Thompson Run and the Duck Pond May 1, 2014 Training and Education - PDF document

OPP Stormwater Management Thompson Run and the Duck Pond May 1, 2014 Training and Education Series

This presentation will cover these topics:  Background on the Thompson Run Watershed.  Water related history of the watershed.  What happens from a stormwater perspective.  What’s in the likely future. Thompson Spring Valley, 1890s OPP Stormwater Management Training and Education Series

The Thompson Run Watershed is 2,970 acres (4.64 sq.mi.) in size as defined to the junction of Slab Cabin Run in Millbrook Marsh. North Drainage Boundary Big Hollow Thompson Run Millbrook Marsh Spring Creek Slab Cabin Run OPP Stormwater Management Training and Education Series

The Thompson Run Watershed is actually made up of the Thompson Run (1,555 ac) and Walnut Run (1,415 ac) Watersheds. North Drainage Boundary Big Hollow Walnut Run Thompson Run Spring Creek Slab Cabin Run OPP Stormwater Management Training and Education Series

The watershed has not changed significantly since the first 1908 USGS map was delineated. North Drainage Boundary Big Hollow Thompson Run Walnut Run 1908 USGS Bellefonte 1:62500 Millbrook Marsh Spring Creek Slab Cabin Run OPP Stormwater Management Training and Education Series

Thompson Run can further be defined as the portion that comes from the Bathgate Dam (237 ac) and the Duck Pond (867 ac). North Drainage Boundary Big Hollow Duck Pond Watershed Bathgate Orchard Park Pond Soccer Pond Westerly Parkway Reservoir Walnut Springs Preserve Spring Creek Slab Cabin Run OPP Stormwater Management Training and Education Series

There are also a number of stormwater sinkholes in and around both the Thompson Run and Walnut Run Watersheds. North Drainage Boundary Big Hollow Spring Creek Slab Cabin Run OPP Stormwater Management Training and Education Series

The area has always been known for its sinkholes and closed depressions including the ‘hollow,” which today is the site of Memorial Field. 1896 photograph of the hollow OPP Stormwater Management Training and Education Series

Other important areas related to this presentation. Duck Pond Inlet Channel (storm inflow) North Thompson Spring Duck Pond Centre Furnace Mansion Bathgate Spring Walnut Run Walnut Springs Mill Race Clark Motors (BA) Clasters (YBC) Millbrook Marsh Slab Cabin Spring Creek OPP Stormwater Management Training and Education Series

Thompson Spring (Wally Brook) seen here in the late 1800s, was unquestionably the reason for the regions development starting in the late 1700s. OPP Stormwater Management Training and Education Series

The Centre Furnace was a charcoal iron furnace and the end of production in 1858 was due primarily due to a loss of charcoal producing timber. 1904 Centre Furnace Mansion OPP Stormwater Management Training and Education Series

Unfortunately, no known maps or sketches survive from the iron producing times, but what we do know is that the area was highly manipulated. 1874 Pomeroy Atlas of Centre County OPP Stormwater Management Training and Education Series

In those early days, you can image that water quality wasn’t as great as we would like to think it was, due to sewage and a lack of vegetation. Civil Engineering Students near Thompson’s Spring OPP Stormwater Management Training and Education Series

The University purchased the spring property in 1912 and later surrounding tracks in 1917. David Garver purchased the Centre Mansion in 1920. OPP Stormwater Management Training and Education Series

The University purchased the property for both a possible source of water and to construct its wastewater treatment plant in 1913. OPP Stormwater Management Training and Education Series

The 1912 deed also required that the University maintain a minimum water elevation at the property line for use by downstream heirs of the Thompson family. 1940 Spring Diversion Swale OPP Stormwater Management Training and Education Series

In 1927 John R. Bracken developed the plan to create a memorial arboretum at the spring property with a pond as the center piece. OPP Stormwater Management Training and Education Series

This evolved into the Winter Sports Center, which was a multiyear class gift from 1927 to 1931. The pond was a regulated dam by the Department of Forests and Waters, Water and Power Resources Board. OPP Stormwater Management Training and Education Series

The following year, James I. Thompson complained that the dam caused the water that supplied power for the mill for over 100 years to become less, which caused problems for their ice making machinery. 1949 Areal Photograph OPP Stormwater Management Training and Education Series

Starting in 1927, the University frequently tested the water quality of Thompson Spring for possible use as a potable water source. While the flow was always found good, water quality was deemed “grossly polluted.” Min Max Min Max Min Max Year (cfs) (cfs) (GPM) (GPM) (MGD) (MGD) Data Source Report for original permit for Duck Pond Dam, dated 11/9/1927, not known as to the scource, but Dr. Sackett 1927 5.0 8.5 2244 3815 3.2 5.5 designed the dam and may have made estimate J.G. White Report 7/8/1929, no flows but did WQ sampling; "tests show the water to be so grossly polluted that it should not be considered as a source 1929 of public water supply…" Data collected by R.R. Cleland from 1931 to 1933, showed spring flow affected by precipitation, also did 1932 3.6 7.9 1597 3542 2.3 5.1 dye trace tests of the Spring Morris Knowles Report 1933, "The flow has been estimated by some authorities to vary from 3,500,000 to 1933 5.4 9.3 2431 4167 6,000,000 gallons per day" 3.5 6.0 Gilbert Associates Inc. report dated 12/29/1955 collected continuous data from 1/4/1955 to 9/1/1955. Graph on last day of data collection nds in a downward 1955 3.1 8.3 1389 3715 2.0 5.35 trend at 2.0 MGD Gilbert Associates Inc. report dated 12/29/1955 stated 1955 3.1 11.3 1389 5056 2.0 7.28 as min and max values from all his sources OPP 1957 water study, which was a summary of all past 1957 3.1 1389 2.0 reports calls 2.0 MGD as never less than value OPP Stormwater Management Training and Education Series

By 1938 the upper Thompson Run Watershed had become fairly developed, but the Walnut Run Watershed was still primarily agriculture. 1938 Land Cover from Orthophotographs OPP Stormwater Management Training and Education Series

The University and State College Borough see a major jump in population after World War II. OPP Stormwater Management Training and Education Series

In 1947/ 48, the University upgraded the Campus storm drainage system installing the 66” along College Ave. OPP Stormwater Management Training and Education Series

The “Duck Pond” severed as an ice skating pond until the late 1950’s. Courtesy Centre Furnace Mansion OPP Stormwater Management Training and Education Series

By the late 1950’s both subwatersheds developed significantly. 1957 Land Cover from Orthophotographs OPP Stormwater Management Training and Education Series

The 1950’s also saw the introduction of powdered clothes washing detergents that included as much as 60% by weight of sodium tripolyphosphate. This source of phosphorus was not removed by typical wastewater treatment. OPP Stormwater Management Training and Education Series

Water quality is said to have deteriorated in Spring Creek in the 1950s including incidents in the Thompson Run Watershed. OPP Stormwater Management Training and Education Series

The University constructed the Breazeale Nuclear Reactor in 1955/ 56, which used the Thompson Spring water for cooling. OPP Stormwater Management Training and Education Series

During dry weather, flows coming out of the University’s 72” storm drain are the reactor return flows. This was the first pipe installed here in 1956/ 57. OPP Stormwater Management Training and Education Series

In the late 195os, the original diversion swale that directed the spring flows around the duck pond was rerouted directly into the duck pond by PennDOT. OPP Stormwater Management Training and Education Series

The 1956 PennDOT design plans still show that the mill race was to be maintained, but that a new channel was constructed to protect the road. OPP Stormwater Management Training and Education Series

The Borough of State College completed its storm drain upgrades along Easterly Parkway in 1959. Courtesy Borough of State College OPP Stormwater Management Training and Education Series

In 1963, the University started the Waste Water Renovation and Conservation Project to investigate the land application of the treated wastewater effluent. OPP Stormwater Management Training and Education Series

In 1964 the University sold the tract of land that Clark Motors built upon, which was part of the 1917 Thompson land purchase. OPP Stormwater Management Training and Education Series

Even though it was clear even at that time that the area was flood plain and that the mill race overtopped. 1949 Areal Photograph OPP Stormwater Management Training and Education Series

In the 1960s, Clasters’ developed the former mill property installing the 72”by 48” CMP which had significantly less capacity than the upslope drainage systems. OPP Stormwater Management Training and Education Series