Valley Creek
Meandering through History
Valley Creek flows through the historic Village of Valley Forge to its confluence with the Schuykill River, just downstream of this point. Once the primary source of water and power for a bustling town, it now is one of the park’s most important natural resources. It is designated as an Exceptional Value Watershed and a Class A Wild Trout Fishery – remarkable qualities in such an urbanized region.
Valley Creek is cleaner than at any time in the last 300 years. Threats to the creek have changed over time. Once polluted by raw sewage and toxic chemicals, today sediment and warm temperatures degrade aquatic habitat, a result of paving and building on lands upstream of the park. With less open land where rainwater can sink in, there are increasingly frequent and intense floods. Floodwaters are warm, contain sediment from collapsing stream banks, and wash in roadway pollutants such as oil. Raging waters also wash out archeological resources along the creek, and even threaten the Covered Bridge and Washington’s Headquarters.
Marker is on Valley Creek Road, on the left when traveling north.
Courtesy hmdb.org
