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The Brandywine Valley Association restores local waterways like no other.
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Centuries ago, the Vikings used to shout angrily at their ales in an effort to wake up the spirit within. Thankfully, that’s no longer in vogue. But today’s brewers still employ the same four primary ingredients—barley, hops, yeast and water—that make up every mug of beer poured.
Water might seem unimportant to the brewing process, but it’s not. Essentially, 90 percent of beer is comprised of it. And without great water, you can’t make great beer.
Over at Victory Brewing Company in Downingtown, Prima Pils has long been recognized for its true German character and firm, hoppy bite. Last summer, in an issue of ForbesLife magazine, Prima Pils was saluted as one of the finest “cold beers you could love,” alongside a cluster of Euro brands.
Victory’s water-use ratio is 7:1—that’s the total volume used for each volume of beer produced. They get their water from the east branch of the Brandywine Creek (or river), and the quality continues to improve. For that, they have the Brandywine Valley Association’s extensive watershed restoration efforts to thank.
The BVA gives its 800 members and crowds of volunteers the opportunity to clean up local waterways. And the hands-on scientific research involved has turned many of them into creek advocates and activists.
Victory is helping to create greater awareness by partnering with the BVA on the Brandywine Hills Point-to-Point steeplechase races scheduled for April 5, as well as a September music festival held at the Myrick Conservation Center outside West Chester.
“We’re all seeing the great improvement,” says Bill Covelski, president and co-founder of Victory. “The public acceptance of our products is a reflection of the pure water we use. The quality and accessibility to that water was key in our decision to locate here.”
Water is our single most important resource, and it’s usually taken for granted. When it’s clean, it’s the cornerstone of healthy communities. Its value and importance to people, plants, fish and wildlife are impossible to overstate.
A watershed is a land area that collects or stores water and drains it into a stream, river, estuary or ocean. Imagine a drop of water falling from the sky. It falls on a hill, then flows down, eventually ending up at the point of lowest elevation, filtering into the ground or flowing into a body of water—in this case, Brandywine Creek.
If you live in the Brandywine watershed, you probably get your drinking water from an underground well that taps an aquifer deep below the surface. Otherwise, your water comes from pipes underground that begin at a water treatment facility, which gets its water from Brandywine Creek and underground sources.
Rich in cultural and historical heritage, Brandywine Creek has long played a key role in the economic development and quality of life in Chester and New Castle counties. The 60-mile stream is the primary water source for residential and commercial use in communities like Coatesville, Downingtown, West Chester and Wilmington. It also offers residents and visitors alike ideal spots to fish for rainbow trout, small- and large-mouth bass, bluegill and carp. It’s also a popular haven for those who enjoy canoeing, sailing, swimming or simply taking in the waterway’s natural beauty.
BVA member Fred Smith of Downingtown helped organize a spring creek clean-up with 25-30 employees from Arcelor-Mittal, the world’s leading steel company. In two years, the debris they collected filled one-and-a-half large dumpsters over a 1-mile stretch near its plant in Coatesville.
“Many of the volunteers were here both years, so they were amazed to see the difference the second year,” says Smith. “Some were serious fishermen, so they know firsthand the improvements of the water quality.”
Others enjoyed the beauty of canoeing on a summer day, recalls Smith. “Many brought their teenage kids, so we were able to build knowledge for future generations,” he says.
