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]

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

-- Congress Passes Good Samaritan Legislation To Address Toxic Legacy Of Abandoned Mines, Biden Expected To Sign  [PaEN]

-- Headwaters To The Ohio Water Network Launches Assessment Of Needs Of Community-Based Watershed Groups And Leaders; Seeks Partners In PA  [PaEN]

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

-- PA Interfaith Power & Light Launching Watershed Circle Watershed Protector Training For Congregations, Community Groups  [PaEN]

-- DEP Finalizes Great Lakes Water Management Program 5-Year Report  [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]

-- PA Sea Grant: Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship Application Period Open For Graduate Students  [PaEN]

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

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal - Ad Crable: Study Points To Farmland Treated With Biosolids As Possible Source Of PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ In Fish

-- Middle Susquehanna RiverKeeper: US Fish & Wildlife Service Proposes Eastern Hellbender As Endangered Species After Groups Push For Better Protections

-- PennLive: Eastern Hellbender, PA’s Official Amphibian, Proposed As Endangered Species

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

-- DEP Invites Comments On Total Maximum Daily Load Water Quality Plan For Buffalo Creek In Perry County  [PaEN]

NewsClips:

-- Trout Unlimited: A Watershed Moment: Congress Passes Good Samaritan Legislation To Address Toxic Legacy Of Abandoned Mines

-- Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership: Federal Good Samaritan Legislation To Help Cleanup Abandoned Mines Heads To President’s Desk

-- National Wildlife Federation: Final Passage Of Federal Good Samaritan Act Will Encourage Abandoned Mine Cleanup

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

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal: Governors Seek To Shore Up Bay Cleanup Amid Uncertainties

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

-- Altoona Mirror: Mid-State Counties Receive Funds To Fight Pollution Of Chesapeake Bay

-- The Daily Item Editorial: State Grants Support Shared Responsibility For Chesapeake Bay Cleanup

-- Lancaster Farming: New Ag Committee To Advise Chesapeake Bay Cleanup Program

-- Altoona Mirror: Mid-State Counties Receive Funds To Fight Pollution Of Chesapeake Bay

-- The Daily Item Editorial: State Grants Support Shared Responsibility For Chesapeake Bay Cleanup

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal - Ad Crable: Study Points To Farmland Treated With Biosolids As Possible Source Of PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ In Fish

-- Forests For The Chesapeake Bay Newsletter: Loysville Youth Center Reforestation Project; Hackberry; Tree Tender & Woods In Your Backyard Education; Much More!

-- Middle Susquehanna RiverKeeper Blog: 2025 Calendar Offers Key Dates To Connect With Nature, Tips For Journaling And Citizen Science

-- WHYY: Conservationists Celebrate More Than 200 Federally Funded Projects To Restore Waterways In Delaware Watershed

-- Delaware RiverKeeper Dec. 13 RiverWatch Video Report

-- Warren Times: Allegheny River Cleanup Recognized By US Forest Service

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: Allegheny County’s Stormwater Issues Require Coordinated Response - By Olivia Zelinsky, Chatham University student 

-- Center For Biological Diversity: Lawsuit Launched To Cleanup Coal Ash Storage Pond At Talen Energy Brunner Island Power Plant Along The Susquehanna River In York County

-- USDA Invests $9.1 Million In Sewage Facility Upgrades In Dauphin, Westmoreland Counties

-- Partnership For The Delaware Estuary: Gardening For Clean Water Newsletter For Habitat Owners, Caretakers

-- Post-Gazette: PA Lawmakers Protest Coast Guard Cuts In Pittsburgh; Staffing Shortages Blamed

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: Yes, Pittsburgh’s Rivers Need The Coast Guard

[Posted: December 12, 2024]

12/16/2024