Tacony-Frankford River Conservation Plan Factsheet

What is the River Conservation Plan program?

·         A wholistic vision/plan for improving the watershed.

·         The plan is developed through a collaborative process of local organizations and residents.

·         The plan can recommend many different types of projects that would make the watershed a better place to live.  It can address history, art, culture, water quality, crime, trails, parks, youth education, municipal education, etc.

·         All the land that drains water or snow into a common body of water, such as a creek.  A watershed is sometimes known as a drainage basin.

 Who is on the Tacony-Frankford RCP team?

·         The Philadelphia Water Department is the lead player in the RCP.  PWD’s involvement stems from its commitment to minimizing water pollution from all sources, in a manner that is based on good science and achieves a sensible balance between ratepayer costs and environmental benefit.  PWD recently created the Office of Watersheds, which is working to formulate watershed management plans for the city’s receiving waters through the establishment of watershed partnerships, while at the same time, looking at the large inventory of vacant land in the city as a means to restore pockets of natural watersheds throughout the city.

·         Other team members include Fairmount Park, Frankford Group Ministry, the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, and Heritage Conservancy.

·         50% of the funding for developing the plan comes from the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.  50% comes from local partners.

·         The goal of the RCP is to create a grassroots driven watershed conservation plan.  The plan will reflect the character of the watershed and the issues and concerns of the residents of the watershed. 

·         The planning process also creates or enhances partnership possibilities among plan participants.

·         The recommendations of the plan will be eligible for funding under the development/implementation portion of the River Conservation Plan program.  Any non-profit or municipal organization will be eligible to apply for funding for projects recommended in the final plan.  Also other public and private sources of funding look favorably on RCP based projects.