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WREN September Feature
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Next in a Series
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Reports
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Research Survey on Effects of Marcellus Shale Development on Communities
May 2014
Environmental Law Institute and Washington & Jefferson College Center for Energy Policy and Management
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How Many Trees Does it Take to Protect a Stream? New Study Provides Answers
Streamside Forest Buffer Width Needed to Protect Stream Water Quality, Habitat, and Organisms: A Literature Review
June 2014
Bernard W. Sweeney and
J. Denis Newbold
From the Journal of the American Water Resources Association
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Water/Wastewater Utilities and Extreme Climate and Weather Events Case Studies on Community Response, Lessons Learned, Adaptation and Planning Needs for the Future
Water Environment Research Foundation
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Resource Media
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Financing Stormwater Retrofits in Philadelphia and Beyond
Natural Resources Defense Council
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Small Business Owners Favor Regulations to Protect Clean Water - Report from a National Poll
American Sustainable Business Council
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Congressional Research Service
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Videos to Watch
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Inner Harbor's Trash-Gathering Water Wheel Goes Viral
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Resources
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ResourceMedia -
This nonprofit PR firm provides communications tools targeted to the environment and public health. Check out their Toolbox for available guides, worksheets and presentations.
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Fracking Beyond the Law
Environmental Integrity Project
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From ALLARM - Alliance for Aquatic Resource Monitoring:
Hydraulic Fracturing 101 Resource Guide
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From ALLARM - Alliance for Aquatic Resource Monitoring:
Shale Gas Extraction: A study design and protocol for volunteer monitoring
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Chesapeake Stormwater Network
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Washington & Jefferson College Report:
Free online tool to help nonprofits make smart communications choices
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Master Well Owner Network -
Check out the MWON website for the latest information and events
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Tool to Assist Preservation Efforts:
American Society of Landscape Architects
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Groundwater Education Resources:
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From The Groundwater Foundation - Tools and Resources:
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E-Book from the PA Association of Conservation Districts
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Save the Date
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Two Presentations
Flow: The Life and Times of Philadelphia's Schuylkill River
River of the Year Lecture series features two special presentations with acclaimed author Beth Kephart discussing her book:
October 14, 2014
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Montgomery County Community College West
Campus South Hall
Community Room 101
College Drive
Pottstown, PA 19464
and on October 16, 2014
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Trinity Center for Urban Life, 2212 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103
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PA-AWRA Conference 2014: "Water Management Initiatives in Pennsylvania - Policies and Coordination from the Local to National Level"
October 17, 2014
9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) Headquarters
4423 N. Front Street
Harrisburg, PA
2nd Annual Delaware River Watershed Forum
October 21-22, 2014
at the
Historic Hotel Bethlehem
437 Main Street
Bethlehem, PA
Second annual Shale Drilling and Public Health - Days of Discovery
Presented by the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania
Sunday October 26 &
Monday October 27,2014
The University Club
123 University Place
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
Workshop: Unlock the Secrets in the Soil and Stream
October 29, 2014
9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Shady Maple Smorgasbord
129 Toddy Drive
East Earl, PA
Lecture: "Remembering and Recognizing the Schuylkill River"
October 29, 2014
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Majestic Theatre
Pottsville, PA
Green City, Clean Waters Advisory Committee Meeting
October 30, 2014
9:30 am - 11:30 am
Fairmount Waterworks
640 Waterworks Drive
Philadelphia, PA 19130
For more events, please view
WREN calendar
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Funding and Grants
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DEP to Begin Accepting Applications for 2015 Environmental Education Grants
The grants provide funding to develop programs and projects that support environmental education issues.
Application period begins October 6. Deadline to apply: December 19, 2014.
Click here for more information and to apply.
PA Association of Conservation Districts
Mini Grant Funds Available to Conservation Districts for Manure Management and/or Agricultural Erosion & Sedimentation Plan workshops.
Applications approved on an on-going basis.
Deadline to apply: December 29, 2014
EPA Funding Opportunities
Deadline:
November 12, 2014
Deadline: October 30, 2014
RFP to Open: December 2014
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September Feature
Vanport Township: A Small System
with a Tall Order to Preserve Clean Water
Next in a Series profiling Small Water Systems
by Lynda Ginsparg
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Gary Grimm, Head Water Plant Operator at the Vanport Township Municipal Authority, leads the way in educating community members about ways to keep the local water supply safe at Beaver County's Garrison Day celebration. The annual event draws more than 10,000 visitors from surrounding boroughs and townships.
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In the far reaches of western Pennsylvania, hugging the state's border with Ohio and West Virginia, is a tiny sliver of land in central Beaver County that is Vanport Township. But within the 1.2-square-mile township, a decades-old groundwater contaminant and an abandoned quarry that had been used as a dumping ground were a combined disaster waiting to happen.
These two major issues loomed large in this small township alongside the Ohio River, prompting local officials to take action before these threats to drinking water could do more harm. Vanport Township Municipal Authority and local township officials worked alongside experts at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to implement a Source Water Protection Plan designed to help the community protect its wells and safe, reliable drinking water.
In this issue of Water Policy News we continue our series spotlighting source water protection efforts by small water systems. This month we profile the Vanport Township Municipal Authority in Beaver County and its efforts to safeguard reliable drinking water for the township's 1,400 residents and the more than 9,500 neighbors it serves, while educating future generations to preserve a safe water source.
Photos used in this story courtesy of Gary Grimm, Vanport Township, unless otherwise noted.
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2014 WREN Grantee Meeting:
Making a Splash for Clean Water in Carlisle
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Project leaders, water suppliers exploring or participating in PA DEP's source water protection program, conservation district representatives, municipal officials, and clean water practitioners gathered together with water experts, county and state officials, educators and agency staff to help 'make a splash for clean water' at the annual WREN Grantee Wrap-Up Meeting and Project Leader Orientation and Training Meeting held at Dickinson College in Carlisle this past June.
This year's gathering was the biggest, most diverse WREN meeting ever held. More than 114 people attended the two-day event, which was packed with information sessions by community leaders and water experts. A series of fast-paced Speed Learning sessions featured current project leaders sharing their "lessons learned" on the ground with the incoming group of new project leaders. This 'passing of the baton' is always a popular part of the WREN meeting and this year's sessions were no different.
Highlights of this year's Meeting included a welcome address by Dana Aunkst, Executive Deputy Secretary for Programs for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection; and a moving Keynote address by Paul Heimel, Commissioner for Potter County titled: "It Was Clean When It Left Here - A Perspective on Collaborating and Educating for Sustainable Drinking Water." Mr. Heimel offered important practical advice about approaching stakeholders to create a coalition with a clear focus on drinking water protection.
Other sessions included popular "Water Words That Work" sessions with Eric Eckl. Presentations during breakout sessions featured a diverse group of experts from PADEP, USGS, North Fayette County Municipal Authority, PENNVEST, DCNR, the City of Lancaster, Warwick Township (Lancaster County), Rotary International, the PA Department of Community and Economic Development, ALLARM Program at Dickinson College, PENNDOT (speaking on emergency response) and social media experts.
 | | Don Peperak (L) of N Fayette County Municipal Authority demonstrates his custom-built surface water treatment model at 2014 WREN Grantee Meeting |
WREN introduced a new session this year, a 'Model Evening,' featuring demonstrations of the EnviroScape® and groundwater models, a custom surface water model and showed examples of typical residential pollutants utilizing inexpensive Awesome Aquifer kits, developed by the Groundwater Foundation. This event allowed meeting participants to get "up close and personal" to see how to integrate these educational tools in their efforts and ask questions one-on-one of the experts demonstrating the models. Oh, and did we mention there was ice cream!!
The Grantee Meeting is not only an important educational component of the WREN grant program (it is required that at least one Project leader from each local project attend) but it also offers project leaders and presenters the opportunity to network and exchange ideas, tools and learn from one another. The contacts made at the Meeting can provide important resources to project leaders as they put their grants into motion and move through their grant year.
Overwhelmingly, meeting attendees awarded high marks for the variety of the sessions offered and caliber of speakers who presented this year. Here are some of the comments received from Meeting participants:
"Getting ideas that work from other projects" ... "Great Lessons! The advice will save us time and money later" ... "So many tips!" ... "Such innovative projects and great ideas that need to be replicated throughout the state" ... "So much information and opportunity in a short period of time. Wonderful format, impressive!" ... "I'm learning about high level projects that are accomplishing real goals" ... "Hearing from the doers sure makes it real!" ... "Best networking event I've been to."
Sound enticing? Want to be a part of the action and attend next year's Grantee Meeting at Dickinson College? Take the first step: apply for a 2015-2016 WREN Watershed Education or Source Water Protection grant. Applications and guidelines will be available in January on the WREN websites. Become a part of the WREN Team and we could see you next year in Carlisle!
SCENES FROM WREN 2014 --
                  
Thank you Project Leaders! See You in 2015!!
*Note: An in-depth look at Lessons Learned during the past WREN grant year will be the topic of our feature story in the October issue of Water Policy News.
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WREN Websites: Know Where to Find Us
and Never be Out of Touch!
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Our online address may have changed, but our message is the same. You can find all of the information you have come to expect from WREN at our new website, www.waterwisepa.org The WREN websites are prime sources of information for project leaders, water suppliers, educators, municipal officials or anyone working in the water protection field who is looking for up-to-the-minute information on water-related sources and resources.
The main WREN website features in-depth information about WREN-funded projects, including project ideas and grant products that can be re-used; information about WREN grants; publications, including archived issues of Water Policy News and links to helpful websites and videos. We are working to improve the site.
WREN also operates a website dedicated to source water protection. You can find us there at www.sourcewaterpa.org. Our goal is simple: to offer practical, step-by-step solutions for protecting the rivers, streams, lakes and aquifers that Pennsylvanians rely on for their public drinking water. Search this site for the basics on source water protection, information about the Source Water Protection Technical Assistance Program (SWPTAP) - a great resource offered at no out of pocket cost by PADEP, and funding for source water protection. You'll also find wide-ranging Resources including primers, fact sheets, brochures, public outreach tools and much more.
With funding, resources, and networking opportunities, WREN supports community-based efforts across Pennsylvania to build an informed citizenry who will protect local water resources with water friendly public policies and hands-on work.
Thinking about applying for a WREN grant in 2015? Check out hundreds of project ideas on our website, then begin gathering your partners for our next round of funding. Grant applications and guidelines for the 2015-2016 project year will be posted in January, with applications due in March. Watch upcoming issues of the Water Policy News for details.
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WREN Project Moves Forward:
Master Watershed Stewards Programs Up and Running in PA
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Efforts to get Master Watershed Steward programs off the ground in Pennsylvania are meeting with success, thanks to a pilot program in the Lehigh Valley area that has now branched out to Montgomery County. Several other counties have also expressed interest in a Master Watershed Stewards (MWS) program for their regions.
The MWS programs are designed to help monitor and protect local streams, through the participation of volunteers who are trained to monitor the health of the streams. The programs address the critical issue of stormwater runoff and its effects on the watersheds that provide drinking water to people across the watershed.
WREN was delighted to see a Pennsylvania version of the Master Watershed Stewards Program take shape and supported the launch with a 2013-2014 Watershed Education grant ($4,650) led by the Watershed Coalition of the Lehigh Valley. The project focused on providing volunteers with the knowledge needed to address non-point source water risks including reducing polluted runoff, stabilizing stream banks and creating habitat with riparian buffers and rain gardens. The program was a collaboration among partners in Lehigh and Northampton Counties with a goal of creating a model that can be expanded throughout the Commonwealth.
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Erin Frederick
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Erin Frederick, Penn State Extension horticultural and natural resources educator, coordinates the Lehigh Valley-Northampton program as well as efforts to expand the Master Watershed (MWS) Program statewide. Frederick was also the project leader for the WREN-funded project. The Lehigh Valley program has been running since 2013, graduating 35 volunteers from two classes with another class running this fall. A MWS program launched in Montgomery County in August and is now training 12 volunteers.
The MWS program for Pennsylvania is being led by Penn State Extension, with many partners helping throughout the region, including conservation districts, watershed associations, educational institutions, land trusts and other environmental organizations in a designated MWS program region, Frederick explained.
In addition to the programs in Lehigh-Northampton and Montgomery counties, Frederick said another eight Pennsylvania counties are lined up to begin MWS programs, providing funding can be secured. The counties, located in Southeastern PA, include Chester, Berks, Bucks, Delaware, Philadelphia, as well as Monroe, Centre and York counties. She said other counties near the Susquehanna River have also expressed interest. The challenge, she said, is "finding funding to make it happen." While seed money from outside grants has been secured to get the programs going, program coordinators (one MWS coordinator is needed for each county) are ultimately asked to secure future funding to keep their programs going, through grants or corporate donations, Frederick said.
Volunteers are vital to the program, she said, as the ground force that translates program goals into action. Volunteers might work with local municipalities to help conduct rain barrel workshops for residents, give presentations on the geology of a region, install native plant trails or rain gardens, to name a few. Volunteer have also helped county conservation districts with stream restoration projects.
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MWS volunteers plant a riparian buffer in Kreidersville Covered Bridge park in Northampton County.
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"We give them a glimpse of each subject so that they're exposed to all of these concepts. We see the volunteers develop their own niche...once they find it they can seek more advanced training. We're providing the contact where they can go to seek more information to do further studies," Frederick said. She added that she provides volunteers with information on resources, webinars and can connect volunteers with experts at Penn State.
Volunteers receive 40 hours of training, then complete 50 hours of hands-on service the first year. In subsequent years, volunteers must secure 10 hours of continuing education and fulfill 20 hours of volunteer service each year.
Training for MWS volunteers includes an introduction to native and invasive plants, stormwater retrofits, geology and soil, wildlife and how they are connected to the watershed, fish identification, aquatic insects, as well as water habitat and stream sampling techniques. Training volunteers to conduct public education programs is also a primary goal of the program.
"We're training them to be educators, there is an educational component," Frederick said. It is a two-fold goal: to educate the public to change behaviors and attitudes toward natural resources and to get people in the community to be more aware of stormwater and understand what individual homeowners can do.
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MWS volunteers gather to learn about macroinvertebrates.
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She said the goal is to have the MWS program mirror the highly successful Master Gardener program throughout the state.
"We're striving to get this (MWS program) throughout the counties just like the Master Gardener program. There are more than 2,000 master gardeners throughout the state. Last year they spent 140,000 hours teaching the public, at a value of $3 million in volunteer time and effort. It's just phenomenal what they can accomplish. We really need that level of support for our water resources," Frederick said.
Frederick said she is thrilled with the MWS program so far. The 35 volunteers who are taking part in the Lehigh Valley program have logged 1,000 volunteer hours to date. She estimates more than 1,500 people have been reached through volunteer participation at outreach, educational and community events.
"If we had that in every county we could really make a difference," Frederick said. "We're moving county by county based on where there's interest and where there's funding," she said.
Since program began, Frederick estimates an 80 percent retention rate of volunteers. There is a Penn State Extension office in every county, so volunteers can connect there. While not every Extension office has a program at this time, it can serve as the contact point to help launch a new MWS effort. To learn more about Penn State Extension's Master Watershed Stewards program click here to visit their website.
Another stewardship program in Pennsylvania that launched in 2013 with funding from the William Penn Foundation is the Schuylkill Water Stewards. To learn more, visit their website at at www.schuylkillwaterstewards.org
A successful Watershed Stewards program has been up and running in Howard County, MD through the Watershed Stewards Academy there. You can learn more about that program by visiting their website at howardwsa.org
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Regional Partnership Continues to Explore Collaborations
in Water Supply Protection
by Pat Devlin
Environmental Writer
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Fewer than 20 percent of the 350 community water systems in the lower Susquehanna River region have assessed existing threats to water supplies and even fewer (about six percent) have developed Source Water Protection (SWP) plans -- plans that delineate recharge areas, inventory potential sources of contamination, and involve community stakeholders in developing strategies for reducing the likelihood of water contamination.
Is that a big deal? After all, every water system must have a plan to deal with emergency situations, such as a water main break or roadside tanker spill. The problem is not all threats to a water supply are isolated incidents that can be dealt with immediately. Some are complicated, requiring long-term strategies that chip away at inherited threats from the past (think abandoned storage tanks) or challenge traditional land use practices and policies. Polluted runoff from farm and urban lands, loss of water-cleansing forest lands, and leaking pipelines are just a few of the looming dangers to a safe and dependable water supply.
For the past two years, the Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) has been working with representatives from the lower Susquehanna region's water systems, municipalities, consulting firms, governmental agencies, and regional organizations to accelerate actions to safeguard future water supplies. Fifty representatives from Pennsylvania and Maryland recently attended the third Lower Susquehanna Source Water Protection Partnership meeting to share success stories and identify ways to take a regional or cooperative approach to issues that many water suppliers face alone.
In this feature, Environmental Writer Pat Devlin takes a look at the work being done to forge partnerships that are finding solutions to threats to the state's drinking water systems in the Lower Susquehanna River region.
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Rain Garden Signage - A Beautiful Way to Communicate the Value of Rainscaping to Your Community
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Many WREN projects have included demonstration
rain gardens. Along with these beautiful additions to the community, WREN recommends creating educational signage to go with these new rainscapes. RainScaping.org is one source that can help provide examples of rainscaping display signs, along with ideas for indoor and outdoor education displays.
In addition, a host of rain garden project ideas, rain barrel websites, power points, resources, signage and more can be found on the WREN website on our Rain Garden Resources page.
No need to reinvent the wheel - check these out to help spark an idea for your rain garden project!
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RAIN Launches New Website with a New Look
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The River Alert Information Network (RAIN) celebrates its five year anniversary in 2014, and entered a new era with the launch of its new website on September 3, at rainmatters.org. WREN congratulates RAIN for its tenacity and is proud to have been a small partner in the effort. In looking toward the future, it helps to reflect to see how far we've come. We asked RAIN's chair, Gina Cyprych, to provide us with a bit of history and an update about the organization.Gina also serves as the Environmental Compliance Coordinator at Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority.
Look how we have grown: River Alert Information Network Flourishes through Collaboration and Local Leadership
By Gina Cyprych, RAIN Chair
Historically, the Ohio, Allegheny and Monongahela River valleys have been a region of famous industrial activity. Residents of the area settled here because of those work opportunities, ultimately finding themselves forced to live in and around the pollution their industries caused. For a century, our three major rivers were highly polluted and we suffered under a legacy of adverse environmental impact: acid mine drainage, brownfields, oil spills and industrial wastes.
Today, these same rivers are cleaner than they have been in a century. However, we still need to be alert to events that threaten the health of our rivers that carry drinking water for more than two million people in the region.
In 2009, high levels of total dissolved solids (TDS) had been detected in the Monongahela River and stakeholders agreed: we needed to monitor. The River Alert Information Network (RAIN) stepped in to offer oversight and to inform the public of the condition of regional water sources. Working with agencies, academia and water systems, RAIN unveiled a system monitoring water temperature, conductivity and pH levels at 11 remote locations along the Monongahela River and its tributaries. RAIN added two more water quality monitoring sites - one each on the Allegheny and Ohio Rivers - bringing the total number of monitoring sites in the RAIN network to 13 by the end of 2009.
Five years later, RAIN has grown from a collaborative effort of 33 Pennsylvania water utilities, to a network of 51 public drinking water systems, including 10 in the West Virginia Monongahela Basin area. The number of monitoring sites has grown to 24 throughout western Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia. With technical assistance from area universities, the PA DEP's and WV Department of Health and Human Resources' Source Water Protection sections and RAIN member water systems, RAIN has built a state of the art monitoring and alert system that is a major asset to the region.
RAIN recently launched its new modernized website which features an interactive map so the public can access and see the water quality data RAIN collects from its monitoring sites in near real-time. We have an alliance with Penn's Corner Conservancy Charitable Trust, a nonprofit in southwestern PA that specializes in conservation projects. Penn's Corner lends us conservation, planning and public policy guidance and much more. As a promoter and facilitator of partnerships, Penn's Corner works with RAIN to identify tools and other resources to help RAIN and its stakeholders meet its goals to protect source water and enhance water quality.
As Chair of RAIN and Environmental Compliance Coordinator for the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, I am proud of RAIN's success story and its importance to Pennsylvania and the entire Ohio Watershed. Access to clean and safe drinking water is an essential ingredient to healthy, vibrant, and prosperous communities. Two million residents rely on the Allegheny, Monongahela, Youghiogheny, Shenango, Beaver, and Ohio rivers as their source of drinking water. These important rivers also make the region's industrial and manufacturing strength possible. Industrialization, urban and suburban development can threaten clean water when spills or runoff enter the waters. This threat-along with increasing cost of water treatment-makes it imperative for our region to rely on innovation and collaboration.
To learn more, visit rainmatters.org and our Facebook page at RAIN Matters.
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New Three Rivers Rain Garden Alliance Website Offers
Practical Tips for Creating Your Rain Garden
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The Three Rivers Rain Garden Alliance is a good source for information about how rain gardens can help reduce the flow of stormwater pollution to the region's rivers and streams. The Alliance has recently updated its website and offers helpful tools such as a Garden Calculator, to gauge the size of your rain garden; prepping, garden design and planting tips; sample rain garden designs and a plant list of the best native plants for the region.
"For anyone looking to install a rain garden, the Three Rivers Rain Garden Alliance website is one of the most useful resources I know of in terms of content and layout. It's easy to find the information you need and to get inspiration from real-life rain garden examples," said Jessica Sprajcar, Land Conservation Specialist with the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Forestry/Rural and Community Forestry Section.
"I love the searchable rain garden map on the Three Rivers Rain Garden Alliance website. You can take a peek at one of the more than 100 rain
gardens currently registered and see how much storm water
they're diverting from the sewer system.
With each new rain garden that is added to the database, the greater the impact to protecting our natural resources," Sprajcar said.
Visit their new site and see how you can help stem the tide of stormwater runoff and do your part for the environment, one raindrop at a time.
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Public Policy Corner
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Make your views known.
Public Comment is requested on the following:
"Waters of the United States under the Clean Water Act"
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers jointly released a proposed rule to clarify protection under the Clean Water Act for streams and wetlands that form the foundation of the nation's water resources. Determining Clean Water Act protection for streams and wetlands became confusing and complex following Supreme Court decisions in 2001 and 2006. The proposed rule was published in the Federal Register on Monday, April 21, 2014.
The public comment period will close on Monday, October 20, 2014. Click here to learn how to submit comments.
Update on Private Well Legislation - HB 343 (thanks to Penn State Extension Master Well Owner Network for this information)
Pennsylvania remains one of the few states lacking statewide regulations on the location or construction of private water wells. There have been numerous legislative attempts to pass statewide regulations in the past. Early in 2013, a bill was introduced by Representative Ron Miller (York County) into the State House for Water Well Construction Standards (House Bill 343). This bill would provide a framework for the Environmental Quality Board to develop water well construction standards.
House Bill 343 was referred to the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee in 2013. The bill made it out of committee and was voted on by the full house on June 27, 2014, passing by a 164 to 38 margin. It was referred to the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee on June 28, 2014. On July 31, 2014, Senate Bill 1467 was also introduced with similar language to House Bill 343. To view the full text of this legislation along with the history of the bill, the voting record of house members and other details, simply do an internet search for "Pennsylvania House Bill 343". You can also view the text of this bill at http://pgwa.org/index.php/house-bill-343. Click here to read PA Environmental Council's position on HB 343 and see a video.
DCNR - On July 30, 2014, DCNR Secretary Ellen Ferretti announced that the Department will seek public comment on a Draft Development Agreement for gas extraction in Loyalsock State Forest, Lycoming County.
A timeframe has not been determined for completion of the final draft. DCNR will publish notice of the comment period in the Pennsylvania Bulletin and issue a news release at that time to make sure all interested parties are informed. A copy of the agreement and development plan will be posted on the DCNR website for review when available.
DCNR will allow 15 days for public comment on the document, which will then be reviewed and considered before an agreement would be finalized. Members of
the public currently can submit written comments on this issue to DCNR by email to loyalsock@pa.gov.
For more information about possible gas development on the Loyalsock State
Forest, visit the DCNR website, choose "Forestry" under "Quick Links," and scroll down to the "Loyalsock State Forest and the Clarence Moore Lands."
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PA HB 1565 UPDATE: Make Your Voice Heard
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On a vote of 119-79, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives has approved House Bill 1565 (Hahn-R-Northampton), moving the Commonwealth one step closer to removing watershed regulations now in place. The proposed legislation would amend the state's Clean Streams Law of 1937 to eliminate current PADEP regulations (25 Pa. Code Section 102.14) that require a 150-foot forested stream buffer for the state's highest quality streams - streams designated as high quality and exceptional value streams - and allow buffers to be an optional choice for developers.
The bill, which is now being sent to the Senate for consideration and could be voted on within days, would allow developers to cut down streamside trees and place buildings closer to these waterways, thereby removing natural protection zones. To learn more about the importance of riparian buffer zones, check out Penn State Extension's information on buffer zones.
Water scientists, including leading authorities at Stroud Water Research, have long cited the extensive low cost benefits provided by forest stream buffers as a way to manage flooding, preserve recreation and habitat for fish and wildlife, protect clean drinking water and prevent runoff and pollutants from entering streams. (see the June 2014 study published by AWRA at left under "Reports") With Pennsylvania being a highly flood prone state, eliminating existing protections has raised concerns that a few property developers may benefit at the expense of residents and downstream communities that may suffer additional flooding and property damage according to opponents of the bill.
Response from water resource groups has been overwhelmingly critical of the vote. Conservation organizations have weighed in against the proposed legislation: Delaware Riverkeeper, PA Fish and Boat Commission, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation-PA, PA Environmental Council, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, the PA Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, PA Council of Trout Unlimited and the PA League of Women Voters. For the joint letter submitted by CBF, PEC, Nature Conservancy PA Chapter, and the Western PA Conservancy, click here.
To read State Representative Hahn's perspective on HB 1565, click here.
Many opponents of HB 1565 have come out in favor of a new bill, SB 1465 (Rafferty-R-Berks-Chester-Montgomery), known as the "Riparian Buffer Protection Act," proposed to support protection of forest buffers along streams, creeks and rivers in the state.
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| Water Policy News is published monthly by the Water Resources Education Network, a project of the League of Women Voters of PA - Citizen Education Fund. Please send your water education related programs and activities to WREN Project Director. Visit www.sourcewaterpa.org to learn more about drinking water protection. Visit www.waterwisepa.org to learn more about WREN and local projects in PA. For events, check the
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