The departments of Environmental Protection, Agriculture and Conservation and Natural Resources have released Pennsylvania's Healthy Waters Health Communities 2022 Chesapeake Bay Progress Report.

The goal of this annual report is to share collective successes for Pennsylvania’s Phase 3 Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP) and Countywide Action Plans (CAPs), with spotlights on projects, partners and progress throughout Pennsylvania’s share of the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

The Secretaries of DEP, Agriculture and DCNR introduced the report by saying--

“Pennsylvania continued to make great strides toward cleaner local streams and rivers and a healthy Chesapeake Bay in 2022.

“Progress through partnership” was the guiding theme for our work to reduce nutrient and sediment nonpoint source pollution.

“While charting our overall progress, this annual report shares the faces and voices of some of the many partners who made it happen.

“These partners include local and municipal governments, the agriculture community, non-governmental partners, private businesses, and hundreds of private property owners.

“The Governor, General Assembly, and state agencies demonstrated their commitment in many ways. All three of our agencies stepped up grant funding and technical assistance to our local partners — putting almost $140 million dollars to work on clean water projects.

“We amended Pennsylvania’s Phase 3 Watershed Implementation Plan with our federal partners to better reflect the actions all of our partners have taken, and to count significant new funding from the 2022-23 state budget.

“The Department of Environmental Protection elevated its Chesapeake Bay Office to a bureau and hired many new staff to oversee implementation.

“The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources added three new state parks in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, expanding conserved lands and access to the Susquehanna River for recreation.

“The response from our local partners has been inspiring! Almost three dozen Pennsylvania counties have local waterways that run to the Chesapeake Bay.

“As of 2022, all of them have completed and are implementing their Countywide Action Plans to improve their streams, rivers, and lakes in ways that make the most sense for their local communities.

“Our partners have been vocal in their appreciation of this “bottom up” approach, and we acknowledge and celebrate their efforts.

“The response from Pennsylvania farmers has been the most encouraging.

“In 2022, our farmers implemented conservation practices including no-till farming and cover crops on more than 1.5 million acres — an area about the size of the entire state of Delaware!

“And the acres of planted buffers along Pennsylvania’s streams are steadily growing as well.

“As the old adage goes, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

“By focusing on progress through partnership, Pennsylvanians are prepared to go the remaining distance together to improve their local streams and rivers, while helping their neighbors in the watershed.”

Accomplishments

Among the accomplishments noted in the 2022 report--

Agriculture

-- Conservation Tillage: 1,362,185 acres

-- Preserved Farmland: 29,265 acres

-- Cover Crops: 288,714 areas

-- Pasture Management: 106,509

-- Animal Waste Management Systems: Treating 1,183,830 animal units (= to 789,200 cows)

Natural

-- Stream Restoration: 448,111 feet

-- Forest Buffers: 17,611 acres

-- Tree Planting: 4,032 acres

-- Grass Buffers: 16,243 acres

-- Wetlands/Ponds: 3,340 acres

Urban

-- Dirt & Gravel Road Erosion & Sediment Controls: 2,476,045 feet

-- Stormwater Practices: 77,730 acres

-- Urban Erosion & Sediment Controls: 22,403 acres

-- Septic System Improvements: 66,497

Special County Reports

As part of the annual report announcement, two additional pieces were created to share how counties have been using the CAPs to bring people and partners together for clean water projects and to celebrate the work and partnerships being built through the CAP process:

-- Countywide Action Plans: What does implementation look like? Focuses on local partner testimonials on how CAPs are connecting funding and bringing people together for clean water projects.

-- Countywide Action Plans: Replicating Success Across the Watershed focuses on communication and idea sharing across county partners on programs and projects through networking facilitated by CAP efforts.

Click Here to read the entire 2022 Progress Report.

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?

Check DEP’s 2022 Water Quality Report to find out how clean streams are near you.

(Reprinted from the latest DEP Chesapeake Bay Healthy Waters newsletter.  Click Here to sign up for your own copy.)

NewsClips:

-- Bay Journal: Chesapeake Bay Experts Focus On Solar Power’s Stormwater Footprint

-- Help Wanted: Penn State Center For Agriculture Conservation Assistance Seeks Engineer For Ag Conservation Contract

Related Articles:

-- EPA Directs $14 Million In Grants To PA For Farmers’ Conservation Efforts, Chesapeake Bay Restoration Goals  [PaEN]

-- DEP, Agriculture, DCNR Release Pennsylvania’s 2022 Chesapeake Bay Annual Progress Report  [PaEN]

-- PennVEST Now Accepting Applications For Clean Water Project Procurement Program  [PaEN]

-- PA Farm Bureau, Sand County Foundation, Partners Now Accepting Nominations For PA Leopold Conservation Award  [PaEN]

-- Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership Now Accepting Nominations For Mira Lloyd Dock Partnership Diversity Award  [PaEN]

-- DEP Chesapeake Bay Program July Healthy Waters PA Partnership Progress Update 

-- National Stream Restoration Conference Aug. 21-23 In Baltimore  [PaEN]

[Posted: July 27, 2023]

7/31/2023