The 2022 State Water Plan update was announced in January 2023 after an extensive series of advisory committee meetings and public input. Act 220 of 2002 requires the Plan to be updated every five years.
The Plan is intended to inform decision making and educate all Pennsylvanians on sustainable use and stewardship of our lakes, rivers, streams, and groundwater.
Because Pennsylvania is home to diverse hydrological, geological, and topographical regions, the plan divides Pennsylvania into six distinctive water planning regions: the Great Lakes, Upper/Middle Susquehanna, Lower Susquehanna, Potomac, Ohio, and Delaware river basins.
For each region, the plan identifies unique needs, such as better understanding of how land use affects water resources, climate change resiliency, headwater habitat protection, and others. Actions are recommended to meet these needs.
The 2022 Plan includes 100 actions be continued, expanded on, or initiated in:
-- Floodplain and stormwater management
-- Water withdrawal
-- Water efficiency
-- Legacy impacts from coal mining and oil and gas wells
-- Drinking water and wastewater treatment
-- Contaminants of emerging concern
-- Agricultural nonpoint source pollution
-- Waterway navigability.
A Digital Water Atlas StoryMap is part of the 2023 State Water Plan to present data on statewide water resources, use trends and a wealth of other information.
Advisory Committee Schedule
DEP has scheduled in-person/virtual advisory committee meetings on-
-- October 7: Delaware Water Resources Regional Advisory Committee, Norristown, 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
-- October 9: Potomac Water Resources Regional Advisory Committee, Gettysburg, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
-- October 16: Lower Susquehanna Regional Advisory Committee, Harrisburg, 9:00 to 11:00 a.m.
-- October 21: Ohio Water Resources Regional Advisory Committee, Greensburg, 1:00 to 2:30 p.m.
-- October 22: Great Lakes Water Resources Advisory Committee, Erie, 9:00 to 11:30 a.m.
-- October 23: Upper/Middle Susquehanna Regional Water Resources Advisory Committee, Williamsport, 9:00 to 11:30 a.m.
-- October 28: DEP Statewide Water Resources Advisory Committee, Harrisburg, 1:00 to 3:30 p.m.
Visit DEP's Regional Advisory Committees webpage for more details, agendas and meeting materials [when available].
Seeking New Members
Advisory committee membership terms are three years in length for a regional committee and four years for the statewide committee.
If you’re interested in serving on a Regional Advisory Committee, please contact James Horton in the DEP Interstate Water Resources Management at jahorton@pa.gov or (717) 772-1100 for further details.
Visit DEP's PA State Water Plan webpage for more information. James Horton at ra-statewaterplan@pa.gov or (717) 772-1100.
Resource Links:
-- DEP Releases Final 2022 Pennsylvania State Water Plan, Digital Atlas Of Water Resources And Use [PaEN]
-- Chesapeake Bay Journal - Ad Crable: Pennsylvania's State Water Plan Points To New Challenges [PaEN]
Related Articles This Week - Watersheds
-- PA Council Of Trout Unlimited: Healing The West Branch Of The Susquehanna River, The Sum Of Its Parts - By Ben Moyer, President, Chestnut Ridge TU Chapter [PaEN]
-- Penn State EarthTalk Sept. 15 - Turning Abandoned Mine Drainage Into Sources Of Critical Minerals, Rare Earth Elements [PaEN]
-- Westmoreland Conservation District Recognizes Terry Matty As Farmer Of The Year, John N. Ward With J. Roy Houston Conservation Partnership Award [PaEN]
-- Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership: Heather's Healing Connection With Her Late Mother Is Taking Root In Her Harrisburg Backyard [PaEN]
-- Call For Proposals: Bucknell University 20th Annual River Symposium Nov. 7-8 [PaEN]
-- Penn State Extension 4-Part Pennsylvania Forest Webinar Series Starts Sept. 9 With Managing Unwanted Vegetation; Other Educational Opportunities [PaEN]
-- Amy Brown Named Executive Director of PA Association of Conservation Districts [PaEN]
NewsClips:
-- Indiana Gazette: Rosebud, Robindale Mining Honored By PA Coal Alliance During Recent Mine Safety, Reclamation Award Event
-- Indiana Gazette: Robindale Mining Site After Reclamation
-- Republican Herald: Project To Fix Abandoned Mine Lands, Stream In Branch & Reilly Townships, Schuylkill County Advances With DEP Grant [PDF of Article]
-- North Branch Land Trust/Eastern PA Coalition For Abandoned Mine Reclamation: Sept. 27 Natural Tie Dye - Iron Oxide Pigments From Local Mine Drainage, Picton Wildlife Sanctuary, Luzerne County, Noon to 2:00 p.m.
-- Delaware Currents: Concerns About Water, Power Demands Surface As A.I. Data Centers Boom In Delaware River Watershed
-- Middle Susquehanna RiverKeeper Blog: Susquehanna River Basin Commission - A.I. Data Centers Can Require A Lot More Water Than People Realize, Where It Comes From, Who It Impacts Are Key Variables Toward Success
-- Post-Gazette: Chesapeake Bay ‘Champion’ The Late David Schulte From Beaver County Is Honored For His Work As A Federal Marine Biologist
-- TribLive Editorial: Laurels To Mountain Watershed Assn. Waterway Cleanup Efforts
-- Chesapeake Bay Program: Historic Number Of Trees Planted In Bay Watershed Committees In 2024, Overall Tree Canopy Declines Across The Region
-- Williamsport Sun: DCNR, Willsboro Parks, Western PA Conservancy Community Tree Workshops Offered Sept. 24 In Wellsboro, Tioga County
-- Middle Susquehanna RiverKeeper Blog: Nearly 50 People Learn About Importance Of Riparian Buffers, Plants During Floating Classroom In Williamsport
-- Middle Susquehanna RiverKeeper Blog: Plant ID Walk Kicks Off September Community Science Bioblitz At Centre County’s Musser Gap Greenway
-- Horn Farm Center For Agricultural Education Sept. 18-21 Paw Pam Festival, York County
-- PittsburghUnionProgress.com: Freshwater Mussels Making A Comeback In SW PA Waters: The ‘Livers Of The Rivers’
-- Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center Alum Celia Graef Establishing School-Based Agricultural Education Program In Ghana
[Posted: September 12, 2025] PA Environment Digest
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