Montgomery County

Drought, Golf Course Eyed After Huntingdon Valley Creek Dries Up

A small creek behind a golf course in Montgomery County dried up so quickly Thursday that fish got caught squirming for the vanished water as Jennica Nobre and her son came upon them.

"He was like, 'Mom, where's the water? Where are the fish?'" Nobre told NBC10. "And he immediately started crying."

One official with a local environmental group said the disappearance of a portion of Huntingdon Valley Creek near Philmont Country Club likely was caused by a variety of reasons, including the county's new drought designation by the National Weather Service.

Montgomery County was given a "moderate drought" designation Friday, according to the NWS.

David Robertson of the Pennypack Ecological Trust said the drought probably played a role in the creek drying up, but he said the nearby golf course's water usage may have compounded the water problem.

"It hasn't rained in a long time and it's been very hot," Robertson said. "The folks at the country club said because it has been so dry, they've had to irrigate their greens more than they normally have to."

Neighbors met with Philmont officials Friday and Nobre said the club agreed to shut off their irrigation pumps near the creek for a period of time to see if the creek returns.

So now, neighbors like Kerry Swierczynski have to wait.

"Somewhere in this area, my kids wouldn't be able to stand," she said Friday, pointing to a dry creek bed where the water usually is a few feet deep. "The kids were like looking around saying, 'Where'd it all go'?"

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