It’s a north-south v. east-west war of the waterways in Montgomery County, as two local recreational assets vie to become the 2023 Pa. River of the Year. Nate File’s story on the competition was aboard a recent Philadelphia Inquirer edition.
Two of the watercourses on the ballot are the Schuylkill River and the Perkiomen Creek. Each seeks the distinction from the Pa. Organization for Watersheds and Rivers (POWER).
Online voting ends Jan. 18.
Local nonprofits nominated the contenders, whose other entrants are:
- The Conestoga River, which flows through Lancaster County
- The north branch of the Susquehanna River, which wends its way into Pa. from Cooperstown, N.Y.
Nominees were evaluated by efforts in conservation and restoration, as well as the natural asset’s needs.
The nonprofit that nominated the winning waterway will receive a $10,000 grant to fund celebrations of the honor, including a 2023 sojourn.
The Schuylkill is going for its third title, having won in 1999 and 2014.
The Perkiomen’s nominator was the Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy, an organization that leads ongoing conservation efforts for the 14-mile natural resource.
More on the public’s role in choosing the 2023 River of the Year is at The Philadelphia Inquirer.