| POW Number: 4.B |
July 1, 2002
|
POW Title: Watershed Management to Enhance Water Quality
Situation Statement:
Pennsylvania has long been known for its abundant water resources. The Commonwealth boasts more than 43,000 miles of streams, 2,300 reservoirs, and 76 natural lakes. There are six major watersheds in the state with one of those, the Susquehanna, providing more than 50 percent of the fresh water entering the Chesapeake Bay. Even a portion of the headwaters of the historic Potomac River is found in Pennsylvania. The state is also home to more than 900,000 private individual water supplies, 95 percent of which rely on the state's abundant groundwater as a source of supply. These supplies take advantage of groundwater that is normally of very high quality. However, because of improper well construction, macropore flow in karst areas, the use of springs, land-use changes, and other problems, almost 40 percent of these supplies suffer from bacterial contamination. Other water quality problems associated with private, individual water supplies include radon, acidic water, and iron and nitrate problems. Surface water supplies have also been exposed to the ravages of water pollution. Acid mine drainage from abandoned coal mines pollutes more than 2,500 miles of Pennsylvania's streams. Some of this pollution comes from more than 250,000 acres of abandoned surface mine land, the rest from hundreds of abandoned deep mines. Acidification as a consequence of acidic deposition affects at least another 700 miles of streams although this figure could be much higher owing to a lack of adequate assessment of this problem.
The heavily agricultural regions of southeastern Pennsylvania have surface and groundwater pollution problems associated with nutrient applications to farmland and disposal of animal and food processing wastes. As efforts to feed the world's population intensify, these problems are likely to worsen. Abandoned and active gas and oil wells dot the landscape in some regions of the state. These, too, are potential sources of water pollution. Petroleum products and the salt brines that accompany natural gas production have the potential to be significant polluters of surface and groundwater. There are almost 1.5 million Pennsylvania homes dependent upon on-site facilities for the treatment of domestic wastewater. Proper management of these facilities is crucial to groundwater quality enhancement. Pennsylvania has on the one hand a rich treasure of clean water and on the other a legacy of serious water pollution. In the former are resources that will sustain the Commonwealth for the next century and a responsibility to prevent degradation. In the latter is an opportunity to change a legacy of neglect to one of improved stewardship and restoration for future generations of Pennsylvanians.
SUB POW: 4.B.1. Private Water System Management
Objective: 4.B.1.1. Individuals will identify what affects their water supply and how to monitor the quality of their water.
Output/Outcome Indicators (These indicators will be captured in the database for FY2003):
Objective: 4.B.1.2. Individuals will recognize at least two important ideas about health hazards and management responsibilities of their private water systems, and will save money and reduce health risks by purchasing appropriate water treatment equipment.
Output/Outcome Indicators (These indicators will be captured in the database for FY2003):
SUB POW: 4.B.2. Watershed Stewardship: Management Tools for Enhancing Water Quality
Objective: 4.B.2.1. Individuals will recognize the importance of groundwater, its movement, and how its quality and quantity is impacted by land-use practices.
Output/Outcome Indicators (These indicators will be captured in the database for FY2003):
Objective: 4.B.2.2. Individuals and communities will utilize watershed management tools to protect watersheds, i.e., wellhead protection, ponds, and watershed control systems.
Output/Outcome Indicators (These indicators will be captured in the database for FY2003):
Special Indicators (suggested by the POW team):
- Number of individuals who take action to solve pond problems.
Objective: 4.B.2.3. Individuals building or using private septic systems will identify steps to proper establishment and management of on-site septic systems to lessen the risk of malfunctions.
Output/Outcome Indicators (These indicators will be captured in the database for FY2003):