- Government
2012 Board of Supervisors
Seated L-R: Kathleen Hunsicker (Vice Chairman) and Edward J. Brandt (Chairman). Standing L-R: Mark Grey, Stephen Paccione and Dr. J Richard Booth. - Departments
Treweryn Farm Trail is located on Sumneytown Pike, between Siemens and Gwynedd Mercy College.
- Information
Lower Gwynedd is one of the oldest townships in Montgomery County. The Quakers settled Gwynedd Township in the late 1600's...
- Resources
Lower Gwynedd Township
1130 N. Bethlehem Pike
Spring House, PA 19477
Phone: (215) 646-5302
Fax: (215) 646-3357
contactus@lowergwynedd.org
GwyneddGreen
Mission Statement
To educate, facilitate and promote awareness of sustainable practices within Lower Gwynedd Township and the greater community.
Who We Are
Lower Gwynedd Township residents dedicated to ensuring a greater quality of life for our community through educational outreach, involvement and best practices.
Accomplishements
- Established outreach through Gwynedd Green Blog , and Facebook page to support the Townshp's sustainability efforts.
- Mike McGrath, a nationally syndicated speaker, presented organic and sustainable lawn care practices at June 2012 community event.
- Planted five native tree species to provide habitat, shelter and food for wildlife at the historic Ingersoll / Claytor House.
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- White Oak
- Sweet Gum
- Eastern Redbud
- Clump River Birch
- Red Maple
- Provided instruction on proper composting techniques at June 2012 community event.
- Promoted the importance of native plant species and provided tree planting and care instruction at June 2012 community event.
- Convened meetings with stakeholders at high school, senior residential communities and township representative to coordinate future recycling events.
- Provided educational outreach about recycling and Recyclebank Program.
- Conducted a Christmas Bird Count, December 2012 at Treweryn Farm Trail in which the following Birds were identified: Yellow Bellied Sapsucker, Downy Woodpecker, Red-Bellied Woodpecker, White Throated Sparrow, Mallard Ducks
Initiatives & Programs in Development
- Organize stormwater management event (April 20, 2013) to feature workshops, hands on activities, educational outreach and participation from local organizations
- Establish Lower Gwynedd Township as an Audubon Society-designated Bird Town
Ongoing Efforts & initiatives
- Promote the Four Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Recover through educational outreach
- Through educational outreach, encourage residents, schools and businesses to promote sustainable practicies
- Support the Township's Annual e-waste collection events and distribute reusable shopping bags
- Encourage active participation in wildlife habitat creation and preservation
- Provide stormwater management awareness and education
- Lower Gwynedd Township Business Recycling effort - business community group is interested in the "I Like the Pike" effort and revitalization for economic development and sustainability
- Engage with Wisshahickon School District to partner on sustainable projects with the goal of student body involvement
UPCOMING EVENTS
STORMWATER...SOAK IT IN!!!
April 20, 2013
11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
The Committee is planning an informative day of activities on April 20, 2013 from 11:00 am - 3:00 pm. The Stormwater Soak It In! community event will take place on the grounds of the Ingersoll/Claytor House located on Old Bethlehem Pike, behind the Lower Gwynedd Township administration building.
Participants to include the following organizations:
- Ambler Environmental Advisory Council
- Audubon Society of Pennsylvania
- Lower Gwynedd Township Parks & Recreation Department
- Wissahickon Valley Public Library
- Penn State Extension Montgomery County Master Gardeners
- Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Department
- Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association (WVWA)
- Cedar Run Landscapes
- Allied Landscaping
- EP Henry
We would like to thank those businesses who are sponsoring our event:
Outdoor
Design
Providing rain garden design and planting
Clearview Nursery, Inc.
Donating plants for the rain garden
North Wales Water Authority
(NWWA)
Donating water coolers and biodegradable cups
Giant Food ~ Spring House
Event activities will include a rain garden planting event, discussions with experts regarding techniques homeowners can use to manage stormwater runoff on their property, water capture and reuse (e.g. rain barrels), composting, and creating naturalized landscapes and bird habitats to reduce the impacts of stormwater runoff.
Participants will learn what stormwater management is, what Lower Gwynedd Township is doing to address stormwater runoff, and why it is important to everyone. Participants are invited to watch or dig in and get dirty to assist with the rain garden planting! Please dress appropriately.
Giveaways for each family include a flash drive loaded with Lower Gwynedd Township park and trail maps and stormwater management-related information (while supplies last).
A rain barrel will be raffled off to one lucky person!
This event is great for families, homeowners and anyone interested in learning about stormwater management.
Check the Lower Gwynedd Township website and newsletter and media for updated information about the upcoming spring event to learn what you can do to mitigate stormwater runoff and protect water resources while creating natural habitats for wildlife!
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Stormwater: Nuisance or Natural Resource?
What You Should Know and What You Can Do.
You want to live in a township that offers great schools, diverse and attractive housing stock, reasonable taxes, very little crime, easy access to both Philadelphia and more rural parts of Montgomery and Bucks Counties, convenient shopping and lots of woods, streams, and trails and parks-just like Lower Gwynedd.
Lower Gwynedd is such a desirable place to live that our population has been growing: according to census figures, the township had 12.3% more households (and 9.4% more people) in 2010 compared to 2000. In many ways, population growth benefits our township. For example, it means higher tax revenues to support township initiatives and justifies more diverse small business development. Population growth also brings challenges, including environmental ones.
There are the obvious traffic issues as well as the air and water pollution associated with higher concentrations of automobiles and land development and redevelopment projects.
Stormwater runoff presents numerous challenges. Stormwater runoff is water that originates during precipitation from rainfall or snowmelt that moves over ground during and immediately following a storm and does not infiltrate into the ground. In a watershed undergoing land development, such as Lower Gwynedd Township, the amount of stormwater runoff after a rainfall event can increase significantly! More impervious surfaces such as pavement, driveways, buildings, and parking lots prevents runoff from infiltrating into the ground.
Even more problematic are the long-term effects of increasing amounts of natural habitat being turned into impermeable surfaces such as roads, driveways, parking lots and buildings. Some examples:
- Fewer wooded lots, trees, shrubs and home gardens prevent rain water from slowly entering the aquifer. Healthy forests and woodlands absorb rain like sponges and prevent large volumes of runoff into streams and drainage systems. These natural areas serve as natural air cleaners by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen and also provide important habitats for many animal and bird species.
- Asphalt and concrete retain the sun's heat, which raises surrounding air temperature and produces heat sinks.
- Fewer woods and native plantings lead to fewer species that rely on them, including birds and helpful insects, which lead to increased pressures on ecosystems.
- Impervious surfaces lead to increased stormwater runoff because the runoff cannot infiltrate into the ground.
- Land development practices include diverting rainwater off-site as quickly as possible. Stormwater that does not soak into the ground rapidly flows over land picking up debris, fertilizers, sediment, pet waste, residues from roadways, and dissolved pollutants. The untreated runoff is transported to the nearest storm drain and eventually to streams and rivers. This untreated runoff harmfully affects water quality needed to support ecosystems and protect drinking water quality.
Stormwater runoff and management also costs homeowners! Stormwater quickly flows and can flood areas downstream from developed land, which can damage homes and businesses, flood septic system drain fields and overwhelm streams and wetlands. There are the non-financial costs as well, including more frequent flooding of roads and damage to infrastructure.
In addition, failure to properly manage runoff can lead to flooding which can cause greater stream channel erosion. Naturalized landscapes, trees, shrubs, gardens, riparian buffers and vegetative lawns (rather than impervious surfaces) help to slow down rainfall, allowing it to gradually soak into the ground and recharge aquifers.
The Township places special emphasis on stormwater management, and has a lot of useful information on this issue and what you can do to mitigate the impacts of stormwater runoff. Click onto the following links for additional information:
In addition to the Township's ongoing efforts, the Gwynedd Green Committee's main focus over the next few months will be on helping Township residents take steps to reduce stormwater runoff. Naturalized landscapes help to filter and absorb runoff while providing important localized habitats for birds and butterflies and beneficial insects such as bees.
Another website to visit to gather information for stormwater runoff visit the EPA website they have a video listed on this page "Reduce Runoff: Slow it Down, Spread it Out, Soak it In"
