Conserving Lancaster's streams since 1950
Our Purpose
To protect, improve, educate, and facilitate the improvement of Lancaster County’s waterways.
The Lancaster County Watershed organization provides technical, informational and organizational assistance that will improve watershed organization development and the quality and quantity of the county’s surface and groundwater resources. The focus of their work relates to watershed assessment, procurement of funding, technical assistance, and the creation, implementation, and coordination of work plans and strategies to restore and protect groundwater and surface water resources locally. View the Lancaster County Conservation District website.
Did you know? The same water that was here when the dinosaurs were on the earth is still here.
Helpful Information
What is a watershed?
A watershed is the area of land that drains to a specific body of water, including a stream, pond, lake, river, or ocean. A watershed can be a small as your backyard or can span many states. Check out this video: What a Watershed Is & Why It Is Important? »
Do you know your watershed address?
Where does the water in your backyard end up? That is what a watershed address tells us. It will map out how water flows from one body of water to another and most of the time, into the ocean! Check out our map to learn more about the watershed you live in and the water quality improvements being done locally. Find your watershed address »
At the Watershed Department at LCCD, we work to improve water quality locally and downstream. Some of our work includes:
Stream Restoration & Riparian Buffer Installation. Streams with eroded banks and lack of woody vegetation are a common occurrence in Lancaster County. We armor our stream banks with natural structures that provide fish habitat and reduce erosion. Then, we plant trees to provide long-term stabilization. Take a look at our Watersheds tab to see specific projects we have worked on throughout the county. In addition, you can learn more about riparian buffers in this brochure.
Water Quality Monitoring. 89% of Lancaster County’s streams are impaired, or don’t have good water quality. We want to be able to fish, swim, and drink the water that surrounds us. Volunteers collect extensive data about local streams on a monthly basis and we have in-stream monitoring units that collect data every 15 minutes. Combined, these data help inform our restoration actions in Lancaster County. You can see water Monitoring Data by visiting each watershed from the OUR WATERSHEDS tab.
Education & Outreach. We care about our local streams and we want you to care to! We lead education programs for all ages, including macroinvertebrate studies (a fancy word for stream bugs!), electrofishing, and more. We are happy to educate more of our community members so please reach out if you are interested.
Local Case Studies
Are you social? Visit our Facebook page »
Get Involved
Business Hours
Monday—Friday
7:30am-4:00pm