Draft Bay Agreement
The Chesapeake Bay Program announced that the public feedback period for the draft revised Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement will be available from Tuesday, July 1, 2025, to Monday, September 1, 2025.
The draft revised Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement updates the document that was signed in 2014 by the Chesapeake Executive Council-- governors of the six watershed states, mayor of Washington, D.C., administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency on behalf of the federal government, and the chair of the tri-state, legislative Chesapeake Bay Commission.
The original 10 goals have been simplified into four: Thriving Habitats and Wildlife, Clean Water, Healthy Landscapes, and Engaged Communities. Thirty-one outcomes have been streamlined into 21 outcomes; each with relevant targets that will help advance watershed restoration. Read more here.
Juniata County Farm Restoration
Representatives from DEP, the PA Association of Conservation Districts, the Juniata County Conservation District, the State Conservation Commission, the state Department of Agriculture, and others took time to recognize the conservation work accomplished at Charvin Organic Farms in Mifflintown, Juniata County.
Elvin Ranck, owner of Charvin Farms, worked with the Juniata County Conservation District, the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, Organic Valley, PDA, and DEP on the conservation projects, with funding from state, federal, and non-governmental organization sources to install several features on the farm that are reducing runoff pollution to the headwater streams that flow nearby.
These projects include forested grass buffers alongside the streams and a manure storage barn to keep rain from washing cow and pig manure into the waterways.
Mine Reclamation Efforts
The Chesapeake Bay Program recently highlighted acid mine drainage (AMD) as an important effort in whole watershed restoration related to water quality and habitat quality.
The Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee recently posted an updated final report noting the importance of addressing AMD for nutrients titled, “Nutrient Reductions as Co-Benefit of Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) Treatment: Quantifying Nutrient Load Reductions for Restored Stream Segments in AMD-impacted Watersheds.”
The AMD report was also the focus of June’s Chesapeake Research Consortium Roundtable, A River Runs Orange: Acid Mine Drainage in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, which explored the origins, impacts, and remediation strategies for AMD pollution.
Lebanon County Wetlands Restoration
In the spring, work wrapped up on a 15-acre wetland restoration project on the property of Randy Leisure, a long-time conservation advocate and former Lebanon Conservation District Chairperson.
The project was completed through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Wetlands Reserve Easement Program (WRE). Leisure first heard about the WRE program through a PACD regional meeting and thought it would be a good fit.
Lancaster County Launches New Water Quality Dashboard
The Lancaster County Conservation District has launched a groundbreaking online dashboard, offering the public a one-stop-shop to explore Best Management Practice (BMP) and water quality data throughout the county.
This is the first publicly available mapping tool of its kind to display local BMP data from the DEP’s Data Warehouse.
Natural Lands Massive Tree-Planting
On June 17, 2025, Natural Lands announced a massive tree-planting effort was completed recently at the organization’s Peacedale Preserve in Landenberg, Chester County, Pennsylvania. The conservation non-profit planted 11,020 native species along waterways and across 36 acres of former fields.
109-Acre Lycoming County Conservation Easement
This spring, the Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy worked with landowners to complete a conservation easement on a 109-acre property in Lycoming County. The land sits on the south side of Batys Mountain and is home to a healthy mix of oak, hickory, and maple trees, along with patches of Eastern hemlock and white pine.
Other Articles
-- Foundation For Pennsylvania Watershed Accepting Grants In August
-- Chesapeake Bay Trust Green Infrastructure Grants Awarded
-- Heavy Precipitation Highlights Importance of Soil Disturbance Reduction
-- Back Creek Floodplain Restoration In Franklin County
-- Lancaster Water Week Celebrates Clean Water, Community Action
-- Penn State Extension Webinar Connecting Farmers To Resources To Build Resilience
-- Penn State Extension Consulting, Workforce Training Available To Farms, Agribusinesses
-- Clean Water Academy Riparian Buffer Program Webinar Available
-- Chesapeake Bay Program Releases High- and Hyper-Resolution Land Cover, Water Data
-- Kristen Wolf Retires After 25 Years of State Service
Click Here to read the entire newsletter. Click Here to sign up for your own copy.
Visit DEP’s Chesapeake Bay Watershed webpage to learn more about cleaning up rivers and streams in Pennsylvania's portion of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Click Here to sign up for regular updates on Pennsylvania’s progress.
How Clean Is Your Stream?
The draft 2024 report has an interactive report viewer that allows you to zoom in to your own address to see if the streams near you are impaired and why.
Click Here to check out your streams. Click Here for a tutorial on using the viewer.
(Photo: Celebration of farm conservation collaboration in Juniata County.)
Related Articles This Week:
-- PA Association Of Conservation Districts Recognizes County Conservationists [PaEN]
-- Master Watershed Steward Rose Johnson Brings A Green Thumb To Philadelphia Rain Garden [PaEN]
-- Center For Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training Hosts In-Person Workshops On Identification Of On-Farm Resource Concerns & Implementing Conservation Practices Aug. 19-21, Sept. 16-18 [PaEN]
-- Delaware RiverKeeper Network: Now On-Demand - 2025 Watershed Congress Presentations [PaEN]
NewsClips:
-- Echo-Pilot: Franklin Conservation District Manager Dave Stoner Wins PACD Employee Excellence Award
-- LandStudies: Ripple Effect - 9 Years Of Lancaster Water Week Partnership Highlighting Watershed Restoration Projects
-- Reading Eagle: Antietam Valley Community Partnership Holds Lake Cleanup At Carsonia Park In Berks County
-- Altoona Mirror: Blair County Stormwater Committee Awards Contract For Floodplain Restoration Project On Beaverdam Branch Of Juniata River
-- Middle Susquehanna RiverKeeper Blog: Proactive Williamsport Project Maps Extensive Network Of Stormwater Outfalls
-- Middle Susquehanna RiverKeeper Blog: New GIS Mapping Tool Helps Emphasize Importance Of Groundwater Recharge, Helps Landowners With Decision Making
-- Middle Susquehanna RiverKeeper Blog: Families Learn About Water Chemistry, Aquatic Health Through Hands-On Floating Classroom
-- Middle Susquehanna RiverKeeper Blog: Students Fish, Kayak, Study Pond Life During West Branch HERYN Program At Bald Eagle State Forest
-- Mountain Watershed Assn.: DEP Issues Violation To Highlands Sporting Clays For Lead Contamination Of Blue Hole Creek In Somerset County
-- York Daily Record: Lower Susquehanna RiverKeeper Notice Of Intent To Sue J&K Salvage Alleging Pollution Of Codorus Creek
[Posted: July 23, 2025] PA Environment Digest
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