Cooks Creek Watershed is a 30-square-mile limestone valley watershed in northern Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The main stem of Cooks Creek flows in an easterly direction into the Delaware River. The watershed area consists of a number of small, mostly unnamed tributaries with approximately 24 square miles in Springfield Township and 5.5 square miles in Durham Township. Some headwater tributaries are located in Lower Saucon Township, Northampton County. Small areas of the watershed are also found in Upper Saucon and Williams Townships in Northampton County and Haycock and Richland Townships in Bucks County.

 
click image for larger view

The Watershed has been designated as an Exceptional Value Cold Water Fishery under the Pennsylvania Chapter 93 Water Quality Standards and is the only wild brown trout and native brook trout fishery in Bucks County. The watershed is home to numerous rare and endangered species, including several rare reptiles and amphibians. The watershed was rated Priority 1 in the 1999 Bucks County Natural Areas Inventory, is part of Heritage Conservancy's Lasting Landscapes® program, and has been designated as an area of special concern by the Highlands Coalition. Several recent studies conducted by the Durham Township Environmental Advisory Council (DTEAC) have indicated that the biological communities within Cooks Creek Watershed are sensitive to changes in water quality and quantity. The underlying geology is mostly limestone, and contains a high quality drinking water aquifer that is the sole source of drinking water for the majority of the residents.

Land use in the watershed is mostly agricultural and rural residential although the scattered small village centers have some commercial zoning. The only industrial zoning is located in Durham Township at the creek's confluence with the Delaware River. The site was recently cleared of vacant industrial buildings and the streambank is currently being restored. There are several small businesses that may represent a threat to water quality, although preliminary investigations have shown no measurable impacts. Water usage in the watershed is mostly residential, with a small water authority in Springfield Township that obtains its water from the springs that abound along the limestone/granite interface that surrounds the watershed. Recent discussions in Springfield may result in this system being turned over to the control of Bucks County Water and Sewer. If this happens, it is likely that the system will be expanded, or that water may actually be piped out of the watershed to support development and sprawl in surrounding communities.

Former uses of Cooks Creek included diversions to power grain, lumber and paper mills. While these facilities are no longer in use, the low-level dams used represent an ongoing impact for the wildlife that uses the watershed. By far the largest ongoing threat to water quality and quantity in the watershed is residential development. The fragile nature of the limestone aquifer and the increase in development pressure in surrounding townships is the main reason the DTEAC was compelled to initiate the Cooks Creek Watershed Protection Plan (CCWPP). The overall goal of the CCWPP and associated plans was to provide a sound database from which comprehensive plans and zoning ordinances appropriate for the watershed can be made that take into account the current quality of the watershed, the quantity of available drinking water, and its sensitivity to degradation. To view a copy of the CCWPP, click here.