State of the Environment: Volume 3

Water

Summary of Primary Stream Impairment Sources in Berks County

Data table for Water Indicator 1

Farms for Clean Water (video)

Join us in celebrating our ‘Farms for Clean Water’ – a conservation-minded network of farmers who have implemented agricultural best management practices on their farms in the Schuylkill River Watershed thanks to partners and funding from the Delaware River Watershed Initiative

Farms for Clean Water (infographic)

Learn how improving agricultural practices is one of our best investments for clean and safe water!

Stroud Water Research Center MAIS Data for Berks County Streams

Data table for Water Indicator 2

Follow the Path of Your Rain Water…through Agricultural Landscapes

Links to Schuylkill Action Network’s resources page for farmers, including a video describing the journey our rain water travels when it flows through agricultural landscapes.

Follow the Path of Your Rain Water…through Developed Landscapes

Links to Schuylkill Action Network’s resources page for home owners, including a video describing the journey our rain water travels when it flows through developed landscapes.

Follow the Path of Your Rain Water…through Forested Landscapes

Links to Schuylkill Action Network’s resources page for outdoor enthusiasts, including a video describing the journey our rain water travels when it flows through forested landscapes.

GIS Analysis of Impervious Surface and Land Cover Change in Berks County Final Report

Report produced by Shippensburg University’s Geography and Earth Science graduate students under the supervision of Dr. Claire Jantz. Using ArcPro geoprocessing tools, this study explored overall land cover change, warehouse development, and
percent imperviousness in HUC 10 and 12 watersheds and the active river area (ARA) in Berks County.

Restoration as Told By Bugs

Local story featuring the restoration of the Angelica Creek following an unexpected dam breach.

A discerning eye will notice that the percent impervious cover reported in the State of the Environment for Berks County 15-Year Report is quite different from the percentage published in past reports.

Spatial data like these are very sensitive to variation between data sources and methods for several reasons including, but not limited to, the resolution of the data and the definition of what constitutes an “impervious surface”. In this most recent report, Berks Nature wasn’t able to use the same data source used in the past switching instead to data sourced from the National Land Cover Database, which has calculated imperviousness in areas of high, medium, low, and open development using a coefficients calculated in Coan et al., 2003.

This change in data source is responsible for the difference in percentage reported between the three State of the Environment publications.

Coan, M. J., B. K. Wylie, C. G. Homer, C. Huang, and L. Yang, 2003. An approach for mapping large-area impervious surfaces: synergistic use of Landsat-7 ETM+ and high spatial resolution imagery. Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing, 29(2): 230-240.

Energy

A Case for Reducing our Personal Vehicle Use

A video project led by Penn State Berks environmental science student, Cullen Fogart, as part of their EACAP Service Project.

Interview with Commuter Services of Pennsylvania

Michele Scribbick is the Employer Outreach Manager for the Commuter Services of Pennsylvania, a non-profit organization whose mission is to lessen traffic congestion and improve air quality. This interview was conducted as part of a Penn State Berks EACAP Service Project in the fall of 2023.

Commuting Alternatives in Berks County

A short PowerPoint presentation featuring BARTA and biking as alternatives for driving to work produced as part of a Penn State Berks EACAP Service Project in the fall of 2023.

LEED Registered Projects in Berks County

List of LEED registered projects in Berks County as of August 2023.

BARTA Route Schedules

Links to the BARTA website to view full list of route schedules.

Source of Energy Generated by Type for the RFCE Sub-Region

Data chart for Energy Indicator 3.

Average Electricity Consumption for United States in 2021

Data table for Energy Indicator 4.

Virtual Tour of The Nature Place

Take a virtual tour of Berks Nature’s LEED-Gold Certified nature center, The Nature Place!

Air

Annual Average of PM2.5 Pollution

Data table for Air Indicator 1.

Air Quality Index Values 2018-2022

Data table for Air Indicator 1.

Industrial Toxic Air Releases in Berks County

Data table for Air Indicator 3.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s AirNow

Links to the EPA AirNow website (airnow.gov).

Waste

Waste Generated in Berks County

Data chart for Waste Indicator 1.

Electronics Recycling in Berks County

Data charts for Waste Indicator 3.

Special Waste Collection Schedule for Berks County

Links to Berks County’s Solid Waste Authority’s website.

Curbside Composting in the City of Reading

Interview transcript with Bethany Ayes-Fisher, Reading’s Sustainability Manager, in discussion of Reading’s Curbside Composting Program. Interview conducted in October of 2023.

Land

Protect Your Land with Berks Nature

Links to Berks Nature’s website of resources for Berks County residents interested in protecting their land.

GIS Analysis of Forest Fragmentation in Berks County: Assessing Changes in Forest Patches from 2006-2019 Final Report

Report produced by Shippensburg University’s Geography and Earth Science graduate students under the supervision of Dr. Claire Jantz. This study compared changes in forest patches in and around Berks County, PA using National Land Cover Data (USGS, 2006 & 2019).

What’s Nature Worth?

Earth’s environmental assets underpin our economy, our society, and indeed our very existence. To halt the unsustainable consumption of the environment, we must cultivate a greater awareness and understanding of these ecosystem services, some of which are summarized in this infographic.

Berks County Joint Comprehensive Planning 2022

Map of municipalities engaged in joint comprehensive planning. Produced by the Berks County Planning Commission. Map for Land Indicator 3.

Berks County Joint Zoning 2022

Map of municipalities engaged in joint zoning efforts. Produced by the Berks County Planning Commission. Map for Land Indicator 3.

Berks County Greenway, Park and Recreation Plan

Links to the County of Berks webpage for the Berks County Greenway, Park and Recreation Plan which was updated in 2022.

EVA Tool

Visualize how land cover has changed in Berks County! The Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics (MRLC) consortium is a group of federal agencies who coordinate and generate consistent and relevant land cover information at the national scale for a wide variety of environmental, land management, and modeling applications. Their Enhanced Visualization and Analysis (EVA) tool was developed in partnership with NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management.