|
|
|
Hello partners for water quality!We have much news to share on recent progress by state, local, and sector partners to improve water quality by reducing nutrient and sediment pollution in Pennsylvania waterways that eventually flow to the Chesapeake Bay.
For more details on Pennsylvania’s Phase 3 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Implementation Plan (Phase 3 WIP) and Countywide Action Planning, visit the Phase 3 WIP website. For a broader educational look at nutrient and sediment pollution in local streams, rivers, and lakes in the watershed, including tips and success stories, visit Healthy Waters, Healthy Communities.
Please consider how you might join in or help support this work. Check out each county’s Phase 3 WIP Countywide Action Plan (CAP) and make connections with your county team! Also, please share this newsletter with your networks, and encourage them to subscribe!
— DEP Bureau of Watershed Restoration and Nonpoint Source Management
| |
|
DEP Bureau of Watershed Restoration and Nonpoint Source Management (BWRNSM)
| |
Webinars on Grant Updates and Strategic Planning for Project Implementation
DEP BWRNSM recently hosted two webinars — one on March 18 to discuss grant updates and one on April 1 to discuss data layers and tools to inform project implementation. The March 18 webinar covered updates to various grant programs including the Countywide Action Plan (CAP) Program, Growing Greener Plus, and Section 319. The CAP portion of the webinar also featured explanations of tools meant to aid CAP Coordinators in tracking grant spending and to aid in sharing information about their county’s CAP. The latter portion of the webinar featured information related to other grants including Section 319, Growing Greener, and the Agriculture Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP). A recording of the March 18 webinar is available on DEP’s Pennsylvania Clean Water Academy.
The April 1 webinar featured information on geomorphon data layers that can be viewed to provide insight on project implementation. This data, along with other mapping tools and layers, were presented during the session in a discussion of watershed restoration tools involving stream channel alterations. A recording of the April 1 webinar is available on DEP’s Pennsylvania Clean Water Academy.
| |
|  |
A screenshot from the webinar illustrating elevation mapping data andanalysis providing insight into geologic and hydrologic alterations of stream channels.
| |
| | |
Programs and Projects by Local, State, and Federal Partners
| |
Chesapeake Bay Foundation Promotes Regenerative Agricultural Practices Through Grant Award
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) was recently announced as a recipient of a $939,700 grant awarded through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s (NFWF) Chesapeake Small Watersheds Grant (SWG) Program. The award, combined with an additional $267,800 in funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, will enhance adoption of conservation technologies throughout Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. The CBF plans to enhance adoption of conservation technologies by using education, capacity building, and targeted case studies demonstrating agricultural management solutions capable of enhancing economic viability and environmental performance. The project will implement nearly 1,700 acres of agricultural conservation practices, including managed grazing and riparian forest buffers.
| |
Shapiro Administration Invests Additional $15.2 Million in 15 Abandoned Mine Land Projects
On March 12, the Shapiro Administration announced the investment of $15.2 million for the environmental restoration of 15 abandoned mine land projects as part of the Abandoned Mine Land and Abandoned Mine Drainage Grant Program. Pennsylvania has the largest inventory of abandoned coal mines in the nation, with a roughly $5 billion need for reclamation and stream restoration. The awarded projects will address treatment systems, sludge management, disposal, and land reclamation efforts throughout Pennsylvania. Nine of the awarded projects are located within Pennsylvania’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
| |
Shapiro Administration Invests $5.5 Million to Improve Waterways and Help Farmers Increase Economic Output and Improve Environmental Health
On March 26, the Shapiro Administration announced the investment of more than $5.5 million to improve soil and water quality while making farms more environmentally and economically sustainable within the Susquehanna River basin. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) awarded 16 farms with $392,119 in Sustainable Agriculture Grants, and six conservation organizations with $5.1 million in Public Private Partnership Grants — both funded through competitive federal funding to PDA through the Pennsylvania Most Effective Basins program. The program is a partnership among federal and state government and the private sector to support Pennsylvania in achieving its water quality goals for the agricultural sector under the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) and Pennsylvania's Phase 3 WIP.
| |
|  |
Nathan Drager (center) and Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding (second from left) discuss the trees Drager planted on his 50-acre Lancaster County farm in Marietta. Drager will receive a $20,965 grant enabling him to add 300 trees to his operation, expanding existing silvopasture.
| |
| | |
Shapiro Administration Invests More than $10.2 Million to Preserve 2,645 Acres of Prime Farmland in 20 Counties
On April 9, the Shapiro Administration announced that Pennsylvania is investing more than $10.2 million to purchase development rights for 2,645 acres on 31 farms in 20 counties, protecting them from future residential or commercial development and continuing the Administration’s support of one of Pennsylvania’s key industries. Pennsylvania leads the nation in preserved farmland. Since 1988, when voters statewide overwhelmingly supported creating the state’s Farmland Preservation Program, Pennsylvania has protected 6,704 farms and 665,585 acres in 58 counties from future development, investing more than $1.84 billion in state, county, and local funds.
| |
DEP Hosts Climate Conversations
DEP is hosting workshops called Climate Conversations throughout Spring 2026. These workshops are part of the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program and help shape Pennsylvania’s future Climate Action Plan. Each session includes an opening listening discussion where community members can share concerns and ideas about climate change, followed by a short presentation on Pennsylvania’s Climate Action Plan and available resources. Input received will help guide long-term strategies to reduce emissions, prepare for climate hazards, and support local action.
| |
Water Resource Restoration Videos Available
The Bureau of Waterways Engineering and Wetlands, Division of Wetlands, Encroachment, and Training (DWET) recently created a course on DEP’s Pennsylvania Clean Water Academy to deliver videos and downloadable presentations from the Pennsylvania Aquatic Resource Restoration Conference, held March 3-4 in partnership with DWET’s Waterways and Wetlands Restoration Workgroup. As part of DWET’s initiative to provide higher quality learning material, video and audio recordings of 28 presenters have been edited and uploaded to the Presentations section of the course, with more being added over the next few weeks. Downloadable presentations have also been added to the Resources section of the course. The course can be found on DEP’s Pennsylvania Clean Water Academy.
Additionally, DWET expanded the availability of an educational watershed resource restoration video in collaboration with Commonwealth University. Previously hosted only by DEP’s Pennsylvania Clean Water Academy, this video is now more widely available on YouTube titled, “Restoration of Watershed Resources.” This video addresses the critical importance of watershed resource restoration, a vital component in sustaining ecological health, improving human safety, supporting wildlife, enabling recreation, and providing clean water for communities.
| |
|  |
A screenshot from the Restoration of Watershed Resources video nowavailable on the PA Clean Water Academy and YouTube.
| |
| | |
Partners in Water Quality Gather to Stock Trout
On March 27, representatives from DEP, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC), and the Kettle Creek Watershed Association gathered in Cross Fork, on the boarder of Clinton and Potter Counties, to participate in a trout stocking event while also taking time to mark the importance of water quality partnerships. The gathering occurred along Kettle Creek at a site where a Growing Greener project led to restoration of nearly 1,500 feet of eroding stream bank and 1,500 feet of riparian forest buffer. The project highlighted the partnerships needed for implementation, with project sponsor Trout Unlimited receiving assistance from PFBC, NFWF, and others. This project is estimated to be reducing the pollutant load in local waters by 52,000 pounds of sediment, 70 pounds of nitrogen, and 26 pounds of phosphorus pollution annually. Participants remarked that this project along with many others done in partnership make a collective positive impact on local water quality.
| |
|  |
Representatives gathered to mark the importance of partnerships along Kettle Creek (Provided byDonna LeSchander).
| |
| | |
|  |
Volunteers transfer stocked trout from buckets to sections of Kettle Creek (Provided by Donna LeSchander).
| |
| | |
Lancaster Conservancy Accepting Applications for Susquehanna Riverlands Conservation Landscape Mini-Grant Program
The Lancaster Conservancy and its partners are accepting applications through July 1 for the 2026 Susquehanna Riverlands Conservation Landscape (SRCL) Mini-Grant Program. The program provides small competitive grants for projects that address components of the Susquehanna Riverlands Strategic Plan including: habitat and trail connectivity; public access to the Susquehanna River and its surrounding natural lands; community partnership and collaboration; and ecosystem health. Applications that may be a good fit for this program, as well as funds from The Lancaster Clean Water Partners’ Clean Water Fund through improvement to Lancaster’s water quality, can apply for both in one application.
| |
Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts Offers Ag Plan Reimbursement Funds
The Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts (PACD) was awarded a $1,000,000 grant from the Pennsylvania State Conservation Commission (SCC) to offer an Ag Plan Reimbursement Program over the course of two years. Applications for farming operations in multiple watersheds, including the Chesapeake Bay, are being accepted on an ongoing basis. Priority will be given to agricultural plans being developed for either a preserved farm or acres that are being considered for easement sale through the Farmland Preservation Program. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing, first-come, first-served basis with a deadline of June 30 or when all funds are spent.
| |
Western Pennsylvania Conservancy Offers Riparian Restoration Tree Planting Funding
The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC), through funding provided by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Community Conservation Partnership Program, is offering funding to plant riparian buffers throughout western and central Pennsylvania. WPC plans to plant 75 acres of unforested riparian areas with approximately 15,000 trees through 2027.
Funding covers the cost of a variety of trees and shrubs native to Pennsylvania, tree protection materials, and labor to plant the trees.
Project implementation will be on a first-come, first-planted basis with applications open year-round through June 2027.
| |
Before and after photo of a riparian buffer installed
at Yellow Creek State Park (Provided by WPC).
| |
Lebanon County Advances Clean Water Efforts Supporting Agricultural Conservation with Funding Award
The Lebanon County Conservation District (LCCD) is advancing a major effort to protect local waterways through the implementation of agricultural best management practices across Lebanon County. LCCD was awarded $900,000 in funding through the NFWF Chesapeake SWG Program. These funds, along with $280,000 in matching funds from ACAP and the Conservation Excellence Grant (CEG) Program, will lead to a total project investment of $1.18 million for conservation work.
This initiative focuses on reducing nonpoint source pollution — runoff from farms that can carry nutrients, sediment, and other pollutants into nearby streams. To address this, the project will support farmers in adopting effective conservation practices such as planting cover crops to reduce soil erosion, using manure injection to limit nutrient runoff, installing streambank fencing to keep livestock out of waterways, and improving barnyard management systems. Together, these practices help stabilize streambanks, enhance soil health, and prevent excess nutrients from entering freshwater systems. The result is cleaner water, healthier ecosystems, and more sustainable agricultural operations.
By working directly with the agricultural community, this project highlights how conservation and farming can work hand in hand. The effort will deliver lasting benefits for local streams, wildlife, and the broader Chesapeake Bay watershed.
| |
Perry County Farmer Receives Funding and Technical Support to Make Farm Improvements
Sheldon Nolt, a dairy and feed producer with property located in the Shermans Creek watershed of Perry County, recently made conservation upgrades to his operation. Those improvements came through support he received from ACAP and the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) along with about $67,000 of support from CAP funding.
Nolt worked with Perry County Conservation District and Natural Resources Conservation Service professionals to install a heavy use area protection to stabilize high-traffic areas, a barnyard stormwater management through concrete and waste capture improvements, and a slurry-manure storage system.
The upgrades will help to limit nutrient pollution from manure and sediment that previously would have been carried by stormwater runoff into local waters. In addition to the environmental benefit, Nolt noted that the improvements have helped to better manage farm operations, including reducing the frequency of manure hauling.
| |
|  |
Manure storage facility (Photocredit: Sarah Swope).
| |
| | |
York County’s Watershed Alliance of York Completes First Phase of Legacy Sediment Project with Additional Work to Follow
Last year, the Watershed Alliance of York (WAY), working with LandStudies, began construction of a legacy sediment project to restore 4,500 feet of stream, 10 acres of floodplain, and seven acres of historical floodplain wetlands. The project is located at the site of the former Lake Lehman dam, which was since breached and drained. The draining of the lake led to an unstable stream system transporting legacy sediment downstream.
WAY phased this large $2.6 million project and received a bid from Flyway Excavating as the lowest responsible bidder. They began Phase 1 construction in the summer of 2025. Work was completed in October resulting in 9.2 acres of riparian forest buffer, 2.5 acres of restored floodplains/wetlands, and 1,220 feet of existing stream channel restored with legacy sediment removed. The Phase 1 work was funded through various sources including the York County Conservation District, PFBC, the Kinsley Foundation, the Warehime Foundation, the York County Community Foundation, and CAP, which provided $1,098,360 in funds. Phase 2 is anticipated to be completed in 2026 with Phase 3 following in 2027.
| |
|  |
Steep, eroding banks prior tothe start of the project (Provided by the York County Planning Commission).
| |
| | |
|  |
Stabilized banks andreconnected floodplain benefiting groundwater connections and pollutantreduction following Phase 1 construction (Provided by the York County PlanningCommission).
| |
| | |
“What farmers do and how they do it matters. Pennsylvania has long been a national leader in conservation of farmland and the soil and water resources we all depend on. That leadership is reflected in the expectations the federal government places on our farmers to improve the Chesapeake Bay's water quality. But in federal models that measure progress, our farmers don't always get credit for the work they are doing toward those goals. These grants are both an acknowledgement of Pennsylvania's leadership, and a tool that will help sustain their farms, and help give them the credit they deserve for improving the quality of life for our entire region.”
- Russell Redding, Secretary PA Department of Agriculture
| |
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, 400 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
