their various processes and cleaning jobs. The large industrial plants usually find it more economical to supply their own water. Most of the process water used by the plants, tabulated in Table 4, in the "Economics Chapter," comes from their own supplies. Cooling water,also being a requirement for some but not all of these industries, is self supplied. The Primary Metals industry in the Norristown sub-area is currently the largest user of cooling water. -27- ------- TABLE 7 PRESENT WATER USE Sub -Are a Reading Potts town Norristown 1965 Population Served 217,000 218,000 834,000 Municipal Water Average Day 35 30 74 Use-mgd Peak Day 53 45 111 Philadelphia 385,000 1. 198 2. 258 2. Industrial Water Use-mgd Self Supplied 0.6 1.3 17.9 N.A. 3. Totals 1,654,000 337 467 19.8 1. This is just that portion of the Philadelphia population living within the study area. 2. Average day use represents amount of Schuylkill water used in the water system for the entire City of Philadelphia. Peak day use is the legal allotment of Schuylkill water given to Philadelphia by Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. 3. N.A. - not applicable. Philadelphia industries withdraw and return their water entirely within the DECS study area. -28- ------- Total peak day water use in the study area is 487 mgd. The Philadelphia Suburban Water Company contributes 47 mgd of this from ground water sources and from surface sources outside the Schuylkill Basin. It is estimated that the City of Philadelphia diverts 148 mgd of this total for water supply use in that portion of the city outside the study area. According to estimates made in preparing the "locks Island Water Quality Control Study", the Chester sub-area during 1965 had an average daily water usage of 27 mgd and a peak daily water usage of 40 mgd. This water was supplied entirely by the Chester Municipal Authority for domestic, commercial, and industrial purposes. Since the analysis of the Chester sub-area was presented in detail in the "Tocks Island Study", only this summary of the sub-area's water use is offered here. Existing Sources of Water - Surface and Ground The Blue Marsh study area was divided into a few large sub- areas so that water supply needs could be considered on a regional basis rather than community by community. This approach was chosen because greater reliance can be placed on economic projections for large sub-areas than for each of the more than 150 communities dis- persed throughout the study area. A practical framework for this regional analysis is presented in Table 8 which directs attention toward the larger water supplies in each sub-area. From this table, it is apparent that each sub-area depends heavily on surface water as the source of its supply and that the yields developed by existing structures -29- ------- TABLE 8 o I Sub Area Reading Pottstown Norristown Philadelphia Chester % of Sub Area Population Served Water System 1965 Reading Municipal System £0$ Pottstown Municipal System 15$ ) Royersford, Home Water Co. 5$ ) 27$ Phoenixville Municipal 7% ) System Norristown Water Co. 9$ ) y$% Philadelphia Suburban 86$ ) Water Co. Philadelphia 100$ Municipal System Chester Municipal 100$ * i_i • j Source Surface Surface Surface Surface Surface Surface Surface Ground . . Surface^3' Surface Surface River Basin Schuylkill Schuylkill Schuylkill Schuylkill Schuylkill Schuylkill Small basins adjacent to Schuylkill 12 Wells Susquehanna Schuylkill Susquehanna (1) Yield Developed U2 N.A.<2> N.A. N.A. N.A. 29.5 30.0 13.0 Ji.O N.A. 70 (l) Refers to yield available either from constructed water (2) N.A. - not applicable. Water system uses neither water (3) Purchased from the Chester Municipal Authority. supply reservoirs or wells. supply reservoirs nor wells. ------- do not provide much of a margin for growth in the sub-areas of Reading and Norristown. During the drought which had prevailed upon this section of the country for the period 1961 - 1966, stream flows have been just large enough to enable the study area water suppliers to meet demands for water without resorting to emergency measures. However, the combined yield from reservoir structures and from low stream flows has approached water supply demands closely enough to require constant surveillance in anticipation of an emergency. The varying amounts of municipal and industrial waste which are discharged to most surface waters in the study area have resulted in many water supplies being filtered and treated for taste and odor control. This includes the supplies listed in Table 8, except the Chester Municipal Authority which does not have taste and odor problems. Quality in the Schuylkill River, the largest source of water in each of the sub-areas, except Chester, can be improved through stream flow regulation in combination with additional quality control methods such as advanced waste treatment. In fact, if these quality control practices are not instituted, the present marginal quality of the Schuylkill, as described in Chapter V "Water Resources of the Study Area", will deteriorate despite adequate treatment of wastes. -31- ------- Future Municipal and Industrial Water Requirements The present pattern of per capita water use, shown by Table 9, was established through a sampling of water use data for the more populated and established communities of each sub-area. This pattern served as the datum for projecting the municipal requirements of the future, since it is assumed that the characteristics of the expanding population will be similar to those of presently established com- munities. In accordance with national and regional trends, only small increases in per capita water use are expected to occur in these established areas. Therefore, the use rates shown in Table 9 were increased by just a few gallons over the length of the study period. Although these rate increases are small, less than 20 gpd per capita over 50 years, they are slightly different for each sub-area. The municipal water demands for each decade between 1970 and 2020 are presented in Table 10. The average daily demands pre- sented are based on population projections and per capita use rates, while peak daily demands are estimated at 150% of the average daily figures. The average and peak municipal demands of the Chester sub-area as calculated from the Tocks Island study, are: 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 29 5 43 36 6 54 50 § 75 61 fi 91 74 5 111 88 f, 132 (The units used are mgd) -32- ------- TABLE 9 Average Daily Per Capita Water Use. - ]965 g£d Sub-Area Water !Jse. Reading 161 Pottstown 136 Norristown 89 Philadelphia 186 -33- ------- TABLE 10 Future Municipal Water Demand^ Average Dally Demand - Peak Dally Demand mgd Sub-Area 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 Reading 37 56 41 62 46 69 51 77 56 84 62 93 Pottstown 33 50 41 62 48 72 57 86 68 102 81 121 Norristowri 79 119 92 138 106 159 121 181 140 210 156 234 Philadelphia 198 258 198 258 198 258 198 258 198 258 198 258 -34- ------- It is significant to recall at this point that 47 mgd of the Norristown demand will be yielded by sources presently developed outside the surface resources of the Schuylkill Basin. These are sources used by the Philadelphia Suburban Water Co. Therefore, in using Table 10 to anticipate the demand that might be placed on the surface waters of the Schuylkill Basin, one should first subtract 47 mgd from the values listed for the Norristown sub-area. A word of explanation is necessary about the Philadelphia sub- area. The average and peak day demands of 198 and 258 mgd are more than twice the projected needs of the Philadelphia population within the sub-area. However the excess will be diverted out of the sub- area to serve other portions of the City's population. The demands which are shown constant throughout the study period, represent the average and peak rate capacities of the Philadelphia water plants drawing from the Schuylkill. The peak rate of 258 mgd is also the entitlement of Schuylkill water given to the city of Philadelphia by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Therefore, since the city of Philadelphia has the capability, the authority, and the need to with- draw water from the Schuylkill River, it is reasonable to assume that they will withdraw at the rates shown in Table 10. It is further reasonable to assume that these rates will not increase but remain constant. According to representatives from the City Water Commissioner's Office, increasing demands of the population outside the sub-area -35- ------- will be met by the City's Torresdale water plant. This plant draws from the relatively unlimited supply of the Delaware River. The present pattern of industrial water use, as presented in Appendix A, was constructed by the Delaware River Basin Commission from their industrial water use inventory collected in 1965. This pattern served as the datum for projecting the industrial require- ments of the future, under the assumption that water use per unit of product will remain essentially the same as time goes on. The future water requirements of industry, as shown in Table 11, are the result of multiplying present water use by the appropriate index of pro- duction. Projections of this index for the manufacturing categories involved have been presented in Table 6, in the Economic Chapter. The projections of industrial water use include cooling as well as process needs. However, the cooling need was included on the basis of the amount of make-up water needed to replace that lost through evaporation, and not on the amount of water actually passed through the industrial heat exchangers. Industry would need so much water to pass through their exchangers that it became obvious large reservoir releases would become necessary to meet the need. For example, in the Morristown sub-area the need for water passing through heat exchangers is estimated to grow from 115 mgd in 1970 to 390 mgd in 2020. Instead of paying for storage in Federal reservoirs it seems reasonable to assume that industry would recirculate the needed amounts through cooling towers, In any case, cooling towers will have to be built if stream temperatures -36- ------- TABLE 11 Future Self-Supplied Industrial Water Demands - m§ Sub-Area 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 Reading 0.7 0.9 1.1 1.4 1.6 1.8 Pottstown 1.5 2.1 2.8 3.8 4.9 6.5 Norristown 21.7 29.3 41.8 59.4 74.2 89.9 Philadelphia Self-supplied industrial demands in the Philadelphia sub-area are not included here since they withdraw water from those waters under study by the Delaware Rstuary Comprehensive Study. -37- ------- o are to be kept within the limit of 93 F, as prescribed in Pennsylvania. Using this rationale, make-up water became the only need associated with cooling uses. If the water supplies of each sub-area consolidate to become regional rather than local in scope, the most likely source of their supply will be the Schuylkill River. Therefore, the pattern of stream flow in the Schuylkill was matched against the regional demands of each sub-area to determine the capability of the River to meet the water needs of the future. The conclusion of this analysis is that the Schuylkill River will have sufficient flow to meet the average daily municipal needs and industrial needs of each sub-area, throughout the study period. However, by the year 2000 stream flows will not be sufficient to meet both the peak daily municipal demand and the industrial needs of the Morristown sub-area. Also, stream flows are not currently sufficient to insure the municipal allotment of 258 mgd granted to the city of Philadelphia by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. This insufficiency is due primarily to two causes: first, drought flows are not capable of yielding 258 mgd and second, the lower yield that could be provided by drought flows is reduced further by diversion of Schuylkill water out of the basin. The Philadelphia Suburban Water Co., in the Norristown sub-area,is the source of this diversion and if the population served by this company is to continue its growth, the amount of the diversion will increase as follows: -38- ------- Diversion From The Schuylkill Basin - mgd Average and Peak Day Values 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 5 S 7 9 § 14 13 6 20 17 § 26 23 § 35 29 5 43 The preceding assumes, of course, that the Philadelphia Suburban Water Co. will continue to use the Schuylkill River as the main source of its supply. The low flow characteristics of a 1 in 50 drought occurrence were used in this study to determine the capability of the Schuylkill River to meet future municipal and industrial water needs. -39- ------- VIII. WATER QUALITY CONTROL Municipal and Industrial Pollution Pollution from organic waste is presently the most significant and obvious cause of quality degradation in the Schuylkill River downstream from the proposed project, and projections of both popula- tion and industrial production indicate that organic wastes will continue to be the dominant factor necessitating water quality control. One measure of organic wastes is their potential to deplete the oxygen content of water. Therefore, Table 12 shows both the present and projected organic waste discharges in terms of biochemical oxygen demand. This table lists the amount of waste discharged directly to the stream, assuming that at least 85 percent of the total waste produced will have been removed through various treatment processes. The population projections of Table 5, presented in Chapter V - The Economy, were used to estimate the quantities of municipal waste discharges. However, the projections for the Norristown sub-area had to be adjusted to exclude from the calculations, that portion of the population not returning its waste to the Schuylkill basin. As a result, the population projections used for the Norristown sub-area are: 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 435.000 509,000 593,000 692,000 813,000 955,000 The factor of 0.25 Ibs. per capita per day,ultimate BOD was used to relate population with waste production. -40- ------- TABLE 12 Municipal and Industrial Waste Discharges Ibs. of BOD Sub-Area 1965 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 Municipal Reading Pottstown Norristown 8,100 8,600 8,200 9,000 15,100 16,400 9,400 10,700 19,100 Industrial Reading Pottstown Norristown 2,300 2,900 1,700 2,000 2,400 2,900 4,000 2,700 4,000 Discharges 10,400 11,100 12,200 12,500 14,600 17,000 22,200 26,000 30,400 Discharges 5,900 8,500 10,500 3,700 5,100 6,200 5,600 7,800 9,600 13,300 19,800 35,800 12,700 7,400 11,900 -41- ------- Industrial wastes were estimated using the inventory of surface water discharges collected by the Delaware River Basin Commission (refer to Appendix B). The information it provides on the volume of waste discharges and the type of manufacturing involved enabled estimates to be made of the character and concentrations of the dis- charges. These estimates are presented in Table 12. Wastes from the Philadelphia sub-area were not considered because these discharges either go directly to the Delaware River or to the estuarine portion of the Schuylkill River, both of which arc outside the study area of this report. The Chester sub-area was also excluded for the same reason. The characteristics of the larger municipal discharges in each sub-area are presented in Table 13. Water Quality Objectives The objectives of water quality control are to preserve and promote the reasonable and legitimate uses of water in accomplishing ends dependent upon certain quality requirements. This refers to both present and anticipated uses of water in the stream and on the land. It is well to note that water quality is an important con- sideration in safeguarding public health and in securing economic benefits. The water quality objectives used in this study apply to uses of the Schuylkill waters as a source of municipal water supply, the enhancement of aquatic life, aesthetic appeal, and for prospective recreation. To properly insure the waters of the river for these -42- ------- TABLE 13 Larger Municipal Waste Discharges in the Blue Marsh Study Area Sub-Area Pottstown Norristown Community Population Served Type of Treatment Reading Reading Joint Municipal 120,000 39,000 Secondary Secondary Authority of Wyomissing Valley Pottstown Royersford Phoenixville Norristown Conshohocken 35,000 U,000 15,000 60,000 13,000 Secondary Secondary Secondary Secondary Secondary -43- ------- widespread public uses, the dominance of organic waste will have to be removed. Therefore, either natural or regulated stream flows should contain at least 5 milligrams per liter of dissolved oxygen and no greater than 6 milligrams per liter of biochemical oxygen demand.* These goals were used to determine whether or not storage releases will be necessary to secure quality control in the Schuylkill River. Flow Regulation Analyses of presently available data indicate various zones of quality degradation along the Schuylkill from Reading to Philadelphia. • As population and industrialization grow, further degradation of water quality is expected in spite of currently defined levels of adequate waste treatment. To prevent this and to insure the water quality objectives, it will be necessary to maintain the flows indicated in Table 14 or provide some other combination of quality control measures. To provide these flows during a once-in-50 drought, the natural streamflow would have to be supplemented with the annual drafts on storage also indicated in Table 14. If quality control is not pro- vided, severely degraded quality will occur throughout the length of Schuylkill. For example, during the year 2020, water quality in the *Water Quality Criteria", 2nd Edition, edited by McKee 5 Wolf indicates a good source of water supply as having a raw water quality not in excess of 4.0 mg/1 of 5-day BOO. This criteria was used assuming 4 mg/1 of 5-day BOD as equivalent to 6 mg/1 of ultimate BOD. -44- ------- TABLE 14 Streamflow Required To Maintain Quality Control - CFS Month January February March April May June July August September October November December 1970 980 920 860 780 700 620 580 610 620 730 820 900 1980 1140 1140 1050 960 880 800 770 770 800 920 1000 1100 Annual Draft on To Year 1990 1650 1650 1450 1300 1200 1100 1050 1050 1100 1280 1390 1500 Storage 2000 2100 2100 2030 1870 1670 1500 1450 1450 1500 1760 1920 2030 Required 2010 2450 2400 2330 2180 2000 1830 1800 1800 1880 2100 2230 2350 2020 2820 2760 2720 2590 2380 2250 2250 2250 2330 2520 2660 2760 Maintain Quality Control Acre - Feet 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 53,000 130,000 243,000 1,076,000 1,794,000 3,172,000 -45- ------- pools below Norristown would approach septic conditions during a drought having a once-in-50 occurrence. Droughts of lesser occur- rence, of course, would not result in such severe quality degrada- tions. However, the statistics show little difference between the low flows occurring on a once-in-20 interval and those occurring on a once-in-50 year interval. It should be noted that the drafts on storage for quality control are for amounts over and above the drafts needed to insure the quantity of flow necessary for water supply. As a final point toward obtaining the optimum water quality necessary for maximum realization of benefits, it is recommended that a means of destratification be included in the reservoir. The recommendation is prompted by the likely occurrence of vertical gradations in the quality of the impounded waters due to thermal stratification. Under such conditions, the epilimnion of the impound- ment remains aerobic because of wind mixing and contact with the atmosphere, while the water in the hypolimnion is trapped below the thermocline and is prevented from undergoing atmospheric reaeration. Subsequently the original dissolved oxygen content may be reduced. Then, if anaerobic conditions develop, other detrimental reactions take place. For example, iron, manganese and color may go into solution, and the pH may decline. A lower pH in Tulpehocken Creek would result in a reduction of neutralizing power. The effect on the Schuylkill River would be that the low quality of water due to acid mine drainage would travel further downstream before being neutralized. -46- ------- Storage releases of low quality could reduce the potential benefit of the downstream waters, in addition to causing harmful effects. Consideration for a means of destratification such as mechanical mixing, aeration or a multiple level outlet to insure optimum quality of the releases is advisable. -47- ------- IX. BENEFITS It is the conclusion of this study that there are current and future water supply needs and water quality control needs in the Schuylkill Basin that can be met with storage releases from the pro- posed project. The least cost alternative method of getting this supplemental water in absence of the proposed project is taken as a minimum measure of the value of these storage releases. Since the alternative methods considered could provide water for supply purposes as well as for quality control, the feasibility of these alternatives will be discussed prior to evaluating and describing benefits associated individually with either water supply or quality control. Tliree alternative methods were considered; importation of water from adjacent river basins, use of groundwater, and storage of water in a single purpose reservoir. The basins adjacent to the Schuylki-11 are the Lehigh Basin and the Susquehanna Basin. Since the Lehigh River will itself be in need of flow regulation for quality control by the year 1970, it seems inadvisable that water be diverted from this basin to serve similar purposes in another basin. Diverting water from the upper reaches of the Susquehanna also seems inadvisable, because of the poor quality conditions in the river. It cannot be said with acceptable certainty when the pollution of the Susquehanna will be reduced, particularly that caused by mine drainage. Therefore, the wisdom of expending funds to install a pipeline and pumping stations in over 20 miles of mountainous terrain is considered doubtful. In the -48- ------- lower portion of the Susquehanna Basin where water quality is better, there is a current legal question over diversion rights. Concern over diversion from the Susquehanna, which is an interstate body of water, has been expressed by the city of Baltimore, Maryland. The Chester Municipal Authority has been granted an increase in their present diversion from the Susquehanna Basin, by the Pennsylvania Board of Water and Power Resources, and the city of Baltimore feels that this might be an unsound principle inasmuch as further interstate diversion could ensue. This further diversion would become a reality if the Susquehanna were proposed as an alternative source of water for the Schuylkill Basin. Therefore, the problem with quality conditions in certain portions of the Susquehanna in addition to possible legal complications led to the decision to reject importation from the Susquehanna Basin as a practical alternative. Since the potential for locating high yield wells is uncertain and the yields available from most other wells would vary between 30 and 110 gpm, it was decided that the use of ground water could not be a reasonable alternative toward meeting the large regional water demands of the study area. There are no apparent reasons why single purpose reservoirs could not assist in meeting the water supply and quality control needs of the study area. The Corps of Engineers has already determined that there are reservoir sites available on Tulpehocken and Maiden Creeks. There- fore, the use of single purpose reservoirs was chosen as the alternative method of providing the needed water in lieu of the proposed projects. -49- ------- However, the augmentation capacity of the Schuylkill basin is not sufficient to provide all of the draft on storage necessary for quality control, shown in Table 14. Therefore, additional quality control practices must be instituted, most probably advanced waste treatment. Research on methods of advanced waste treatment is already well under way, so the outlook is optimistic that practical applications of these methods will be developed in time to assist streamflow regulation practices in controlling the problems of water pol- lution. Exportation of the wastes for discharge to adjacent basins cannot be recommended since such a practice would only compound the pollution problems already inherent in these waters. Water Supply - Municipal and Industrial At present, flow augmentation would be necessary during a 1 in 50 drought occurrence, to provide the city of Philadelphia with that portion of its legal allotment of Schuylkill River water, diverted out of the basin by the Philadelphia Suburban Water Company. This need for flow augmentation will increase throughout the study period as the Phila- delphia Suburban Water Company increases its diversion to serve the needs of its expanding population. By the year 2000, the 1 in 50 drought flows will not be sufficient to meet the peak daily needs of the Norristown sub-area, of which the Philadelphia Suburban Water Company is a part. As it turns out, the water that is required to replace for the city of Philadelphia, what is diverted out of the basin, -50- ------- is approximately the same amount of water required to insure the needs of the entire Norristown sub-area. Therefore the one parcel of water serves two water supply needs and has a dual benefit. Releases of approximately 8000 acre-feet will be required at each point of need to insure the diverted portion of Philadelphia's allotment of 258 mgd and the Norristown sub-area demand of 240 mgd. Since there will be importation in the Norristown sub-area from presently developed sources, as well as diversion; and since there will be re-use of Schuylkill water within the sub-area, between the Philadelphia Suburban Water Co. and the rest of the sub-area, the net water demand on the resources of the River reduces from the 324 mgd M § I need, tabulated in Chapter VII, to 240 mgd. The minimum measure of the value of water supply benefits is based on supplying an annual release of 8000 acre-feet and is estimated at $10,300,000. Amortizing this cost over 100 years, from 1970 to 2020, at an interest rate of 3 1/8% and including operation and maintenance costs, the annual value of water supply benefits is $370,000. In the Tocks Island study, various alternatives were presented for obtaining water to meet the future demands of the Chester Municipal Authority. One alternative that was explored was the possibility of connecting the Chester Authority with the Schuylkill River. The cost -51- ------- of constructing a pipeline to provide this connection and for storing the needed water in a single purpose reservoir, is estimated at $8,950,000 per year. In comparing this cost with that of the least cost 'alternative, a pipeline from mile point 87 on the Delaware River, priced at $1,100,000 per year, it became evident that the Schuylkill River was a more expensive and therefore less reasonable source for the Chester Authority. Water Quality Control The control and supplementation of stream flow can improve water quality to the extent that the water will be more beneficial as a source for drinking supply, in supporting fish life, in developing aesthetic enjoyment, and in expanding opportunities for recreation. These widespread benefits will materialize through use of the waters in the Schuylkill River from Reading to Philadelphia, a distance of approximately 60 river miles. Description of Benefits: Drinking Water - Quality control would reduce the concentrations of many constituents which cause quality degradation in the water that is processed for drinking supplies. For example, the "musty" odor in the river water would be reduced; water treatment difficulties would be alleviated through the dilution and further removal of algae producing nutrients; and public health would be further insured -52- ------- through the better water quality provided when the residual con- centrations of bacteria and dissolved solids inherent in the waste discharges, are given further treatment and dilution. Fish Life - Pollution in the Schuylkill River is presently a limiting factor in the development of an adequate stream fishery, and maintenance of the fish population requires continued re-stocking by the Pennsylvania Fish and Game Commission. Present species in the river are largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, sunfish, crappie, carp, sucker and other rough fish. Quality control would enable this fish population and other aquatic life to thrive by providing adequate levels of dissolved oxygen and by removing and diluting out the harmful environmental effects of waste discharges. Since this fishery would be easily available to the 2 to 3 million people of the study area, it is evident that the potential benefit of the fishery is quite significant. Aesthetics - Quality control would prevent the obnoxious odors and appearance of water associated with septic conditions. The appearance of the river would be further improved through reduction in the occurrence of unsightly algae blooms. Recreation - Boating is popular in the pools created by the dams in the river and opportunities are also afforded for swimming and other bodily contact with the water. Unless quality control is provided, the residual wastes from the growing population and its industries, -53- ------- will make these pools essentially unacceptable for any recreational use. Since the pools retain stream flows longer than comparable stretches of free flowing stream, they provide more of an opportunity for wastes to stabilize. This situation magnifies quality problems and so the pools in particular, necessitate quality control. Value of Benefits: Investigation has shown that under present methods, adequate treatment of organic wastes will not produce the water quality im- provements required to secure the foregoing benefits. Therefore, it becomes necessary to complement the effects of such waste treatment by providing supplemental streamflow during periods of low flow, in combination with other means of quality control such as advanced waste treatment. Since cost data on the degree of advanced waste treatment that would be required in the Schuylkill basin is not available at this time, only the value of that portion of the benefits attributable to stream flow regulation will be presented. Increases in low flow will reduce the concentration of the residual pollutants imparted to the stream from the various treated waste effluents. This supplemental flow in the absence of the proposed projects would have to be provided by a suitable alternate structure. Therefore, the cost of such a structure is taken as a measure of the minimum value of the benefits attributable to streamflow -54- ------- regulation, under the assumption that the benefits are worth at least what it costs to provide them, if the water quality goals are to be achieved. As previously described, the most likely alternative is a single purpose reservoir that would provide a draft on storage equal to that available from the proposed multi-purpose project. Such a reservoir would have an active storage capacity of 14,500 acre feet and an approximate dead storage of 1500 acre feet, for a total cost of $15,305,000. Amortized over a 100 year period from 1970 to 2070 at a 3-1/8% interest rate plus operation and maintenance charges, the annual cost of this alternative would be approximately $550,000. It should be noted, however, that this value of the water quality control benefits is applicable only if releases are not made for water supply. If releases to the Schuylkill River for water supply purposes are provided by the Blue Marsh Project, these releases will also produce water quality control benefits. To avoid double counting the value of these releases, they should be subtracted from the total release that could be provided by Blue Marsh for water quality control. Therefore, the minimum value of quality control benefits developing from stream flow regulation in this case, becomes equal to the cost of a single purpose reservoir having an active storage capacity of 6500 acre feet. This storage figure represents the difference between the total available -55- ------- in Blue Marsh of 14,500 acre feet and that necessary for water supply, 8000 acre feet. Assuming dead storage of 1500 acre feet, the cost of this single purpose reservoir for water quality control is estimated at $8,950,000. Amortizing this cost in the same fashion as with the previous reservoirs, results in an annual cost or benefit of approximately $321,000. Since the need for quality control streamflow is immediate, the cost of neither quality control reservoir has been discounted. -56- ------- BIBLIOGRAPHY N0< REFERENCE 1 Department of the Interior, Federal Water Pollution Control Administration, New York, New York, "Water Quality Control Study, locks Island Reservoir, Delaware River Basin." (June 1966) 2 Berks County Planning Commission, "Physical Characteristics and Land Use, A Comprehensive Plan Study." Comprehensive Plan Report 11. (1964) 3 U. S. Public Health Service, "Drinking Water Standards" (1962) 4 City of Philadelphia, Water Department, "Annual Report" (1964) 5 US. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Public Health Service, Region II, New York, New York, "Water Supply and Water Quality Control Study, Beltzville Reservoir, Lehigh River Basin, Pennsylvania." (November 1964) -57- ------- Appendix A Surface Water Withdrawals - Schuylkill River Sub-Basin By Manufacturing Centers In Hydro logic Order By Plant And SIC Industry Code -58- ------- PAGE NOT AVAILABLE DIGITALLY ------- APPENDIX A SURFACE WATER WITHDRAWALS - SCHUYLKILL RIVER "US-BASIM BY MANUFACTURING CENTERS IN HYDROLOGIC ORDER BY PLANT AUD SIC INDUSTRY CODE in 10 MANUFACTURING CENTER I/ I/ I/ T/ READING READING READING READING READING READING REPORTED TOTAL: READING POTTSTOWN POTTSTOWN POTTSTOWN POTTSTOWN REPORTED TOTAL- POTTSTOWN I/ I/ 1 y J./ T/ NORRISTOWN NORRISTOWN NORRISTOWN NORRISTOWN NORRISTOWN NORRISTOWN NORRISTOWN NORRISTOWN NORRISTOWN REPORTED TOTAL: NORRISTOWU PHILADELPHIA PHILADELPHIA PHILADELPHIA REPORTED TOTAL: PHILADELPHIA NAME OF PLANT Central Asphalt Materials, Inc. Modern Concrete Products, Inc. Reading Metals Refining Corp. Whitmoyer Laboratories, Inc. MINOR CIVIL DIV. OR MUNICIPALITY Frackville Bethel Ontelaunee Twp. Myerstown Great American Knitting Mills, Inc. Bechtelsville Federal Paper Board Co. Inc. Reading Win. G. Leininger Knitting Co. Mohnton Briskin Dyeing e Finishing Co. Hohnton Longacre Modern Dairy Barto Carl P. Strunk, Sr. Sinking Spring Cryochem Engineering t Fabricating, Inc. Boyertown Kawecki Chemical Co. Boyertown Berks Associates, Inc Douglassville Firestone Tire £ Rubber Co. Pottstown Bethlehem Mines Corp. -Grace Mine Exton Paper Mf g . , Inc . Phoenix Steel Corp. Eastern Prestressed Concrete Co. Highland Tool E Machine Co. Taylor Corp. Nicolet Industries, Inc. The Budd Co. Nicolet Industries, Inc. Certain-Teed Products Corp. Alan Wood Steel Co. Wyerhauser Co. Penn Valley Polymers Co. The Fredericks Co. The Atlantic Refining Co. Gulf Oil Corp. Morgantown West Whiteland Twp Phoenixville Hatfield Trooper Valley Forge Norristown Bridgeport Ambler Ambler Conshohocken Miquon Gladwyne Bethayres Philadelphia Philadelphia COUNTY SIC (2 or Schuylkill Berks Berks Lebanon Berks Berks Berks Berks Berks Berks Berks Montgomery Berks Montgomery Herks .Chester Chester Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Philadelphia Philadelphia CODE 4 DIGIT) 29 32 33 28 22 26 22 22 20 32 34 28 29 30 NO. OF EMPLOYEES u 23 1 ft C 103 160 355 39 269 76 38 1 23 416 31 3,168 3312 Unknown 26 25 3312 918 32 35 28 26 28 26 32 3312 26 28 3? 2)11 2'11 3U ? 611 10>» 529 Unknown 161 2,712 Unknown 4 173 2,638 1,271 DRAWALS IN M.G.D. (DRBC INVENTORY) .001 .0315 .490 .04 .065 .43? .1^9 .02 .095 .0017 .6527 .002 .172 .024 2.505 2.703 .105 .05 1.296 .0015 .0027 1.32 .58 5.7 .426 .03 92.5 .22 .0007 100.77R9 .008 17.62 47. B 65.428 TOTAL SURFACE WATER WITHDRAWALS I/OUTLYING REGION 180.8089 ------- Appendix t Surface Water Discharges - Schu/lkill River Sub-Basin By Manufacturing Centers In Hydro logic Order By Plant And SIC Industry Code -60- ------- APPENDIX B SURFACE WATER DISCHARGES - SCHUYLKILL RIVER SUB-BASIN BY MANUFACTURING CENTERS IN HYDROLOGIC ORDER BY PLANT AND SIC INDUSTRY CODE MANUFACTURING CENTER 0) Hamburg Hamburg Hamburg Hamburg Hamburg Hamburg Hamburg REPORTED TOTAL: HAMBURG I/ I/ Reading Reading Reading Reading Reading Reading NAME OF PLANT (25 Reading Metals Refining Corp. Fairmont Foundry Inc. Price Battery Corp. Ortho Magnetics, Inc . Wolfe Dye-Bleach Works, Inc. Brush Beryllium Co. Wyomissing Corp.-Tuclcerton Rd. Garden State Tanning, Inc. Whitmoyer Laboratories Western Electric Co. Prestolite Co. Federal Paper Board Co. Inc. The Carpenter Steel Co. Orr & Sembower, Inc. Briskin Dyeing & Finishing Co. LOCATION Minor Civil Div. County or Municipality (3) Ontelaunee Twp. Hamburg Hamburg Kutztown Shoemakersville Shoemakersville Muhlenberg Twp. Fleerwood Myers town Laureldole Reading Reading Reading Reading Mohnton (45 Berks Berks Berks Berks Berks Berks Berks Berks Lebanon Berks Berks Berks Berks Berks Berks SIC CODE (2 or 4 Digit) — ® 33 33 36 36 22 33 26 31 28 36 36 26 3312 34 22 NO. OF SURFACE WATER EMPLOYEES DISCHARGES IN MGD (DRBC INVENTORY) (6) 105 134 286 43 78 70 Unknown 126 160 2,304 Unknown 39 2,691 15 76 (7) .490 .0038 .16 .03 .175 .104 .08 1.0428 .0104 .01 .124 .380 .432 2.749 .251 .02 REPORTED TOTAL: READING 3.956 I/OUTLYING REGION ------- APPENDIX B K> I SURFACE WATER DISCHARGES - SCHUYLKILL RIVER SUB-BASIN BY MANUFACTURING CENTERS IN HYDROLOGIC ORDER BY PLANT AND SIC INDUSTRY CODE MANUFACTURING CENTER (') Boyertown Boyertown Boyertown Boyertown Boyertown .REPORTED TOTAL: BOYERTOWN Pottsfown Pottstown Pottstown Pottstown Pottstown REPORTED TOTAL: POTTSTOWN Lansdale Lansdole Lansdale Lansdale NAME OF PLANT LOCATION SIC CODE Minor Civil Div. County (2 or 4 Digit) or Municipality (2) Longacre Modern Dairy Great American Knitting Mills Inc. Tung-Sol Electric, Inc. Kawecki Chemical Co. Vincent A. Sovarese Berks Associates, Inc. Doehler Jarvis Div. -National Lead Co. Neapco Products, Inc. Dana Corp. Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. PhilcoCorp. American Olean Tile Co. Inc. Frank M. Weaver, Inc. Martin Century Farms, Inc. (3) Barto Bechtelsville Boyertown Boyertown E.Greenville Douglassville Stowe Pottstown Pottstown Pottstown Lansdale Lansdale Lansdale Lansdale (4) Berks Berks Berks Montgomery Montgomery Berks Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery (5) 20 22 36 28 35 29 33 37 37 30 36 32 34 20 NO. OF EMPLOYEES (6) 38 355 315 416 Unknown 31 1,036 220 903 3,168 1,843 Unknown 168 1,014 SURFACE WATER DISCHARGES IN MGD (DRBC INVENTORY) (7) .095 .050 .107 .120 .004 .376 .036 .15 .022 .35 2.760 3.318 .5 .009 Unreported .12 REPORTED TOTAL: LANSDALE .629 ------- a* APPENDIX B SURFACE WATER DISCHARGES - SCHUYLKILL RIVER SUB-BASIN BY MANUFACTURING CENTERS IN HYDROLOGIC ORDER BY PLANT AND SIC INDUSTRY CODE MANUFACTURING CENTER rn Collegeville Collegeville Collegeville REPORTED TOTAL: COLLEGEVILLE I/ !_/ REPORTED TOTAL: OUTLYING REGION Phoenixville Phoenixville Phoenixville Phoenixville Phoenixville Phoenixville Phoenixville REPORTED TOTAL: PHOENIXVILLE NAME OF PLANT LOCATION SIC CODE Minor Civil Div. County (2 or 4 Digit) or Municipality (2) Krasley Bleach & Dye Works T.J.Cope Div-Rome Cable Corp. Ajax Stamping & Mfg. Inc. Sunn/side Dairy Bethlehem Mines Corp.- Grace Mine D Roberts Packing Co. Exton Paper Mfg ., Inc. Phoenix Steel Corp. J. R. Hollingsworth Co. Taylor Corp. Mrs. Sands Food Products Bethlehem Limestone Co. (3) Royersford Collegeville Collegeville Bverson Morgantown Kimberton West Whiteland Twp. Phoenixville Phoenixville Valley Forge West Norristown Township (4) Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Chester Berks Chester Chester Chester Chester Montgomery Montgomery Upper Merion Twp Montgomery (5) 22 34 34 20 3312 20 26 3312 36 28 20 32 NO. OF EMPLOYEES (6) 40 85 44 Unknown Unknown 143 25 918 84 611 5 Unknown SURFACE WATER DISCHARGES IN MGD (DRBC INVENTORY) (7) .2 .1035 .006 .3095 .010 1.665 1.675 .060 .004 13.44 .003 1.2 Un reported 12. 26.707 I/ OUTLYING REGION ------- APPENDIX B SURFACE WATER DISCHARGES - SCHUYLKILL RIVER SUB-BASIN BY MANUFACTURING CENTERS IN HYDROLOGIC ORDER BY PLANT AND SIC INDUSTRY CODE MANUFACTURING CENTER NAME OF PLANT (1) V !/ Norristown Norristown iNorristown Norristown Norristown Norristown Norristown Norristown Norristown Norristown Norristown Norristown Norristown Norristown Norristown (2) Foote Mineral Co. Synthane Corp . Evans-Roberts Co. Nicolet Industries, Inc. Bethlehem Mines Corp. - Bridgeport Quarry The Budd Co. Martin Witchwood Ice Cream Co. Nicolet Industries, Inc. Gessner Mfg. Co. Certain-Teed Products Corp. Chemical Concentrates Corp. McNiel Laboratories, Inc. Nypel Corp. Essex Wire Corp . Alan Wood Steel Co. Quaker Chemical Corp. Weyerhauser Co. LOCATION SIC CODE Minor Civil Div. County (2 or 4 Digit) or Municipality (3) Exton Oaks Norristown Norristown Bridgeport Bridgeport Lower Gwynedd Twp. Ambler Ambler Ambler Ft. Washington Ft. Washington West Consho- hocken Conshohocken Conshohocken Conshohocken Miquon (4) Chester Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery (5) 28 30 32 26 33 28 20 26 30 32 28 28 30 36 3312 28 26 No. OF EMPLOYEES (6) 151 679 6 104 Unknown 529 14 Unknown 20 161 78 340 46 Unknown 2,712 270 Unknown SURFACE WATER DISCHARGES IN MGD (DRBC INVENTORY) (7) .004 .2024 .432 .250 1.0 5.7 .107 .540 .515 .2 .010 .002 2.5 .360 16.0 .030 3.53 REPORTED TOTAL: NORRISTOWN 1'OUTLYING REGION 31.176 ------- APKNOIX B SURFACE WATER DISCHARGES - SCHUYLKILL RIVER SUB-BASIN BY MANUFACTURING CENTERS IN HYDROLOGIC ORDER BY PLANT AND SIC INDUSTRY CODE MANUFACTURING NAME OF PLANT LOCATION CENTER Minor Civil Div. Counry or Municipality (1) Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadelphia REPORTED TOTAL: TOTAL (2) Drever Co. The Fredericks Co. Merck, Sharp & Dohme The Atlantic Refining Co. Gulf Oil Corp. PHILADELPHIA (3) Bethayres Bethayres West Point Philadelphia Philadelphia W Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Philadelphia Philadelphia SIC NO OF CODE EMPLOYEES (2 or 4 Digir) (5) (6) 34 Unknown 32 173 28 1494 2911 2638 2911 1271 SURFACE WATER DISCHARGES IN MG (DRBC INVENrQK/i (7) .050 .004 .525 16.7 41.27 58.549 128.6686 ------- |