New Plan Outlines Statewide, Regional Water Priorities

As demand grows for Pennsylvania’s water resources, the Commonwealth is offering comprehensive recommendations to help policymakers balance the demands of competing interests while protecting the quality and supply of water for residents and businesses, Environmental Protection Acting Secretary John Hanger said today.
The plan was approved and adopted by Acting Secretary Hanger at the recommendation of the Statewide Water Resources Committee. Representatives of the regional and statewide committees that created the plan following five years of public meetings throughout the state were are the ceremony in Harrisburg.
“The state water plan represents years of exhaustive and difficult work, and provides Pennsylvanians with a vision, goals and recommendations for meeting the challenges of sustainable water use over the next 15 years,” Hanger said. “Each region came to the table with its own priorities–protecting drinking water supplies, creating jobs, avoiding devastating floods, reducing mine drainage, and ensuring well thought out plans for how to use the land—but the statewide committee was able to craft a document that takes into account these many conflicting priorities and demands.”(click here for full announcement)