The  best way to protect drinking water sources is to protect the forests that provide that water.  But what do you do when the forests are gone? 

In the White Clay Watershed several partners have come together to

attack that problem by rebuilding the forests, one tree, and one township, at a time.  Funded by WREN in 2009, the White Clay Watershed Reforestation Outreach project was initiated to address the limited amount of forest cover within the White Clay Creek watershed in southeastern PA.   Watershed residents attended  a reforestation workshop and 200 volunteers planted 5000 native trees at several planting events. The need for the project came from the recently completed White Clay Creek Reforestation Plan (www.whiteclay.org/resources/publications) that calls for a long term forest cover of 40 % of the watershed to protect water resources.

The White Clay Creek watershed is renowned for its natural and cultural resources, including drinking water for approximately 120,000 people, including the City of Newark, DE.  In 2000 the White Clay Creek

and its tributaries were designated part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System in recognition of the importance of these resources.  Despite the importance of the natural resources of the watershed, over three-quarters of the streams are designated as impaired water quality, or polluted, prompting the need for reforestation.

The WREN funded project brought together organizations, volunteers and townships to collaborate on the reforestation goal.  Project partners include the White Clay Wild & Scenic Management Committee,

FranklinTownship, London Grove Township, Taproot Native Design, Brandywine Conservancy and Stroud Water Research Center.  New planting projects are scheduled for fall 2010 and spring 2011.