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About the Watershed

A Long Way with Many Bends

Conodoguinet Creek Watershed Association

Commemorative Booklet

This booklet is one part of a larger commemorative project that CELEBRATES the Conodoguinet Creek Watershed Association’s people, projects, and changes the organization has witnessed. It provides some of the history and stories of the watershed. Along with this booklet, oral history videos captured in partnership with the Cumberland County Historical Society and Dickinson College, and a story map created by Shippensburg University provide a sense for the passionate professionals and volunteers who have made the CCWA a resilient community presence over the past 30 years and, hopefully, who will continue to do so for many years to come.
Click on the photo to the left to learn more about our Watershed and the inspiration behind CCWA.

Learn more about the Conodoguinet Creek Watershed

The Conodoguinet Creek bisects the County from west to east. Its watershed is much of the County. The Creek is a very valuable economic, recreation, and environmental resource. Much of the Creek is still guarded by a buffer of trees and plants, providing wildlife habitat and a scenic setting for uses of the Creek including swimming, boating, wildlife watching, exploration, fishing, hunting and other recreation. It is also a drain and reflects the human activity thereon, good and bad. Water quality is good although fertilizer and sediment loads can be excessive. Water is still pure enough to be feed water to public water supplies serving perhaps 50,000 residents. The Conodoguinet Creek Watershed Association (CCWA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving and protecting the Creek and watershed.
Watch the video “From Headwaters to Mouth” to learn more about our Watershed.

Our Challenges

Managing Critical Activities on the Watershed

These activities include development, farming and urban contributions. Development may cause sediment to enter the Creek. Increased impervious surfaces such as roads and roofs divert rainwater from percolation and replenishment of groundwater. The increased storm runoff causes increased flooding, and with its greater momentum, damages Creek banks and bottoms, and damages the buffers. Improper farming practices can also lead to Creek sediment and the introduction of excess fertilizers into Creek waters. The same need for fertilizer management applies to golf courses and suburban lawn care. Excess nitrogen and phosphate can damage Creek ecology by over-stimulation of aquatic plants. The Cumberland County Conservation District is working hard to control nitrogen and other animal wastes, and sediments in farming. Its approach of recruitment of farmers is well-received.
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About Us

A non-profit, environmentally concerned citizens group created to take appropriate action on matters that affect the welfare of the Conodoguinet Creek Watershed.

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Copyright © 2023 Conodoguinet Creek Watershed Association. All right reserved.

Our Challenges

Managing Critical Activities on the Watershed

These activities include development, farming and urban contributions. Development may cause sediment to enter the Creek. Increased impervious surfaces such as roads and roofs divert rainwater from percolation and replenishment of groundwater. The increased storm runoff causes increased flooding, and with its greater momentum, damages Creek banks and bottoms, and damages the buffers. Improper farming practices can also lead to Creek sediment and the introduction of excess fertilizers into Creek waters. The same need for fertilizer management applies to golf courses and suburban lawn care. Excess nitrogen and phosphate can damage Creek ecology by over-stimulation of aquatic plants. The Cumberland County Conservation District is working hard to control nitrogen and other animal wastes, and sediments in farming. Its approach of recruitment of farmers is well-received.
Increasing impervious surfaces. Hard surfaces such as structure roofs, and highways and parking lots reduce watershed quality unless stormwater is captured and percolation encouraged. These strategies are called Best Management Practices (BMPs). If development is to continue, municipal agencies must insist on the most and best BMPs, and ultimately place a limit on impervious covers.
Waste Management. Some municipalities have yet to implement regular door-to-door waste collection. Municipal solid waste is disposed of in a landfill on the watershed. The county offers some collection of hazardous wastes but more needs to be done to encourage proper disposal by making disposal more convenient and better-known. CCWA encourages the proper management of all such wastes. Riparian or vegetative buffering. A 200 foot protective band of trees and native plants along the Creek is critical. More needs to be done to encourage the establishment and preservation of these areas.

Creek Cleaning. An important activity is trash removal at outings during the summer. Tires are particularly prevalent. This is a joint effort of many environmental organizations in the County and probably results in recruitment of more than a few new young environmentalists. The municipalities recruit additional volunteers and assist with waste disposal.

Disappearance of shad, eel and native mussels. The reasons are complex but can all be traced unfortunately to human activity.

Groundwater Management. The watershed is fortunate in receiving nearly four feet of precipitation annually. About half this is estimated to enter the ground. The area is interesting in offering many nice springs from which groundwater emerges. Extreme low creek flow is moderated by the contribution of groundwater emitted by the springs. With growth we must develop a management strategy to manage and protect groundwater from excessive withdrawal.

Public awareness and cooperation. Another important activity of CCWA is increasing public awareness and appreciation. It has established a top-quality website (www.conocreek.org). The Assn interacts with public agencies such as the Cumberland County Conservation District, Planning Commission and the Waste Authority, and is on-call to the municipalities. CCWA works with those agencies, both private and public by encouraging private initiatives that preserve and enhance the watershed, such as open space preservation.

Water Trail Guide. Together with the County Planning Commission and the Cumberland Valley Visitors Center, the Water Trail Guide was updated and republished for free distribution and sharing on-line.

In the early 2000’s, CCWA conducted, with State of Pennsylvania support, a Rivers Conservation Plan study, that focused on the Creek middle reach. The work defined activities on the watershed that could be improved, that would otherwise negatively impact the Creek and has provided an improvement checklist.
Source: “Introduction to the Conodoguinet Creek” September 12, 2012.

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