Water Resources

Library Items

2016 Pennsylvania Integrated Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Report

2016
Report on the condition of the 86,000 miles of streams and rivers and 161,455 lake acres in Pennsylvania, as well as descriptions of pollution control and monitoring programs.
Last Modified
Jun 21, 2019
Viewed
2444 times

Abandoned and Orphan Oil and Gas Wells and the Well-Plugging Program

Summary of the Department of Environmental Protection's program to plug abandoned oil and gas wells. It is estimated that as many as 760,000 wells have been drilled in Pennsylvania, and over 500,000 remain unaccounted for.
Last Modified
Jul 23, 2018
Viewed
1715 times

Abandoned Mine Reclamation in Pennsylvania

2018
Presentation outlining the extent and impact of abandoned mine lands in Pennsylvania, as well as efforts to restore them.
Last Modified
Aug 09, 2018
Viewed
2064 times

A Guide for Higher Standards in Flooplain Management

2011
The purpose of this guide is to provide options for communities seeking to implement floodplain regulations which reduce flood damage and overall impacts of floods. This guide is not a substitute for for a set of community floodplain regulations; rather, it is a guide to enhancing existing regulations.
Last Modified
Mar 12, 2019
Viewed
1315 times

Assesment of Community Watershed Organizations in Rural Pennsylvania

2005
Organizations/Sources: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania’s waterways face numerous threats, including excess nutrient loading, sedimentation, decreased flow, chemical pollutants, invasive species, access, and recreational conflict. In the last decade, there was a rapid expansion of community watershed organizations (CWOs) aimed at solving local watershed issues across the commonwealth and the nation. The development of local, volunteer-led watershed organizations seems to represent a paradigm shift to a community-based approach for generating long-term solutions to local watershed problems.
Last Modified
Jul 11, 2018
Viewed
1694 times

Assessment of Community Watershed Organizations in Rural Pennsylvania

2005
Organizations/Sources: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
Personnel from Penn State's Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology prepared the report under a grant from the Center for Rural Pennsylvania.
Last Modified
Aug 10, 2015
Viewed
2557 times

Assessment of PA Regulatory Scheme to Protect Water Resources

2009
Organizations/Sources: Susquehanna River Basin Commission
Presentation regarding PA's regulations regarding water protection in Marcellus Shale drilling.
Last Modified
Aug 21, 2018
Viewed
3795 times

Bear Run Dam Removal

2009
Authors: Andrew Zadnik
Organizations/Sources: Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
Presentation regarding dam removal benefits and techniques
Last Modified
Aug 21, 2018
Viewed
4113 times

Community Incentives for Nature-Based Flood Solutions: A Guide to FEMA's Community Rating System for Conservation Practicioners

2019
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) uses a Community Rating System (CRS) that can unlock significant flood insurance savings for communities. Nature-based solutions—such as open space protection and wetland restoration—can effectively reduce flood risk and are creditable components of the CRS. The conservation community can and should partner with municipalities to plan and design “nature-based solutions” that restore and protect natural areas, reduce flood risk and earn citizens a discount on their flood insurance rates.
Last Modified
Apr 16, 2019
Viewed
1237 times

Dam Removal: A Tool for Achieving Multiple Conservation Goals

2009
Authors: Frank Moone
Organizations/Sources: Wild Waterways Conservancy, Inc.
This presentation focuses on dam removal techniques and benefits
Last Modified
Aug 21, 2018
Viewed
3743 times

Economic and Community Benefits from Stream Barrier Removal Projects in Massachusetts

2015
This Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration (DER) study evaluates the effectiveness of dam removal along waterways. Findings show that dam removal is less expensive than repairing and maintaining dams, reduces flood risk to surrounding properties, and creates better stream habitat.
Last Modified
Jul 03, 2019
Viewed
2614 times

Emmaus Community Park Stream Restoration

Authors: Rebecca Hayden
This is a stream restoration case study that discusses re-grading the steep eroding stream banks, planting a native riparian buffer and establishing fish habitat improvement structures.
Last Modified
Aug 20, 2018
Viewed
3838 times

Environmentally Sensitive Dirt and Gravel Roads

2007
Guide to building and improving dirt and gravel roads in a way that minimizes erosion, runoff, and other environmental impacts.
Last Modified
Mar 26, 2019
Viewed
1390 times

Estimating Users of Water Resources: Springfield–Greene County Data Collection Plan

2017
Organizations/Sources: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
A quantitative assessment of water users can help communicate the importance of water resource protection and improvement as well as provide data for prioritizing projects. As part of the Springfield–Greene County effort, EPA investigated data on water resource users within and downstream of the city and county. After compiling existing data, the EPA project team identified data gaps and developed recommended methods for collecting additional data to address these gaps. This data collection plan provides next steps for the project partners as well as ideas for other communities on how to collect water resource user data to help support an integrated planning process.
Last Modified
Jun 27, 2019
Viewed
1234 times

Fish and Boat Commission Annual Report of Growing Greener Funding

2017
Outlines the cost and completion status of PFBC projects funded by Growing Greener as of 2017.
Last Modified
Jun 01, 2018
Viewed
1394 times

Floodplain Guide and Model Regulations

2014
Organizations/Sources: Lehigh Valley Planning Commission
Guide to floodplain management and model regulations to protect floodplains.
Last Modified
Mar 13, 2019
Viewed
1298 times

Green Guide for Property Management

This publication is a guide to aid large property owners with innovative green projects to reduce stormwater pollution. It contains stormwater management practices and site examples.
Last Modified
Aug 20, 2018
Viewed
3540 times

Groff’s Mill Park Streambank Restoration

Authors: John Munro
This is a case study of a streambank restoration project in Montgomery County utilizing bioengineering (bio-structural) design rather than "hard engineering" methods to prevent erosion.
Last Modified
Aug 20, 2018
Viewed
3640 times

Impacts of Natural Land Loss on Water Quality

2012
Authors: Elana Richman
Forests, riparian buffers, wetlands and other natural lands are essential for the protection of water quality and aquatic habitat.
Last Modified
Jul 03, 2019
Viewed
5883 times

Integrated Water Resources Planning and its Challenges in Pennsylvania

2009
Authors: Edward Wilson
Organizations/Sources: 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania
Presentation focuses on water resource planning.
Last Modified
Aug 21, 2018
Viewed
3749 times

Legacy Sediment Defined

2009
Organizations/Sources: Franklin and Marshall College
Presentation by Dr. Dorothy Merritts (F&M College) on research, done jointly with Dr. Robert Walter, which defines legacy sediment, describes the characteristics of legacy sediment and its distribution with respect to historic mill dams; and provides examples of recent stream restoration sites with legacy sediment impairments.
Last Modified
Aug 21, 2018
Viewed
6686 times

Livestock Fencing in the Shenandoah Valley

2019
Study finds that 81% of farms in Virginia's two largest agricultural counties fail to fence cows out of streams, contributing to pollution.
Last Modified
Apr 12, 2019
Viewed
1206 times

Mentor Survey: Closing the Deal with Rural Landowners

2018
Organizations/Sources: Land Trust Alliance
Survey of experienced conservation staff in the Chesapeake Bay watershed that highlights key strategies for working with rural landowners to implement conservation practices to improve water quality such as riparian buffers and streambank fencing. The survey was conducted with the long-term goal of developing a training course to help entry-level and mid-career conservation staff better work with landowners.
Last Modified
Sep 26, 2018
Viewed
1675 times

Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping

2003
This publication is an informational guide to native species appropriate for planting in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and adjacent coastal regions. It includes color photographs of the species, making it a user-friendly resource for landscape design.
Last Modified
Aug 20, 2018
Viewed
6570 times

Pennsylvania State Fish Hatcheries: Engines for Rural Economic Development

Organizations/Sources: Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission
There are 15 state fish hatcheries in Pennsylvania. Owned by the state and operated by the Fish and Boat Commission, these hatcheries are strategically located across the Commonwealth to take advantage of high-quality water supplies and to maximize fish stocking logistics. Pennsylvania's state fish hatcheries are engines for economic development. Eight hatcheries combine to produce some 4 million adult trout annually. Stocked into the waters of the Commonwealth, these trout support fishing activity that generates some $500 million in economic activity each year.
Last Modified
Jul 03, 2019
Viewed
1836 times

Pennsylvania Streams Map

2018
Map of all rivers and streams in Pennsylvania.
Last Modified
Jan 24, 2019
Viewed
1679 times

Pennsylvania Water Quality: Your Private Well: What do the results mean? (2nd edition)

2012
Organizations/Sources: B.F. Environmental Consultants, Inc.
The booklet informs citizens on issues related to water conservation, ensuring that private water supply systems produce safe drinking water for your family, protecting the long-term quality of our streams and drinking water sources, and helping you to understand the potential sources of pollution to our water resources. The booklet provides general information explaining certified water testing, chain-of-custody, and drinking water regulations and standards. It provides information related to the health (primary standards) or aesthetic (secondary standards) concerns for each parameter and provides information on water quality parameters that do not specifically have a drinking water limit. This reference is intended as a guide to understand water quality by providing guidance on selecting water quality testing parameters for baseline testing from a citizen's perspective and by serving as a tool to help interpret water quality data. In some cases, this document provides guidance on what actions you may want to consider. The booklet can be accessed at http://www.slideshare.net/interpro63/pennsylvania-private-well-owners-manual or http://www.private-well-owner.org.
Last Modified
Nov 13, 2013
Viewed
3138 times

Protecting the Source

2004
Authors: Caryn Ernst
Organizations/Sources: The Trust for Public Land
Healthy, functioning watersheds slow surface runoff, increase water infiltration into the soil, naturally filter pollutants, decrease soil erosion, and moderate water quantity by decreasing flooding and recharging groundwater reserves. For every 10% increase in forest cover in a drinking water’s source area, treatment and chemical costs decrease by approximately 20%. This report presents a series of best practices on source protection and gives case studies of communities that have effectively linked land protection, water protection, and water treatment cost savings.
Last Modified
Jul 02, 2019
Viewed
6049 times

Report: Feasibility of Establishing a Water Use Fee in Pennsylvania

2018
The study is to determine potential revenues from House Bill 20, PN 1846 of 2017; the necessary fee rates to generate annual revenues of $500 million, $300 million, and $100 million; and potential revenue from each of the major watersheds in Pennsylvania.
Last Modified
Jun 07, 2018
Viewed
1689 times

Report of Projects Funded Through Growing Greener II (Fish and Boat Commission)

2017
Organizations/Sources: Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission
List of Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission projects funded through Growing Greener II.
Last Modified
Aug 23, 2018
Viewed
1624 times

Selling Nutrient Credits to Save Farms

2009
Organizations/Sources: Evergreen Conservation Trust
Presentation on nutrient trading programs.
Last Modified
Aug 21, 2018
Viewed
4199 times

Stream Restoration Techniques in the Lititz Run Watershed

Authors: Andrew Donaldson
Organizations/Sources: LandStudies Inc.
Last Modified
Aug 21, 2018
Viewed
4226 times

The Pennsylvania Water and Wastewater Gap Study

2015
At current user rates, the updated (2015) total drinking water and wastewater gap over the next 10 years in Pennsylvania is $18.6 billion, $10.2 billion for drinking water and $8.4 billion for wastewater. That total is reduced to $4.2 billion if rates are increased to 1.5 percent of median household income. .
Last Modified
Aug 09, 2018
Viewed
2175 times

Watershed-Based Conservation Projects

2009
Organizations/Sources: Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
Presentation includes information on watershed planning, scientific research on hellbenders, fish, macroinvertebrates, and freshwater mussels, as well as information concerning conservation easements.
Last Modified
Feb 25, 2024
Viewed
4619 times