Gettysburg Times Article

An article titled "Hearing on draft of 'Critical Area Resource Plan' held" was written by Larry Martick and published in the Gettysburg Times following the recent public meeting and hearing.  The article was posted to the newspaper's website on Tuesday, December 18th.

Public Meeting/Hearing Follow-Up

Thanks to all those who attended the public meeting and hearing on the Marsh/Rock CARP. 

At the meeting, Charlie Bennett (CAAC and Potomac Regional Committee chair) provided an introduction to the group.  Dave Jostenski (DEP) then provided background on why the watersheds were designated as a Critical Water Planning Area and gave an overview of the legislated process for CARP development.  Heidi Moltz and Jim Palmer (ICPRB) reviewed the draft CARP document and its key recommendations.  Charlie Bennett then discussed voluntary local implementation of the plan.

At the subsequent public hearing, a number of statements were made concerning the CARP.  The perspectives of those who provided statements at the meeting and those who have since submitted comments in writing are greatly appreciated.

Public Meeting and Hearing, Dec 12th

A public meeting and hearing on the draft CARP will be held on December 12, 2012 at the Ag Center in Gettysburg. The public meeting will begin at 5:30pm, followed by the public hearing at 7:00pm.  Hope to see you there!

WRAC Update

The Adams County Water Resources Advisory Committee (WRAC) met yesterday in Gettysburg.  The recently re-established WRAC has a new focus on the implementation of the CARP recommendations.  This will be pursued by working with the county commissioners, the municipalities, and various stakeholders throughout Adams County.  The committee has also been re-structured to include a technical sub-committee, an education sub-committee, and ad-hoc committees to address specific needs as they arise. 

Opportunities for Comment, Draft CARP

A public meeting and hearing on the draft CARP will be held on December 12, 2012 at the Ag Center in Gettysburg. The public meeting will begin at 5:30pm, followed by the public hearing at 7:00pm.  The comment period for the public and local governments will end on December 14, 2012.

Revised Draft CARP

Revisions to the CARP have been made based on input from the Critical Area Advisory Committee and the Potomac Regional Committee.  The revised CARP is available for review here.

This version of the document is currently undergoing a 60 day review by municipalities in the Critical Water Planning Area.

Comments on the draft CARP are welcome and can be submitted to marshrockpa@gmail.com.

July 11th Meeting Follow-Up

Thanks to the nearly 40 people who attended the combined Critical Area Advisory Committee and Potomac Regional Committee meeting on July 11th.  The draft meeting minutes are available for review here.

The draft CARP has been revised based on feedback received at the meeting.  Also included in the newest version of the draft CARP is an appendix on wastewater reuse in the CWPA.  The latest version of the draft CARP can be downloaded here.

Comments on the draft CARP are welcome and can be submitted via email (marshrockpa@gmail.com), phone (301.274.8116), or mail (ICPRB, 51 Monroe St. PE-08, Rockville, MD 20850).

The next CARP meeting will be a Potomac Regional Committee meeting, tentatively scheduled for mid-late August.  The date, time, and location will be posted as soon as they are confirmed.

Upcoming Meeting Reminder

A combined Critical Area Advisory Committee and Potomac Regional Committee meeting will be held next Wednesday, July 11th from 1-3pm at the Ag Center in Gettysburg.

The purpose of the meeting is to introduce and discuss the draft CARP (available for download here) and the document review process and timeline.  Revisions to the draft CARP are expected based on the feedback received.  The draft agenda for the meeting is available for download here.

The meeting minutes for the April meeting are available for review here.

Hope to see you there!

Draft CARP Selections, Management Recommendations

Section 3.4 of the draft CARP documents the management alternatives developed to address the seven identified water resources issues in the CWPA.   Management alternatives to be considered for inclusion in the CARP were compiled from CAAC meetings, communication with general stakeholders and advisory committee members, literature reviews, and written submissions by organizations and interested parties.

Evaluation of the management alternatives included feasibility and technical scoring, a qualitative evaluation, and a discussion of potential conflicts and adverse impacts.  The evaluation also included consideration of the environmental, economic, regulatory, land use planning, engineering, and social implications of the alternatives.

Utilizing the evaluation process, CARP management recommendations were selected from the management alternatives to assure “an adequate supply of water to satisfy existing and future reasonable and beneficial uses.”  Section 3.5 documents the methodology for selecting recommended practices from the evaluated alternatives, provides the lists of CARP management recommendations, and discusses implementation efforts including how the information contained in this report can be utilized for implementation of the management recommendations. 

Recommendations were divided into two categories – Tier 1 and Tier 2.  A total of 20 Tier 1and 19 Tier 2 recommendations are made in the draft CARP.  The recommendations range from installation of stream gages to creating a water management council to encouraging new developments to have additional water storage capacities.  The full list of recommendations can be found in Section 3.5.

Comments on the management recommendations and any other CARP section are welcome and can be submitted via email (marshrockpa@gmail.com), phone (301.274.8116), or at the upcoming July 11 combined CAAC and Potomac Regional Committee meeting.

Draft CARP Selections, Water Quality and Stormwater

Deterioration in water quality limits the availability of clean water for human and ecosystem use, thereby eliminating otherwise viable supplies or increasing treatment costs. Section 3.3.3 of the draft CARP focuses on the water quality issues in the CWPA. Water quality parameters of concern in the CWPA include, but are not limited to, those for which impairments have been noted (sediments, nutrients, dissolved oxygen, total phosphorus, and nitrite nitrate). The figure below shows locations of impaired waterways in the CWPA.

Causes for these impairments include agriculture, industry, development, and urban land uses. Water quality impacts from point sources are most notable during low flows, when concentration of contaminants peaks. However, non-point source pollutant transport is primarily driven by unmanaged stormwater which carries diverse pollutants across the landscape and into the waterways.

These water quality concerns do not appear to present immediate risks to human uses of ground- or surface-water in the watersheds; however, aquatic benthic communities are severely impaired at most CWPA sampling locations. Future growth and development may exacerbate these problems if not managed.

Stormwater and floodplain management are an important component of water resources management in the CWPA, analyzed in Section 3.3.4 of the draft CARP.  The table shows average seasonal storm-flows in inches from 1997-2010.

Stormwater management and reuse could aid in meeting current and future water demands.  When compared to the quantity of water available in the CWPA, the stormwater analysis demonstrated that sufficient quantities of stormwater typically exist to alleviate much of the potential water shortfall. A key to making this a reality will be selecting effective stormwater practices for implementation, both in terms of cost and amount of water made available. Management of floodplain areas would also protect water quality and enhance water availability.

Comments on the water quality, stormwater and floodplain management, and any other CARP section are welcome and can be submitted via email (marshrockpa@gmail.com), phone (301.274.8116), or at the upcoming July 11 combined CAAC and Potomac Regional Committee meeting.

Draft CARP Selections, Water Availability

In Section 3.3.2 of the draft CARP, water demand in the CWPA was shown to exceed the amount of available water under low-flow conditions represented by the 7Q10, a common low-flow indicator.  Seasonally, the deficits are highest in the summer, followed by the spring and fall.  Winter has the lowest potential deficit because demands are lowest and water availability is relatively high.  On an average daily basis, the largest deficits are found in the Upper Rock sub-watershed and the smallest deficits are found in the Upper Marsh sub-watershed.  Future growth is expected to exacerbate this problem.

Comments on the water availability section and any other CARP section are welcome and can be submitted via email (marshrockpa@gmail.com), phone (301.274.8116), or at the upcoming July 11 combined CAAC and Potomac Regional Committee meeting.

Draft CARP Selections, Current Water Uses

The withdrawal and non-withdrawal uses in the Marsh and Rock Creek watersheds affect not only the local economy but ecosystem health as well. An analysis, undertaken to identify and quantify the myriad uses of water in the Marsh and Rock creek watersheds, is presented in Section 3.3.1 of the draft CARP. Withdrawal uses, for example, were estimated seasonally and annually for the entire CWPA and individual sub-watersheds.  The largest water use type in the CWPA, shown in the pie chart, is domestic and public supply, followed by agriculture, industry, and mining.  The bar chart shows total seasonal water use in the Marsh and Rock creek watersheds in million gallons, categorized by use type.  Water use is highest in the summer and lowest in the winter.  The seasonality of certain use types, such as agriculture, can also be seen.  

While flowing in the streams, the surface waters of the Marsh and Rock creek watersheds serve diverse functions from sustaining wildlife and their habitats to enhancing tourist experiences.  Nonwithdrawal uses, or instream uses, of the surface water resources can have ecological, social, and economic implications and, as such, management for these uses is important.  Nonwithdrawal uses that were evaluated include designated uses, recreation (fishing, birding, swimming and boating), wildlife and ecosystems, tourism, and education.

Comments on the current water uses section and any other CARP section are welcome and can be submitted via email (marshrockpa@gmail.com), phone (301.274.8116), or at the upcoming July 11 combined CAAC and Potomac Regional Committee meeting.

Draft CARP Selections, Water Resources Issues

Identification and evaluation of water resources issues have been underway in the Marsh and Rock creek watersheds for some time.  Through an ongoing stakeholder process, previous studies, and technical analyses, the CARP process identified 7 issues affecting water resources availability in the CWPA: water availability, water storage, water quality, stormwater, policy and management, data availability (staff gage photo), and communication.

The magnitude and extent of the water resources issues were investigated during a number of technical analyses.  A quantitative understanding of the issues, where possible, then informed the evaluation and selection of CARP management recommendations. 

Details on the rationale behind each identified issue can be found in Section 3.2 of the draft CARP. Comments on the water resources issues section and any other CARP section are welcome and can be submitted via email (marshrockpa@gmail.com), phone (301.274.8116), or at the upcoming July 11 combined CAAC and Potomac Regional Committee meeting.

June Ground Water Monitoring

On June 21st, the Conservation District completed the 18th round of monthly ground water monitoring for the Rock and Marsh Creek Critical Area Resource Plan. The ground water levels were lower in June then they were in May.  To see all the measurements, visit Adams County Monitoring Wells.

Draft CARP Selections, Stakeholder Participation

Water resources management in the Marsh and Rock Creek watersheds is benefited by a diverse group of committed stakeholders (including water suppliers, agriculture, local and state government, industry, etc.).  Thanks to everyone who has participated!

Development of the CARP included public participation throughout the process (see schematic below).  Specifically, a total of eleven CAAC meetings were held over the duration of the project including a project kick-off, quarterly meetings, public meetings, a workshop (see photo at top right) and meetings on special topics of interest. Other public outreach activities included development of a project flier, blog, newspaper articles, and attendance at meetings of local organizations.  CARP-related newspaper articles are available for download here and here. 

For more information on the stakeholder participation process used in the development of the CARP, see Section 3.1 of the draft CARP.  Feedback on this and other sections of the draft CARP are encouraged and can be made via email (marshrockpa@gmail.com), phone (301.274.8116), or at the upcoming July 11 combined CAAC and Potomac Regional Committee meeting.

Draft CARP Selections

Over the next two weeks, a series of blogs will be posted that highlight different parts of the draft CARP.  The purpose is to draw attention to the varied components and conclusions and to inform the discussion at the upcoming July 11th meeting.

Upcoming Meeting -- July 11th

There will be a combined Critical Area Advisory Committee and Potomac Regional Committee meeting on July 11th from 1-3pm at the Ag Center in Gettysburg. 

The purpose of the meeting is to introduce and discuss the draft CARP (available for download here) and the document review process and timeline.  Revisions to the document are expected based on feedback received from DEP, the committees, and the general public.  Future meeting dates, times, and objectives will also be determined.  A draft agenda for the meeting is available for download here.

Draft CARP Released

The draft CARP is now available for download and review.  On July 11th from 1-3pm at the Ag Center in Gettysburg, a combined CAAC and Potomac Regional Committee meeting will be held to discuss the draft CARP.   Hope to see you there!

May Ground Water Monitoring

On May 16th, the Conservation District completed the 17th round of monthly ground water monitoring for the Rock and Marsh Creek Critical Area Resource Plan. The ground water levels were higher in May then they were in April.  Typically, the ground water levels are highest in April. This is due to the dry April and rainy May. 

Wildflowers Galore

An abundance of wildflowers can be found around the watersheds this spring - from the riparian areas to the hillsides.  Take some time to get out and enjoy them! 

This photo was taken near Rock Creek on Natural Dam Rd.  Does anyone know what type of flowers these are?

Upcoming Meeting Dates

Upcoming meeting dates associated with the Marsh/Rock Critical Area Resource Plan are as follows:

1-3pm on July 11th at the Agriculture and Natural Resources Center -- combined Critical Area Advisory Committee and Potomac Regional Committee meeting to review draft CARP and finalize additional meeting dates and objectives

Time TBD on August 23rd at the Agriculture and Natural Resources Center -- combined Potomac Regional Committee and public hearing/meeting

Tentative September 27th, time and location TBD -- Potomac Regional Committee meeting

Medication Disposal Opportunity

Proper disposal of medications can prevent contamination of water resources.  In coordination with the DEA, local organizations and agencies are partnering to conduct a medication take-back event on Saturday, April 28th from 10am-2pm.  The Gettysburg take-back location is the Gettysburg Fire Company at 37 Stratton Street.  For other take-back locations, visit the Collection Site Locator.

Earth Day Photo Contest

Calling all photographers! Get your camera ready for ICPRB’s 24-hour Earth Day photo contest. Photos that qualify might include birds, wildlife, insects, scenic shots, wild plants, people, Earth Day events, and other Earth Day-related happenings in the Potomac watershed taken on Earth Day, April 22, 2012.

The grand prize winner will receive a one-day river trip for two people through River and Trail Outfitters. Second place will win a Flashpack backpack filled with binoculars, water bottle, and coupon provided by REI, and an upper Potomac map set. Third place will receive a Rain Bear rain barrel and upper Potomac map set.  

Here’s how it works: The photo(s) you submit can be taken any time between 12:00 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. on April 22, 2012. Go to http://www.potomacriver.org/ to register your photo, pay the $10 entry fee, and upload your three best photos. We’ll accept entries April 22 through April 29, 2012. Winners will be announced by May 21.

Why only one day? The ICPRB’s mission is to enhance, conserve, and protect the Potomac River, its tributaries, and associated land resources. These photos will help us highlight all the terrific places, people, and events on Earth Day that we couldn’t see without your help. We hope to develop a database and interactive map for the public using these images.
For complete contest rules, model release waivers, and the entry form, visit http://www.potomacriver.org/. Direct questions to info@icprb.org.

Managing Municipal Stormwater Workshop

On Monday, May 7, 2012, a Municipal Stormwater Management Workshop will be held to help municipalities, municipal engineers and community planners implement new cost effective stormwater management practices. This program was developed in partnership between Penn State Extension, Cumberland County Conservation District, Cumberland County Planning Department, DCNR Bureau of Forestry, Villanova Urban Stormwater Partnership and USDA Forest Service. The workshop will take place from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm at the Cumberland County Service Center which is located at 310 Allen Road in Carlisle. Registration Fee is $35 per person if received by April 27, 2012. For more information or to register online go to http://agsci.psu.edu/municipal-stormwater/carlisle. If you do not have Internet access, you can call the toll free number at 877-489-1398 for assistance or contact Penn State Extension at 717-263-9226 ext 225 for more information. Registration deadline is May 1st, 2012 and seating is limited. Certificates of Attendance will be issued for Engineer PDH Credits.

April Well Monitoring

On April 18th, the Conservation District completed the 16th round of monthly groundwater monitoring for the Rock and Marsh Creek Critical Area Resource Plan. Due to the lack of rain and the early growing season, the groundwater level in all of the monitoring wells has started to drop. We will probably see a downward trend until about October. To see the Rock and Marsh Creek groundwater data, click HERE.

Advisory Committee Meeting Follow-Up

Thanks to everyone who attended last week's Critical Area Advisory Committee meeting.  The primary purposes of the meeting were to discuss the proposed method for scoring, prioritizing, and recommending management alternatives in the CARP and to discuss future implementation of the CARP recommendations.

The draft meeting minutes are available for download here.

If you have any comments regarding the management alternative screening process or if you would like additional details regarding any of the management alternatives included in the evaluation, please submit the information at your earliest convenience via email to marshrockpa@gmail.com; phone (301.274.8116); or mail to ICPRB, 51 Monroe St PE-08, Rockville, MD 20850.

The next advisory committee meeting will be Wednesday, July 11 from 1-3pm at the Ag Center.

Advisory Committee Meeting April 11th

The next advisory committee meeting for the Marsh and Rock watersheds Critical Area Resource Plan will be Wednesday, April 11th from 1-3pm at the Ag Center in Gettysburg (670 Old Harrisburg Rd).  The purpose of the meeting is to discuss prioritization and implementation of the CARP management recommendations.  A draft meeting agenda is available for download.  A new draft technical report on the development of CARP management recommendations is also available for review and will be discussed at the upcoming meeting.

See you Wednesday!

March Groundwater Level Monitoring

The most recent round of groundwater level monitoring took place in the Marsh and Rock creek watersheds on March 21st.  The complete history of measurements at each well is available through USGS.  By clicking on the Site ID for a particular monitoring well, additional information on the site and the history of data collection at that site can be viewed. 

Trends in groundwater levels in the Marsh and Rock creek watersheds vary geographically.  Over the last couple of months, some wells show increasing trends, some levels are decreasing, and others fluctuate month to month (see monthly groundwater levels since September 2011 from three wells below - the horizontal axis on these plots is time, the vertical axis is groundwater level).  To see how the groundwater levels are changing near you, explore the data via the USGS website.

Potential Water Conflicts

Because the Critical Water Planning Area has limited water supplies under certain conditions and competing water uses, by definition there are likely water conflicts in the watersheds.  One component of the Critical Area Resource Plan will be an identification of the potential water conflicts. 

A list of potential conflicts that have been discussed at previous Critical Area Advisory Committee meetings is provided below.  Feedback (including suggestions for modifications, additions, and removals) is most welcome!

• Increasing water availability for current and future water needs vs Increasing water availability drives population growth;
• Water availability for human use vs Water availability for ecosystem use;
• Managing by jurisdiction vs Collaborative management of water across jurisdictions;
• Stormwater as a nuisance vs Stormwater as a resource;
• Registration of water withdrawals helps manage water resources to ensure long-term availability vs Registration of water withdrawals is a way to try to regulate individual water uses;
• Regulations at local and state level vs Management necessary at the watershed level;
• Limited water availability during summer when uses are greatest vs Increased water availability in winter during lowest usage; and
• Wastewater effluent as a flow stabilizer/enhancer vs A source of nutrients and other pollutants.

February Workshop Follow-Up

Thanks to all who attended the workshop on February 15th to evaluate and prioritize management alternatives under consideration for the Marsh/Rock CARP!  The draft meeting minutes are now available for download. 

The workshop included two major sections.  In the morning, an initial screening process was conducted.  This process labeled each management alternative as either a Yes, No, or Maybe.  Yes indicated that a management alternative is feasible and/or implementation of the practice is already underway.  No indicated that the practice is not feasible and additional discussion is not necessary.  Alternatives not considered Yes or No were designated as Maybe.  The remainder of the workshop focused on scoring the Maybes in terms of feasibility using 6 pillars; namely, information, funding, policies, institutions, stakeholders, and timeframe. 

For each Maybe management alternative, the score by pillar and notes on each pillar is presented here.  Definitions for the numeric score criteria are available here.  A revised management alternatives spreadsheet is also available.  It contains a description of each management alternative, the total feasibility score, and discussion notes.

The next Critical Area Advisory Committee meeting will be held on April 11th from 1-3pm at the Ag Center.  This meeting will include a discussion of the workshop results.  Your feedback is encouraged.

National Groundwater Awareness Week

March 11-17 is National Groundwater Awareness Week.  The purpose of this week is to educate the public about the importance of groundwater and water well stewardship.  To find out more and to get involved, visit the National Ground Water Association's website.

Monthly Groundwater Monitoring

On Feb 14th, we collected another round of monthly depth to water measurements. One thing I noticed this month was that the depth to water measurement was a larger number compared to January. This means that the groundwater level has dropped. Typically, the groundwater doesn't drop continuously until April when the plants begin to grow and less water is available for recharge. However, we are still above the typical groundwater level for this time of year.

If you check NOAA's precipation site for Adams County, you will notice that we are 1.4 inches of precipation behind normal for the past 30 days. We also have been behind normal for the past 90 days.

Deviation from normal rain fall for Adams County can be found at www.erh.noaa.gov/marfc/Maps/barcharts/Adams.PA.html

February 15th Workshop Prep

Please make plans to attend the upcoming Critical Area Advisory Committee workshop which will be held on February 15th from 9am-3pm at the Agriculture and Natural Resources Center in Gettysburg (670 Old Harrisburg Rd).  Lunch will be provided.

The purpose of the workshop is to evaluate and prioritize management alternatives that were compiled at the January advisory committee meeting.  The workshop will be an application of the ILBM methodology, discussed during previous advisory committee meetings (for more information on ILBM, see the blog post by Beverly Saunders from 12/20/11). 

The draft agenda and the list of management alternatives that will be evaluated are now available for download.  If you have ideas for additional management alternatives that are not currently on the list, please submit them by February 10th via email (marshrockpa@gmail.com); phone (301.274.8116); or mail (ICPRB, 51 Monroe St. PE-08, Rockville, MD 20850). 

See you on February 15th!

Source Water Protection for Municipal Officials

For more information, click here.

Time:
6pm - 9pm

Where:
PA State Association of Boroughs
2941 North Front St
Harrisburg, PA 17110
(Dauphin County)

Registration:
Coming soon at the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs Training Schedule website.

1/11 Advisory Committee Follow-Up

Approximately 26 people attended the January 11th advisory committee meeting.  Thanks to all those who attended! 

The main purpose of the meeting was to compile a list of potential management alternatives for evaluation and prioritization.  The draft meeting minutes are now available for download here.  Two handouts were provided at the meeting.  The first was a synthesis of water resources issues facing the Marsh and Rock creek watersheds.  The second was a draft list of management actions that may be appropriate for addressing the water resources issues.  Comments on any/all of these documents are welcome.

In order to include all proposed management alternatives in the evaluation and prioritization process, please submit additional ideas by February 10th via email (marshrockpa@gmail.com), phone (301.274.8116), or mail (ICPRB, 51 Monroe St. PE-08, Rockville, MD 20850).

The next meeting of the Critical Area Advisory Committee will be February 15th from 9am-3pm at the Ag Center in Gettysburg.  Hope to see you there!

Wednesday's (1/11) Critical Area Advisory Committee Meeting

Wednesday, January 11th, will be the next meeting of the Critical Area Advisory Committee.  The meeting will be held from 1-3pm at the Ag Center (670 Old Harrisburg Rd) in Gettysburg.  The purpose of the meeting is to compile a list of possible CARP management recommendations.  Recommendations obtained at this meeting will undergo initial technical evaluation through mid-February.  A full feasibility evaluation for selection and prioritization will be conducted at the February 15th workshop.  The draft meeting agenda is available for download here.

Please come to the meeting prepared to share your ideas on management actions that can be implemented in the watersheds to address the water resources issues!  If you are unable to attend the meeting, please submit any ideas before February 10th via email (marshrockpa@gmail.com), phone (301.274.8116), or mail (ICPRB, 51 Monroe St. PE-08, Rockville, MD 20850).

New and Revised Technical Reports

Two new technical reports are available for review and comment.  One focuses on stormwater and floodplain management while the other assesses the water quality conditions in the Marsh and Rock creek watersheds.

Also, two previously released technical reports have been revised based on comments from the advisory committee.  The revised version of the current water uses technical report can be downloaded here.  The revised version of the water availability and future water uses technical report is also available.

As always, feedback on the technical reports is most welcome.