Middle Creek

The Middle Creek Watershed is approximately 24 square miles located along the face of South Mountain in southwestern Adams County . Approximately 7.5 square miles of the watershed is designated a High Quality Cold Water Fishery. It is listed as state approved trout water. Several large scale residential developments have been proposed within the watershed. Adams County is the third fastest growing county in Pennsylvania , the fastest growing Pennsylvania County in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. The Watershed Alliance of Adams County hopes to establish baseline data on water quality and habitat in order to determine what effects these developments will have on the watershed, and more importantly what can be done to limit impacts.

 

The Watershed Alliance of Adams County (WAAC) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to preserve and protect the water resources of Adams County through; educational and informational programs to help residents better understand the complex water issues, encouraging sound water management and land use practices, establishing a county-wide volunteer water quality monitoring program, maintaining a database on water quality, and sponsoring environmentally sound watershed improvement projects. The most effective and efficient way to achieve common missions and goals is to establish a partnership with similarly minded resource conservation organizations.

Adams County Trout Unlimited has had great success working at a local grass roots level. In 2005 ACTU received the Gold Trout Award, the highest award that the national organization gives to TU chapters. ACTU was recognized for its 20-year partnership with the Northern Virginia Chapter in restoring a 1.1- mile Fly Fishing Only section of Conewago Creek. Most recently the chapter has restored sections of streams in Latimore Creek, Opossum Creek and open waters sections of the Conewago Creek. ACTU has longtime commitment to the Middle Creek and as well as other local watersheds. As a partner, the Adams County Chapter Trout Unlimited (ACTU) will assist with the identification of public access areas, fish survey and identification, and promoting the project to its extensive and very active membership. 

 

Strawberry Hill Nature Center & Preserve is a private nonprofit education and conservation institution located within Middle Creek Watershed. Strawberry Hill’s mission is to connect the community with the natural world by teaching, inspiring, and promoting stewardship of the environment. Strawberry Hill provides education to 6,400 school aged children a year, as well as sponsoring a number of college-level internships. Strawberry Hill will provide outreach to the community through its educational programs. Strawberry Hill will also provide management of the project by organizing existing data, and organizing data collection days.

 

The Adams County Conservation District (ACCD) has as its mission to serve and assist the citizens of Adams County by promoting the maintenance, improvement, and wise use of land, water and other natural resources at the local level; to offer technical and educational assistance to landowners; and to provide sound conservation and natural resources management assistance to Adams County . In continuing support to the conservation community, the ACCD will provide administration of the project through its Watershed Specialist. County information including the extensive countywide GIS data will be made available for the purpose of researching and developing the Coldwater Conservation Plan. 

 

 

The project will be developed with the primary goals of promoting a local watershed through hands-on, project-oriented workshops. The assessment shall identify baseline water quality information on chemical and physical properties of water, macro-invertebrates, and existing fish populations. One of the best indicators of a healthy waterway is the reproduction capability of aquatic life and organisms. By measuring the concentrations of these organisms at various locations along the stream, we will be able to better pinpoint potential problems areas. The upper reaches of the watershed currently supports rainbow trout reproduction and in the past supported wild trout reproduction. The Partnership believes the potential remains for Middle Creek to achieve Class A wild trout producing stream status. We also propose to collect information on stream habitat and riparian conditions through a visual survey.

 

Through this project the Partnership hopes to:

• Achieve monthly monitoring of the physical and chemical properties of water including nitrate, orthophosphate, sulfate dissolved oxygen, temperature and pH

• Hold 3 macroinvertebrate sampling events

• Perform a riparian habitat assessment as permitted by landowner access

• Develop a fish survey method with available resources and volunteers

Partnership has successfully performed numerous studies of this nature in other watersheds in the county. In essence, although a study within Middle Creek Watershed will be a new project, it will be a continuation of past efforts to assess the status of Adams County ’s watersheds and streams.

 

Partnership goals:

• To promote the values and benefits of Middle Creek Watershed

• To develop an appreciation of a local resource that is the Middle Creek Watershed

• To educate and empower the local citizenry of the threats to a local watershed

• To educate and empower the local citizenry to affect change to resolve problems to a local watershed

• To identify and prioritize degraded sites for future improvements. Degraded sites and water monitoring data will be entered into a GIS based program

• To encourage the continued preservation and protection of the watershed to the general public and stakeholders

This project will be the initial step in developing a comprehensive watershed evaluation and improvement plan. The study will not only assess chemical, biological and physical indicators of water quality. The study will also identify stream blockages for removal by a newly formed stream clearing committee of the Adams County Chapter of Trout Unlimited. These efforts will also serve to build appreciation of the resources within the watershed and make public the stresses that can be caused by unrestricted development and poor management practices.

For More Information:

Yvonne Werzinsky , Preserve Manager

Strawberry Hill Nature Center

1537 Mount Hope Road

Fairfield , PA 17320

(717) 642-5840

yvonne@strawberryhill.org

www.strawberryhill.org

Vy Trinh , Watershed Specialist

Adams County Conservation District

670 Old Harrisburg Road, suite 201

Gettysburg , PA 17325

(717) 334-0636 ext. 344

vtrinh@adamscounty.us

www.adamswatershed.org