As interns for the Wildlands Conservancy, our job was to walk the Creek looking for and recording various zones of non-point source pollution. Non-point source pollution is defined as pollution that does not come from a specific source, but instead finds a cumulative effect along the length of the waterway. Examples of this type of pollution include fertilizer runoff from agricultural fields or domestic lawn care, seepage from septic systems, and oil and salt runoff from parking lots or roads. One of the most effective means of lessening the negative effects of this type of pollution is a good riparian buffer, an area of dense vegetation separating the creek from adjacent land use. These areas act as natural filters for incoming water. Towards this end, we recorded industrial, residential, and parkland areas, or agricultural fields where there were poor or no riparian buffers. Also recorded were items such as dams, stromwater drains, trash, construction, eroded banks, domesticated animals, and sediment build-ups. 

We recorded these features with a differential Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver. The U.S. Department of Defense developed GPS as a worldwide navigation and positioning resource for both military and civil use. It utilizes twenty-four satellites orbiting the Earth. The hand-held receiver obtains signals from satellites and can then calculate the latitude and longitude of specific places on Earth. 

After we collected these positions in the field, we transferred the data into a personal computer using pathfinder software that allowed differential correction of the points. We then exported the corrected data into the ArcView GIS (Geographic Information System) software. This program enables the creation of a map of the non-point source pollution potentials which can be overlaid with various other data sets (e.g. roads, soils, geology, landuse) upon a previously constructed base map of the Jordan Creek Watershed. The map will be included in the final report given to the DEP and DCNR to illustrate areas of the watershed that need attention and could be better managed.