Storm Water BMP Park Project

Springfield Township's Environmental Advisory Committee (STEAC), with the enthusiastic support of township officials, initiated this grant-funded project to construct and maintain a wide variety of Best Management Practice (BMP) elements for stormwater management. [What’s a BMP?] The project will be implemented in several phases and will require up to 10 years to complete. The reason for an extended time frame and multiple phases is to take advantage of state and federal grants to fund design and construction and require NO TOWNSHIP DOLLARS!  Each BMP constructed under this project will have an expected 20-year lifespan. The project also provides educational and training opportunities that will inform residents and landscapers how to implement these types of BMPs on their own properties.

Why is storm water management a top priority?

The Stormwater BMP Park Project is being constructed within the 13.2 acre municipal complex near the center of Springfield. This Township-owned property includes the Township Building, District Court Building, Library, and Williams Park. Since the BMPs are designed for construction on developed land, they are termed "retrofit" BMPs.

Each constructed BMP phase will have two beneficial effects on water quality in nearby streams. 1) It will significantly reduce the volume and velocity of storm runoff (which reduces the amount of erosion and resulting turbidity due to suspended sediment), and 2) it will reduce the concentrations of nitrates and phosphates in the runoff. These pollutants are the common ingredients in lawn fertilizers, and can cause excess growth of aquatic plants. These plants can alter local stream habitats by competing with the fish and invertebrates for dissolved oxygen in the streams and rivers. The BMPs will also result in less frequent (or eliminating) flooding of nearby roads.

Locations by Phase

The project initially included the four planned BMP phases shown in the satellite photo. The runoff from all of these areas flows into the Levis Run, a tributary of Darby Creek, as it makes its way through Powell Park. The Darby Creek itself is a tributary to the Delaware River, joining the river near the John Heinz Wildlife Refuge in lower Delaware County.

[See Satellite view complete with project details here.]

ADDITIONAL PROJECT INFORMATION

Completed Activities

• Decision Making for Implementation of Nonpoint Pollution Measures in the Urban Coastal Zone 
• Non-Point Source Modeling – Phase 2: Multiobjective Decision Model
• Preliminary Evaluation of BMP Locations
• Detailed BMP Site Characterization
• Develop Detail Designs and Specifications
• Phase #1
• Phase #2
• Phase #3
• Phase #4
• Chronological List of Grants