Participants at a recent Darby-Cobbs Watershed Partnership meeting heard from representatives of the Philadelphia District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers about an innovative web-based project that will undoubtedly be a great resource to stewards of Darby and Cobbs creeks.

In the Fall of 2006, a group of agencies visited the Darby-Cobbs watershed examining areas representative of its range of conditions, making observations and taking photos.

In 2007, the Corps compiled historic and recent reports written by agencies and watershed groups that contained data from the Darby Cobbs watershed. These reports, some dating back 35 years, were digitized and have been organized in a database by contents, data type and location.

The Corps plans to create a GIS-based interactive mapping website that will make these digitized reports and images publicly available. The goal is to bring greater access to information for those living along vulnerable areas within the watershed.

For example, image layers on a map will show the various watershed conditions such as erosion and deposition. Other layers, such as the location of best management practices and the location of the 100-year floodplain will also be added to the map.

When additional funds are available, data will be extracted from the reports and used to compare past and present conditions of the watershed and to create a model that will help identify future restoration projects.

For more information on this project, contact: Heather Jensen, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Philadelphia District, at 215 656 6586 or send email to: Heather.N.Jensen@usace.army.mil or Dan Kost at 215 656 6584 or send email to: Daniel.E.Kost@usase.army.mil.

For information on the Darby-Cobbs Watershed Partnership, which the Pennsylvania Environmental Council helps convene with the Philadelphia Water Department, contact: Khiet Luong, PEC, at 215.592.7020 x107 or send email to: kluong@pecpa.org .

8/22/2008