PA Environment Digest Blog: Headwaters To The Ohio Water Network Launches Assessment Of Needs Of Community-Based Watershed Groups And Leaders; Seeks Partners In PA

The Headwaters to the Ohio Water Networks has launched a needs assessment study to strengthen the work of watershed groups throughout the headwaters of the Ohio River to ensure we have the clean water to drink, bathe and play promised us.

Pennsylvania is one of only three states that have a constitutional right to a healthy environment.

In PA, our constitution reads: “The people have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic, and esthetic values of the environment. Pennsylvania's public natural resources are the common property of all the people, including

generations yet to come. As trustee of these resources, the Commonwealth shall conserve and maintain them for the benefit of all the people.”

Our first step in this journey is to look at the source water in Greene, Fayette, Somerset, Washington, Westmoreland, Cambria, Indiana, Armstrong, Allegheny, Beaver, Lawrence, Mercer, Butler, and Clarion.

Within these counties we have over 6,660 miles of impaired streams.

We recognized that community-based water organizations are our first line defense to protect our water.

The Network would like to document their good work and with this data develop a program to help improve the source water in the region.

The Water Network has commissioned Downstream Strategies to reach out to these groups that are monitoring or maintaining these streams to understand their activities, their strengths, and needs.

Groups can contact Kasey Osbourne at kosborne@downstreamstrategies.com for more information.

The Allegheny and Monongahela river watersheds in Western Pennsylvania are the headwaters of the Ohio River. Those rivers come together at The Point in Pittsburgh to form the Ohio River.

Visit the Headwaters to the Ohio Water Networks website for more information on initiatives, upcoming events and how you can become involved. Follow them on Facebook.

The Network is a collaborative effort to promote sustainable water management practices and protect the water resources of the Upper Ohio River Basin.

Our vision is to create a more sustainable and resilient water future in the region by working together with government agencies, nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, and community groups.

We believe that water is a vital resource for the region's economic, social, and environmental well-being, and our goal is to provide access to clean and safe water for all residents of the region.

Related Articles This Week - Watersheds:

-- Chesapeake Bay Executive Council, Including Gov. Shapiro Announce Plans To Revise Watershed Agreement, Form New Agricultural Advisory Committee [PaEN]

-- DEP Awards $24 Million In Grants To Support County Clean Water Projects To Improve Water Quality In Chesapeake Bay Watershed [PaEN]

-- Coalition For The Delaware River Watershed, National Fish & Wildlife Foundation Announce $17 Million In Grants To Enhance The Health Of The Delaware River Watershed [PaEN]

-- Friends Of The Wissahickon Mark Completion Of $3.5 Million Valley Green Run Restoration & Pedestrian Bridge Project [PaEN]

-- PA Sea Grant Now Accepting Research Proposals To Enhance Use, Conservation Of PA's Coastal, Watershed And Great Lakes Resources; Jan. 15 Webinar [PaEN]

-- Penn State Extension Center For Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training Hosts Jan. 22 Webinar On Safeguarding Private Drinking Water Sources [PaEN]

-- USGS PA Water Science Center Fall Newsletter: Pesticide Sampling; Philadelphia Water Resources Tool; Sampling For PFAS Contamination; Addressing Microplastics Science Gaps [PaEN]

-- Vote Now For Pennsylvania's 2025 River Of The Year Among 3 Finalists-- Delaware River, Perkiomen Creek, Youghiogheny River [PaEN]

NewsClips:

-- PA Capital-Star: Shapiro Joins Governors In Renewed Commitment To Chesapeake Bay Cleanup

-- LancasterOnline: Lancaster Conservation District Receives $5.9 Million For Chesapeake Bay Watershed Pollution Reduction