The latest DEP Chesapeake Bay Healthy Waters Newsletter highlights 2024 accomplishments, upcoming Watershed Forestry Summit, upcoming grant opportunities, county clean water projects and much more.

Nearly 16,700 BMPs

The 2024 Chesapeake Bay Best Management Practice (BMP) Progress Year reporting process is nearing completion, with the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Restoration Division having finalized its nonpoint source data submissions ahead of EPA’s deadline.

Based on the initial submission of all of PA’s partners’ nonpoint source data, PA is currently reporting nearly 16,700 Best Management Practices (BMPs) for the 2024 Progress Year, which is an increase of more than 2,100 BMPs.

The reported number of BMPs is an estimated figure at this time. Some adjustments may occur during the final validation process.

EPA Recognizes PA’s Bay Efforts

In December, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Chesapeake Bay Program recounted Chesapeake Bay jurisdictions’ big wins from the year.

They recognized and celebrated Pennsylvania’s efforts to delist streams at a rapid pace.

Pennsylvania conservationists are focused on restoring the health of small, local streams that are on the federal Clean Water Act’s impaired waters list. Partners within the Commonwealth are working to delist 30 streams impaired by farm runoff by installing BMPs such as streamside trees, stream fencing, and manure storage facilities.

In 2024, five stream segments were delisted and an additional 12 segments were close to joining them.

This effort was largely inspired by work completed in the Turtle Creek watershed, where 12.7 miles were delisted after farmers, local conservation groups, and state leaders joined together to install roughly 1,368 stream-stabilizing structures and 10,927 feet of streambank fencing.

Other Articles

-- Second Annual Clean Water Gathering of State Program and Local County Action Leaders

-- DCNR Celebrates Investment in Trails, Highlights Work to Extend Susquehanna River Walk

-- DCNR Next Round Of Community Conservation Partnership Grants Now Open

-- DEP Awards $19.6 Million to Address Largest Inventory of Abandoned Mines in the Nation

-- U.S. Senators Celebrate Passage of Historic $92 Million Reauthorization of the Chesapeake Bay Program and Other Key Watershed Conservation Measures

-- NRCS-PA Announces Additional Funding Opportunity For Preserved Farms

-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Announces Award of Over $155,000 to Support 34 Local Watershed Improvement Projects

-- Susquehanna Greenway Mini-Grant Program Awards $40,000 to Recreation, Signage and Education Projects

-- PA State Conservation Commission Wins Natural Resource Award

-- Penn State Extension to Host Feb. 10 Webinar About Restoring and Maintaining Native Grasslands

-- Wetlands Learning Modules Available on DEP’s Clean Water Academy

-- WeConservePA to Host Pennsylvania Land Conservation Conference April 2-4

-- Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay to Host 2025 Wild and Scenic Film Festival March 5 In Lancaster County

Counties In Action

-- BMP Installation at Two Berks County Equine Operations

-- Heavy Use Area Installation Addresses Resource Concerns at Huntingdon County Farm

-- Lebanon County Conservation District Launches New Free Pre-sidedress Soil Nitrate Testing Program

-- Floodplain Restoration Efforts Address Nutrient Pollution Concerns along York County Rail Trail

Click Here to read the entire Health Waters newsletter.

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.

(Photos: Row 1-- Equine farm operations restoration in Berks County; Row 2-- Before and after restoration of Oil Creek, York County.)

(Reprinted from DEP’s latest Chesapeake Bay Program newsletter.  Click Here to sign up for your own copy.)

Related Articles:

-- Commonwealth Financing Authority Announces $16 Million In Act 13 Funding For Watershed Restoration, Flood Mitigation, Recreation; Small Water & Sewer Application Period Opening  [PaEN]

-- DEP Chesapeake Bay Healthy Waters Newsletter Highlights Nearly 16,700 BMPs In 2024; Grant Opportunities; County Clean Water Projects   [PaEN]

-- Rodale Institute Accepting Applications For The Good Farmer Award  [PaEN]

-- DEP Begins Accepting Applications For First Round Of Local Abandoned Mine Reclamation Grants March 3  [PaEN]

-- Appalachian Region Independent Power Producers Assn. Now Accepting Mine Reclamation Grant Applications   [PaEN]

-- DCNR Now Accepting Applications For Recreation, Land Conservation, Riparian Buffers Thru April 2  [PaEN]

-- Registration Open! Shamokin Creek Restoration Alliance June 4-5 Mine Pools As Beneficial Resources Conference At Bucknell University  [PaEN]

-- Sponsorship Opportunities Available For Penn State ACAP Ag Conservation Conference April 1-3 In Harrisburg  [PaEN]

-- Reminder: Call For Presentations: Penn State Extension Dive Deeper Summit For Water Educators Sept. 25 In Harrisburg

-- Lancaster Clean Water Partners News: Focus On Cover Crops; 75 Years Of Conservation; MS4 Stormwater Listening Session

-- Environmental Quality Board Invites Comments On 96 Stream Water Quality Redesignations In 29 Counties; Virtual Hearing March 13  [PaEN]

-- Penn State Extension To Hold Feb. 21 In-Person Volunteer Live Staking Workshop In Cumberland County  [PaEN] 

-- Save The Date! May 13-15 DCNR Watershed Forestry Summit  [PaEN]

-- Penn State Extension Water Cooler Talk Feb. 26 Quality Of PA Roadside Springs Webinar  [PaEN]

-- Inquirer: President Wants US To Be ‘Leading’ Producer Of Non-Fuel Minerals; Here’s How PA Could Help; Rare Earth Elements Could Be More Important Than Expansion Of Fracking  [PDF of Article]

-- Interfaith Partners For The Chesapeake Bay Hosts 3-Part Online Faithful Green Leaders Training Starting March 11  [PaEN]

-- Apply Now!  PA Master Naturalist Volunteer Spring Training Offered In Adams, Allegheny, Beaver, Berks, Dauphin, Indiana, Montour, Philadelphia, Somerset Counties  [PaEN]

NewsClips:

-- York Daily Record: The Hellbender, PA’s Official State Amphibian, Is Proposed For Endangered Species Status

-- Beaver Times: Beaver County Receives State Grants For Parks, Green Spaces

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Billions Have Been Allocated To PA From Federal Bipartisan Infrastructure, Inflation Reduction Acts, New Administration Ordered Halt To Disbursements  [Water Infrastructure, Mine Reclamation, Conventional Oil & Gas Well Plugging, $396 million in RISE PA decarbonization funding]

-- The Allegheny Front - Reid Frazier: Nearly $1 Million Federal Stormwater Climate Grant In Allegheny County Environmental Justice Communities  [New Administration Froze Disbursements In This And Other Programs]

-- Delaware RiverKeeper Jan. 31 RiverWatch Video Report

-- Altoona Mirror: Rain Garden Projects Get Logan Township Approval In Blair

[Posted: January 27, 2025]

2/3/2025