Watershed Protection Program
We All Live Downstream! If there's one message the Juniata County Conservation District wants to drive home, it's that we all live downstream! Waters flow downhill, collecting garbage, sediments, and other pollutants and depositing them in unwanted areas throughout watersheds. Collections of small actions taken by the public will have a BIG impact in protecting waters throughout Juniata County!
Reasons for protecting our watersheds:
Improved Water Quality
Improving water quality throughout Juniata County can be done via many methods. Picking up garbage, preventing the excess application of things like pesticides and road salts, or working with JCCD to perform stream restoration efforts can all improve water quality throughout the county. By improving water quality, we can support water necessary for aquatic life and protect our watersheds.
Better Fishing Opportunities
Keeping Juniata County waters clean will not only improve the water itself, but also support the multitude of fishing opportunities throughout the county. Keeping our streams and streambanks clear of garbage and other pollutants will protect the waters and create easier and safer fishing opportunities.
Habitat for Aquatic Life
By picking up garbage and preventing it from entering streams, you are protecting habitat necessary for aquatic life! During storm events and high water, garbage can wash into rivers and creeks, in turn blocking critical habitat for aquatic species. Also, through stream restoration efforts, JCCD and its partners can construct additional habitat for fish and other aquatic life. These structures also serve roles in streambank protection... see stream restoration efforts below!
Flood Resiliency/Streambank Protection
"The streambank keeps eroding closer and closer to my house/farm/shed"... if this is something you think you've been noticing over the years, you're not going crazy! WATER IS STRONG! Way stronger than a lot of people give it credit for. The eroding powers of waters make streambank protection vital in protecting our waters. By constructing structures to lessen streambank erosion, JCCD & partners can help provide flood protection for landowners and lessen pollutants from entering our waters.
Stream Restoration Efforts
With the construction of Stream Restoration BMPs (Best Management Practices), JCCD and partners can help improve water quality throughout Juniata County Watersheds. Additionally, BMPs also help provide more stable habitat for aquatic life, helping fish, turtles, and other aquatic species live in a healthier watershed. Examples of common BMPs include the following:
Cross Vanes (Log & Stone)
Cross Vanes constructed out of logs and/or stones provide many benefits to a stream. Cross Vanes are constructed perpendicular to the stream channel, and are built to simulate riffles, the fast, shallow water sections of streams. Cross Vanes allow more water and sediments to flow through the stream and increase dissolved oxygen levels. Additionally, Cross Vanes provide grade control benefits, assisting in preventing stream bed degradation. This all works together to improve the overall health of the streams.
Mudsill Cribbing
Mudsill Cribbing is constructed as stones mounted on top of logs along a section a streambank. Mudsill Cribbing is normally constructed along sections of heavily eroded streambanks, providing streambank stabilization to prevent from further erosion. In addition to stabilizing the streambank, Mudsill Cribbing also provides in-stream habitat for fish and other aquatic species. By combatting erosion, Mudsill Cribbing improves stream health by preventing excess sediments from polluting streams.
Deflectors (Log & Stone)
Deflectors are constructed along a single streambank, with the purpose of directing the flow of water away from a bank that is currently eroding or may erode during future storm events. Deflectors armor the streambank where the majority of stream flow hits the bank and directs the water back to the center of the stream channel. Deflectors improve stream health by preventing further erosion and allowing sediments to flow through the stream rather than settling along the streambanks.
Random Boulders
The name that makes the most sense.. Random Boulders are boulders placed "randomly" throughout the stream channel. They are mainly placed in slow sections of streams (pools and glides), allowing the slow water to be broken up and decrease the water temperature while also increasing dissolved oxygen levels. The boulders also provide habitat for fish and other aquatic species. And many more...
Watershed Protection Programs
Pennsylvania's Phase 3 Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP)
"Healthy Waters, Healthy Communities" The Phase 3 WIP is a collection of Countywide Action Plans all aligned with the same goal: to restore and protect the streams and rivers that are a part of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. A major goal of the Phase 3 WIP is to reduce nutrient and sediment pollution in Chesapeake Bay waters, focused mainly on sediment, nitrogen, and phosphorus.
PA's Phase 3 WIP: https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dep/programs-and-services/water/bwrnsm/bay-restoration/healthy-waters-pa.html
Countywide Action Plans (CAP)
Throughout PA, 43 counties contain waterways that are a part of the Chesapeake Bay. To focus efforts of improving water quality throughout the Chesapeake Bay, Juniata County and many others have implemented Countywide Action Plans (CAPs). The CAPs vary for each county, but each plan is developed to implement a multitude of projects of varying categories to continue restoring and protecting streams and rivers of the Chesapeake Bay.
Countywide Action Plans: https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dep/programs-and-services/water/bwrnsm/bay-restoration/healthy-waters-pa/countywide-action-plans.html
Countywide Water Monitoring
To monitor the health of Juniata County waters, JCCD staff is implementing a surface water monitoring program on many streams throughout Juniata County. The monitoring will be done once a quarter, collecting standard water quality parameters including the following:
- pH
- Conductivity
- Dissolved Oxygen
- Water Temperature
- Nitrate-Nitrogen
By performing the quarterly monitoring, JCCD staff are able to notice any major changes in surface water quality in Juniata County.
Club Partnerships
JCCD is extremely appreciative for all of its collaborative partners in watershed protection! From clubs that hosted stream restoration projects to partners that provide volunteer help for tree plantings, clean-ups, and other events to hosts of watershed protection educational events, we could not get projects completed without the help of others!
JCCD partners include:
- Juniata Watershed Alliance
- Juniata School District
- Port Royal Lions Club Park
- AMVETS Post 122 (Thompsontown)
- Juniata County Library
- Juniata County Trout Club
- Juniata County Ag Society and many others...
Interested in partnering with JCCD on watershed protection events? Want to host an educational event? Have volunteers wanting to help plant trees or perform a clean-up? Give JCCD a call at (717) 997-8001 or email Nick Smith @nicholas-smith@juniataccd.org.
Coldwater & Conservation Plans
- Willow Run Coldwater Conservation Plan: https://coldwaterheritage.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/willow-run.pdf
- Lost Creek Coldwater Conservation Plan: https://coldwaterheritage.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/lost-creek-coldwater-conservation-plan-final-draft.pdf
- Juniata Forward: Building on 25 Years of Conservation (An update to the Juniata Watershed Management Plan): https://waterlandlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Juniata-Forward_plan.pdf
Additional Resources:
- PA Fish and Boat Commission: https://www.pa.gov/agencies/fishandboat.html
- PA Trout Unlimited: https://patrout.org/
- Western PA Conservancy: https://waterlandlife.org/
- U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: https://www.fws.gov/
- HRG: https://hrg-inc.com/
- Juniata Watershed Alliance: https://juniatawatershedalliance.wordpress.com/
- PA Department of Environmental Protection: https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dep.html
- Tri-County Regional Planning Commission: https://www.tcrpc-pa.org/
- Lancaster Farmland Trust: https://lancasterfarmlandtrust.org/
- Juniata River Water Trail (Lower Section): https://pfbc.pa.gov/watertrails/juniata/juniata_lower/juniata_lower_guide_map.pdf