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Hello partners for water quality!
We have much news to share on progress by state, local, and sector partners to reduce nutrient and sediment pollution and improve water quality in Pennsylvania’s share of the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
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 and make connections with your county team! Also, please share this newsletter with your networks and encourage them to subscribe to receive the newsletter monthly!
— DEP Bureau of Watershed Restoration and Nonpoint Source Management
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DEP Bureau of Watershed Restoration and Nonpoint Source Management (BWRNSM)
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DEP’s BWRNSM Publishes Pennsylvania Nonpoint Source 2024 Annual Report
DEP’s Bureau of Watershed Restoration and Nonpoint Source Management coordinates Pennsylvania’s Nonpoint Source (NPS) Management Program and works with federal, state, and local partners to implement best management practices (BMPs) to restore and protect water quality. The NPS Management Program is funded, in part, by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Section 319(h) of the Clean Water Act, which requires DEP to submit an annual report on statewide NPS management efforts.
BWRNSM staff recently finalized the Pennsylvania Nonpoint Source 2024 Annual Report which summarizes program activities and accomplishments and informs the public and EPA about Pennsylvania’s progress in reducing nonpoint source water pollution for the 2024 federal fiscal year (FFY24). The report highlights NPS management programs and projects that implement the NPS Management Plan and selected Watershed Implementation Plans (WIPs). Highlights include:
- FFY24 pollutant load reductions for sediment, nitrogen, phosphorus, metals, and acidity
- FFY24 implementation data for objectives in Pennsylvania’s NPS Management Plan
- FFY24 NPS funding summaries
- Program and project initiatives featuring information on the Natural Resource Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Environmental Quality Incentives Program, Trout Unlimited’s Agricultural and Abandoned Mine Drainage Technical Assistance Program, Pennsylvania’s VinES (Vested in Environmental Sustainability) Program, and more
- Summaries of activities for 10 DEP-approved WIP watersheds
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Chesapeake Bay Watershed Restoration Division Holds Webinar Wednesday on Integrated Water Quality Report
On September 3, BWRNSM’s Chesapeake Bay Watershed Restoration Division held a Webinar Wednesday session to orient participants to the structures and features of DEP’s Integrated Water Quality Report with a focus on how to use the interactive tools to explore existing assessments. It also provided participants with information on potential updates that will accompany the Draft 2026 Integrated Water Quality Report. Dustin Shull, from DEP’s Bureau of Clean Water, presented the content. The webinar can be found in the Clean Water Academy course: Webinar Wednesday - Integrated Water Quality Report Overview.
Additional webinars are planned for 2025, with topics covering Countywide Action Plan (CAP) agricultural project highlights in October and turfgrass (lawn)-to-meadow conversions in November. Anyone interested in receiving an invitation to the webinars can contact Jim Spatz at jspatz@pa.gov.
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Programs and Projects by Local, State, and Federal Partners
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EPA Chesapeake Bay Program Office Highlights New Monitoring Data
The Chesapeake Bay Program uses a variety of tools to understand the health of the Chesapeake Bay because no one method can give the full picture of how restoration actions are contributing to a cleaner Bay. A robust partnership network of 123 non-tidal monitoring stations, which includes nine RIM stations, gives experts an idea of the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment that is carried by the rivers and streams that make up the Chesapeake watershed. When combined in the Chesapeake Assessment Scenario Tool (CAST), the information collected from these monitoring stations, along with data about land use, septic systems, agricultural practices, wastewater treatment plants, and more, gives experts a more complete understanding of what is impacting the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.
The Monitored and Expected Total Reduction Indicator for the Chesapeake, or METRIC Tool, specifically looks at the non-tidal monitoring stations across the watershed to determine if the data collected matches expected results from partnership models.
Learn more about 2024 Water Year Monitored Results here or download the full results here.
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Table from the USGS Report linked above.
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DEP’s Office of Water Programs Creates Publication About Their Work
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Registration Opens for DEP-Sponsored Aquatic Resource Restoration Conference
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Shapiro Administration Releases First-Ever Comprehensive Trail Data Resource for Pennsylvania State Parks, Helping Hikers and Visitors Experience 1,750 Miles of Trails
On August 27, the Shapiro Administration released the most complete digital trail data resource ever compiled for Pennsylvania state parks, mapping more than 1,750 miles of formal trails across 119 parks. The new digital trail information — now publicly available through the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ (DCNR) Open Data Portal and the Interactive Map — is designed to support everything from outdoor recreation and mobile app development to land management, conservation planning, and emergency response. To build the trail inventory, DCNR staff physically surveyed every state park trail using GPS equipment and a custom-built mobile data collection app.
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Pennsylvania Invests $8.8 Million to Ensure 33 Farms, 2,017 Acres of Prime Farmland in 16 Counties Stay Farms Forever
On August 21, the Shapiro Administration announced that Pennsylvania is investing more than $8.8 million to purchase development rights for 2,017 acres on 33 farms in 16 counties. The joint investment between state and local government protects the farms forever from residential or commercial development, ensuring that Pennsylvania farmers will have the high-quality land they need to continue feeding our families and supporting our economy.
Counties within the Chesapeake Bay watershed that received part of this farmland preservation investment include Cumberland, Dauphin, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lycoming, Schuylkill, and York. Since the Shapiro Administration began, Pennsylvania has invested $134 million to preserve 448 new farms and 37,194 prime acres of farmland across the state.
Pennsylvania continues to lead the nation in preserved farmland. Since 1988, when voters statewide overwhelmingly supported creating the state’s Farmland Preservation Program, Pennsylvania has protected 6,597 farms and 656,568 acres in 58 counties from future development, investing more than $1.7 billion in state, county, and local funds.
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New Farm Certification Rewards Farmers for Commitment to Stewardship
The Pennsylvania Agriculture Conservation Stewardship (PACS) Program is a newly launched certification for farmers who go above and beyond their baseline environmental requirements. This certification was created by the State Conservation Commission to recognize and reward farmers who are the best stewards of their land, and in so doing, will ensure the tracking and rewarding of long-term, voluntary agriculture conservation across all watersheds in Pennsylvania.
Farmers who are interested in becoming PACS certified must complete the application package and work with a qualified verifier who will review farm plans, conduct an on-farm verification of BMPs, and conduct soil sampling (if applicable).
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PACS logo (Provided by the State Conservation Commission).
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DCNR Releases Updated Land and Water Trail Networking Strategic Plan
On September 3, DCNR released their latest Pennsylvania Land and Water Trail Network Strategic Plan. This plan communicates the Commonwealth’s vision to develop a statewide land and water trail network that facilitates recreation, transportation, and healthy lifestyles for all. The plan is built around four key goals and 26 action items that reflect current trail needs, challenges, and opportunities.
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Penn State Extension Hosts Agricultural Workforce Webinar
Penn State Extension is hosting a free webinar, AgWorks: An Overview of the Workforce System in Pennsylvania, on October 2. This webinar will cover how PA CareerLink can save time and money when hiring with no-cost resources for job training, recruitment, and employee retention. An optional second hour will offer real-world scenarios, discussion of practical applications, and a question-and-answer session for deeper engagement with the material. This webinar is open to everyone via an AgWorks grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. As part of the AgWorks grant initiative, no-cost training and consultation services are available to qualifying small- to medium-sized farms and agribusinesses in Pennsylvania.
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Penn State Extension Hosts Best Management Practices Webinar
Penn State Extension is hosting a free webinar on October 10 as part of a Water Quality Insight Series. The webinar titled, Water Quality Insights Series: Best Management Practices 101, explores the role of common BMPs in both urban and agricultural landscapes and addresses the use of research tools and modeling approaches to evaluate stream conditions and measure the effectiveness of these solutions. This session offers a solid foundation for anyone interested in how science guides watershed protection and how individual and community actions contribute to healthier waters.
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View of an agricultural landscape as shown on Penn State Extension's webinar announcement.
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Lancaster Farmland Trust Releases Digital 2024 Annual Report
The Lancaster Farmland Trust (LFT) recently released its 2024 Impact Report in September. The digital annual report highlights the number of farms and acres protected via funds raised by supporters. In addition, it features LFT’s impact on water quality through the completion of BMPs on 11 preserved farms since the beginning of 2024 with another 37 farms currently in the planning, design, engineering, or construction phases of their projects.
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Annual report graphic as shown in Lancaster Farmland Trust's annual report (Provided by Lancaster Farmland Trust).
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Susquehanna Greenway Mini-Grant Program Now Accepting Applications
On September 2, the Susquehanna Greenway Mini-Grant Program opened for application submissions. The deadline to apply is October 31. The Susquehanna Greenway Mini-Grant Program aims to support the advancement of regional outdoor recreation, conservation, and trail projects and programs within the Susquehanna Greenway. An interactive map of the Susquehanna Greenway corridor can be found here. Proposed project eligible categories include: Outreach & Education; Wayfinding & Signage; Parks, Land & Water Trails, and Active Transportation; and Temporary Placemaking.
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A view of the past projects awarded through Susquehanna Greenway's Mini-Grant Program found on their website.
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Pennsylvania Environmental Council Now Accepting PA Water Trails Mini-Grant Applications
On September 2, the Pennsylvania Environmental Council announced the opening of the 2025 PA Water Trails Mini-Grant Cycle. The deadline to apply is October 31. Grants are available on a competitive basis for projects that implement the PA Water Trail Program’s eight guiding principles: Partnership, Stewardship, Volunteerism, Education, Conservation, Community Vitality, Diversity, Wellness and Well-being.
Proposed projects must advance program goals such as: creating recreational opportunities for all Pennsylvanians on water trails; developing trails that support sustainable use of natural resources; increasing and improving physical and psychological access to water trails; and connecting water trails to land trails or to other culturally significant community assets.
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Adams County Completes Substantial Stream Project on Conewago Creek
Adams County Conservation District recently announced the completion of a streambank stabilization and fish habitat improvement project on Conewago Creek. This is Phase II of a large-scale stream improvement project that began last year and that is anticipated to continue through the next two years. The project is located on publicly owned land in partnership with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) and Adams County Trout Unlimited.
Phase II consisted of the installation of 59 in-stream structures and bank grading addressing over 1,350 linear feet of the Conewago Creek. While the project was underway, a group of representatives came out to visit and tour the stream site, including County Commissioners, Pennsylvania State Representatives, PFBC Commissioners, and leadership from the Adams County and Northern Virginia chapters of Trout Unlimited. This completed project has also been showcased on tours that included representatives from DEP, PFBC, and the EPA. The Countywide Action Plan (CAP) Program contributed over $111,000 in funding for this project.
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View of the Conewago Creek with recently installed in-stream structures to stabilize the streambank and improve fish habitat (Provided by Adams County Conservation District).
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Paxton Creek Collaborative MS4 Project Featured Via Storymap
The Paxton Creek Sediment Reduction Project resulted from a collaboration between the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and several Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permittees in the Harrisburg metro area — Capital Region Water (CRW), Lower Paxton Township, and Susquehanna Township. This partnership exemplified the opportunity for communities to partner with each other and with PennDOT to implement water quality improvement projects. This project addressed regulatory compliance but also improved the health of the local watershed, improved the downstream Susquehanna River, and Chesapeake Bay, and brought critical ecosystem benefits to local communities.
A key driver of the initial collaboration was balancing the water quality objectives of both urban and suburban landscapes and strategically locating restoration work in public spaces to benefit the larger community to access restored, ecologically diverse green spaces. Project sites were vetted to maximize their cost efficiencies to generate water quality benefits at the lowest cost possible for the communities and for PennDOT.
The project followed a concept pioneered by PennDOT through a pilot project in York County — the concept of a sediment reduction “credit” within the context of addressing federal and state pollutant reduction mandates. These credits are contracted through innovative ‘design-build-operate-maintain’ procurement, a new set of contracting terms that uses an outcomes-based contracting system well-suited for nature-based infrastructure. Resource Environmental Solutions Team, LLC (RES) provided a solution with fixed, upfront pricing to simplify regulatory compliance in developing a single contract to reduce costs and administrative burdens. When designing their floodplain restoration projects, RES creates additional stormwater storage capacity within the restored floodplain. This increases the amount of wetland within the landscape that treat pollutants while providing a diverse habitat for a variety of beneficial wildlife and plants.
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A view of the opening graphic in the storymap created by RES.
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Huntingdon County Beef Operation Makes Water Quality Improvements
The Dysard farm, a beef cow/calf operation located in Huntingdon County, recently completed improvements to the farm this summer. The project remediated animal concentration areas (ACAs) by installing a new roofed Animal Heavy Use Area (AHUA), a waste storage facility to store manure during the winter months, access roads, roof runoff controls, and underground outlets to collect stormwater and discharge it away from any areas where livestock may congregate. The new facilities support farm efficiency and animal welfare while also supporting water quality goals for the county by minimizing the load of pollutants reaching the Raystown Branch of the Juniata River. The project was completed with assistance from the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and with funding from the Agricultural Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP) as well as from the Southern Alleghenies Countywide Action Plan (CAP) through the Huntingdon County Conservation District.
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A view of the new roofed animal heavy use area constructed on the Dysard farm (Provided by Huntingdon County Conservation District).
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“Pennsylvania has invested in partnerships and projects that reduce pollution and promote clean local waters. The improvements we are seeing at the Susquehanna River Input Monitoring station, which captures all of the freshwater flowing through Pennsylvania's Susquehanna River Basin, proves that what Pennsylvania's residents, farmers, municipalities and businesses are doing is making a difference—not only locally but also to the Chesapeake Bay."
- Jessica Shirley, Secretary, PA Department of Environmental Protection
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Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, 400 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101
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