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.