Pennsylvania County Takes Steps to Manage Runoff

Over the past two years, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) has poured $1.1 million in projects around Lancaster County, Pa., that take a holistic approach to dealing with issues related to urban/suburban runoff. Three innovative projects in the area comprehensively tackle different aspects of the storm water runoff issue––on-the-ground infrastructure, planning and assessment, and community.

The problem stems from storm events when rain either filters into the ground or runs off. In areas of development, rain cannot be absorbed into the ground, so it flows off in sheets, picking up various contaminants as it goes. Velocity is also a factor; the faster runoff moves, the more damage it can cause by eroding stream banks and filling the waterways with sediment. In the end, the polluted storm water flows directly into local streams or storm drains and is carried into local waters and eventually into the Chesapeake Bay.

This project has worked to identify and provide funding for the best practices and initiatives that could improve storm water management practices in the region through the Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund (CBSF) and NFWF. Projects to improve storm water management in Lancaster County include: implementing a green infrastructure plan, retrofitting storm water systems, and initiating community education and buy-in.

Recognizing that Lancaster County is largely composed of agricultural lands, NFWF has also supported projects that have engaged 380 area farmers in using best management practices on almost 40,000 acres of farmland. The collective impact of these activities is estimated to reduce annual water pollution by approximately 1.2 million lb of nitrogen and 361,000 lb of phosphorus.

Source: PR Newswire