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Strong Community Interest in Tri-County Conewago Creek Association
Watershed Group’s Initial Meeting Draws Crowd of Community Members

CONEWAGO CREEK AREA (EAST SHORE) – More than 40 participants attended the kick-off meeting to launch a watershed group dedicated to the protection of the Conewago Creek. The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, February 27, 2002, at 7:00 p.m. at the Londonderry Township Building, 783 South Geyers Church Road, Middletown.

“We were extremely pleased at the amount of interest in our first meeting,” said Matt Royer, who is heading the initiative to form the group. “Obviously, this is an issue that many local citizens think is important. We had a full house and representation from local government, small business owners, conservation organizations, educational institutions and interested farmers and other landowners. Many individuals provided input as to how they would like to see the group reach goals. This will be an ambitious organization.”

Royer notes, “The group is interested in making a difference starting with a variety of watershed projects geared toward education and awareness. We will be planning stream cleanups and stream assessment activities for this spring. Down the road, we’ll also get our hands dirty with actual restoration projects, such stream bank fencing, stabilizing stream banks to prevent erosion, and creating riparian buffers by planting trees along the creek. ”

The citizens voted on a name for the watershed group – Tri-County Conewago Creek Association – and agreed to organize as a non-profit corporation. They have applied for a Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection “Growing Greener” grant for start up costs. If awarded, the money will help achieve the group’s goal of preserving, protecting and enhancing the water quality of the streams within the watershed.

Pennsylvania has experienced a recent surge of local, grassroots-level watershed protection initiatives. Watershed groups are popping up all across the Commonwealth, this one focused on the Conewago Creek and its tributaries.
The Conewago encompasses more than 50 square miles in parts of eight different municipalities in Lancaster, Dauphin and Lebanon Counties. Its headwaters are in Mt. Gretna and it discharges into the Susquehanna near the village of Falmouth. Almost the entire headwaters area is forested, and much of it runs through the State Game Lands surrounding Mt. Gretna. The middle and lower portions of the stream flow through many active farms and rural residential development.

Nearly all of the watershed has been recently assessed by Susquehanna River Basin Commission aquatic biologists on behalf of the Commonwealth, and the majority of the watershed is impaired. It is too polluted to sustain the kind of fish and other aquatic life that it could if it were a healthy stream. Increased sediment and nutrients from agricultural runoff has been identified as the major cause of impairment.

Jennifer Hoffman, Aquatic Biologist from the SRBC, will be speaking at the February 27th meeting about the stream assessment conducted for the Conewago. All are invited to attend.
 

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© 2003 Tri-County Conewago Creek Association