Conewago Creek

The Conewago Creek Watershed is located in the most Northwest corner of the county and actually forms the boundary of Lancaster and Dauphin Counties.   This 53 square mile watershed was originally named by the Delaware Native American tribe, with Conewago meaning “At the rapids”.  Today there are about 115 miles of streams in the Conewago Creek Watershed.  The mainstem starts in Lebanon County along with most tributaries which start in Lebanon County or in Dauphin County.  The stream then flows nearly due west to its confluence with the Susquehanna River around Three Mile Island.  According to the USGS Stream Stats website nearly 45% of the watershed is forested and only about 3% of the watershed has urban development on it.  The watershed starts around the town of Mount Gretna but does not really go through any other larger towns or cities.  There is an active watershed association doing work within the watershed, the Tri-County Conewago Creek Association.  The Association does mostly outreach and educational work within the watershed but also works with landowners and others on stream improvement projects.  There have been several studies completed by various groups within the watershed and outside the watershed as well.  The watershed also has a Watershed Implementation Plan for it which provides guidance to stakeholders on ways to improve the watershed as a whole.