Coalition
Members

Apolacon Twp..
Bridgewater Twp.
Choconut Twp.
Forest Lake Twp.
Franklin Twp.
Jessup Twp.
Liberty Twp.
Middletown Twp.
Rush Twp.
Silver Lake Twp
Friendsville
Little Meadows
Montrose

SOILS

Soils are a mixture of mineral materials, organic materials, and living organisms, and are thousands of years in the making. The types of soils that form in a given area depend on microclimate, the type of underlying bedrock, the kinds of biological activity present, the slope, the amount of time, and the activities of humans in the area. Soils are important to the planning and development process because they influence agricultural productivity, the type of vegetation and wildlife you would expect to find in an area, and the ability of an area in the landscape to support roads, buildings, septic systems and landfills. Some of the important factors are soil permeability, slope, depth to bedrock, depth to seasonal water table, and soil texture. Three Associations are present: Lackawanna-Morris-Arnot, which has better drained, more productive soils for agriculture, and Wellsboro-Oquaga-Morris and Volusia- Mardin-Lordstown, which have high waters, shorter growing seasons and poorly drained soils that more suitable for woodland.

The Susquehanna County Soil Survey (USDA Soil Conservation Service et al. 1973) shows where different soil types exist in the landscape, on survey maps that are referenced to aerial photographs. For every soil type, the Survey contains information about the physical characteristics, topographical locations, and hydrologic characteristics. The Survey also includes a rating system for soil suitability for certain land uses, according to the degree of limitation. Slight limitation indicates that there are few if any challenges posed by the soil type to the particular land use. Moderate limitation indicates that special practices are required to overcome or correct the limitations. Severe limitation indicates that the limitations are very difficult or expensive to overcome or correct.

Much of the Northern Tier Coalition area must contend with imperfectly drained soils. Mardin, Volusia, Oquaga, Chenango, Barbour, Chippewa, Wellsboro and Morris soils are the dominant soil series’ in many of the townships of the Northern Tier Coalition. Most of the soils in the County are suited for forest and woodland, the original vegetation in the area. Wetland soils include Peat, Wysluding, Holly and poorly drained soils in the Chippewa, Norwich, Morris and Volusian series’.

Most of the soils in the area are also not wellsuited to agriculture. The best soils in the area are workable throughout the growing season and have a high yield potential. By comparison to other parts of Pennsylvania, e.g. Lancaster County, Susquehanna County has fair soils. Many of the soils in Susquehanna County are not well drained and many fields in the area have been fitted with drain tiles or other drainage systems over time. Depth to bedrock is also often shallow. The best soils in the NTC area include Barbour, Basher, Chenango and Unadilla. Other favorable soils include well drained, gently sloping soils in the Bath, Chenango, Lackawanna, Lordstown, Mardin and Wellsboro soils. Farms with the soils in these classifications would easily qualify for the Agricultural Easement program, and should be preserved as agricultural land.

Most of the soils in the area also not suited to development and development related land uses such as land fills. Because of the drainage issues as well as low depth to bedrock, many of the soil types present a problem for on-site septic systems. Highly concentrated development cannot occur without the construction of community sewer systems, as has been done at several of the lakes. Otherwise, their could be significant consequences for surface water and drinking water quality. Slope, drainage issues and depth to bedrock also impact development, because of the type of building the soil will support.

HYDROLOGY

Figure 2.10 shows the hydrological features of the Northern Tier Coalition area. The hydrologic system includes wetlands, lakes, ponds and streams, as well as subsurface ground water and aquifers, which are not shown. The overall quality of the water in Northern Tier Coalition area is high. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has given a Better Water Quality – Low Vulnerability classification to the water quality rating throughout the majority of the Susquehanna County. As one Choconut resident put it, “What we do without our water?– This is surely one of our greatest and most precious resources.” Aside from drinking water for people and animals, a healthy hydrologic system provides many other benefits. Lakes provide scenic amenities and recreational areas for people who live in the area. Creeks and lakes are important fish habitat for sport fishing. In the Northern Tier Coalition landscape there are a number of prime fishing and recreational areas. Figure 2.11 is a map of prime fish sub-watersheds identified by researches at Penn State, as well as prime fishing streams and lakes according to local community sources. Many of the townships contain the headwaters for the larger creeks in the area, which in turn are headwaters for the Susquehanna River. Therefore, conserving water quality benefits not only Coalition residents, but everyone who lives downstream on the Susquehanna River. Protecting the integrity of headwaters, wetlands and riparian areas is important for maintaining good water quality and healthy fish habitat. The best ways to protect water quality is to prevent development on flood plains and maintain a forested buffer along streams, wetlands and lakes. Figure 2.12 is a map of existing flood zones in the NTC area from the Federal FIRM maps. In the case of buffers, there is some debate about the best width, ranging from 40-200ft. The Natural Resources Conservation Service recommends 100 feet from the creek edge. These buffers provide multiple services – they filter nutrients and sediment out of runoff before it enters the streams, they provide important wildlife habitat, and they prevent streambank erosion.

The townships of the Coalition contain many natural wetlands, ponds and lakes, as well as a mixture of natural and human-made and beavermade lakes and ponds Wetlands are lands that are inundated or saturated by water often enough or long enough to develop characteristic vegetation and soils. Figure 2.14 is a map of wetlands in the Coalition area by typology, including, lakes, ponds, emergent wetlands, shrubby wetlands and forested wetland.. There are more wetlands in the Northern Coalition area than in southern Pennsylvania because glacial processes. Wetlands provide multiple services that affect ground and surface water quality: they help to slow and absorb floodwaters, trap sediments, filter toxins and retain excess nutrients. Depending on type, wetlands are often critical to aquifer recharge.

Wetlands are also important as wildlife habitat and beautiful places for recreation. Just like streams, wetlands should be protected by a forested buffer. This buffer provides habitat for amphibians that move between wetlands and uplands during their life cycle. It also prevents nearby human land uses from damaging the wetlands. There are both State and Federal regulations requiring permits for alterations to wetlands. The Federal regulations are not always well enforced. Pennsylvania state regulations require special permits for residential developments affecting more than an acre of wetland. Agricultural activities producing food, fiber, or forest products are excluded from State wetland regulations. Local governments can protect wetlands more carefully than the State if they choose to. Even small wetlands are important for wildlife – especially amphibians.

Many organizations operate in Susquehanna County with the goal of watershed identification and protection. These organizations should be noted as potential sources of funding and labor for future water quality planning efforts in the townships. The Choconut Creek Watershed Association, Snake Creek Watershed Association and Wyalusing Creek Watershed Association all work locally to protect the water quality of Northern Coalition streams and other water resources. The Susquehanna Rivers Basin Commission and the Upper Susquehanna Coalition work at a regional level to support water quality in the coalition townships as well.

< previous section | return to index | next section >