Stream Delisting

Stream Delisting Strategy

Most of Lancaster’s streams are considered impaired, meaning that pollution and habitat loss have disrupted their use for drinking water supplies, fishing, recreation, or the aquatic life that calls the waterways home.

Partners throughout the county are using an innovative strategy called “stream delisting”, a collaborative approach that focuses on small headwater watersheds where concentrated restoration efforts will more efficiently and effectively improve water quality and lead to its removal from the EPA list of impaired waterways.

Our Common Agenda goal is to “delist” 20 streams by 2040 through this collaborative strategy.

The delisting strategy was created by the Chesapeake Conservancy. It couples cutting-edge mapping data analysis with an extensive partnership effort to align limited resources toward delisting streams on an accelerated time frame. The Partners’ goal of 20 streams delisted coincides with Pennsylvania’s goal of 30 streams restored by 2030. 
 
Stream delisting will improve public health, economic development, wildlife habitat, outdoor recreation, and water quality for not only Lancastrians, but also our neighbors downstream. 

STREAM DELISTING STRATEGY STORYMAP

Click here to open the Storymap in a new tab

“Soil and water conservation was always a shared commitment here. We’re just integrating stream health into the picture. It really takes multiple landowners along a stream to be able to do this.”

– Lamonte Garber, Stroud Water Research Center (referencing the work along Hammertown Creek)

Steps to Stream Delisting

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