The Schuylkill Valley region consists of the 1,890-square mile Schuylkill River Watershed in Pennsylvania, stretching from its headwaters in Schuylkill County to the City of Philadelphia in the southeast. Primarily forested and mountainous in its northeastern reaches, the region overall is characterized by rolling topography and a patchwork landscape of farms and woodlands that are densely veined with streams. This region is increasingly dominated by residential and commercial development as it approaches Philadelphia. Approximately 1.75 million people get their drinking water from the Schuylkill River or its tributaries, making threats to water quality a critical issue not only for ecosystem health, but also for the human population. Pollution resulting from a legacy of coal mining, farm runoff, increasing stormwater resulting from development, industry and wastewater are major sources of concern in this region.