Local Clean Water Action Planning

Countywide Action Plan for Clean Water (Final – 9/28/21)

The Luzerne Conservation District, along with it’s consultant Larson Design Group and multiple local partners, has completed the Countywide Action Plan for Clean Water in Luzerne County. The plan establishes a blueprint to help reach local clean water goals within Luzerne County. This voluntary planning effort gathered the input of local, state, and federal partners to identify priorities and initiatives to benefit water quality within Luzerne County. The initiatives and recommendations outlined within this Plan will benefit local communities while also assisting Pennsylvania in meeting its Chesapeake Bay cleanup goals. This Plan is designed to provide guidance for implementation of voluntary water quality improvements within the local watersheds without proposing additional regulatory or financial burdens on Luzerne County, municipalities, or local residents.

Background on the Planning Process

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has been tasked by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with developing the Phase 3 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP). The Phase 3 WIP is a detailed implementation plan that outlines strategies to meet federally-mandated nitrogen and phosphorus pollutant reduction goals for the Chesapeake Bay watershed in Pennsylvania by 2025.

As part of the statewide effort, DEP has asked local stakeholders to develop county-based Community Clean Water Action Plans (CCWAP). These voluntary plans are intended to provide local stakeholders the opportunity to identify and coordinate current water quality improvement efforts and to develop “wish lists” of projects that could achieve local goals.

In Luzerne County, the Luzerne Conservation District has volunteered to be the leading local entity for the CCWAP effort. The district will work with local government leaders and community stakeholders to develop a plan that meets our local water quality needs, while stressing a voluntary approach that does not increase regulatory or financial burdens on local governments and taxpayers.

DEP’s Chesapeake Bay Program has provided a regional grant to hire a consultant to aid in the preparation of the CCWAPs. Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Susquehanna Counties have been grouped together to partner on that grant project, but each county’s planning team will develop it’s own local action plan for improving water quality as part of Pennsylvania’s overall Phase 3 Chesapeake Bay WIP. The CCWAP Coordinator for all three plans is Larson Design Group.

The following site includes information, maps, and a short survey for landowners (public, private, or non-profit) and other interested parties to complete. This survey will assist the steering committee with the development of the action plan and will help identify potential projects, programs, and initiatives that interest local stakeholders: