Allegheny River Headwaters Watershed Conservation Plan

Allegheny River Headwaters Conservation Plan
Chapter 3. Water Resources
impact aquatic habitats, aquatic vegetation, and other aquatic species and their food supply, creates
unstable streambanks, and increases drinking water treatment costs. Pollutants, such as heavy metals,
pesticides, and excess nutrients, are carried with the sediment by runoff and with the stream flow, which
affects conditions downstream, as well as the source.
In order to minimize impacts caused by accelerated soil erosion, Chapter 102 of the Pennsylvania
Code, under the authority of the Pennsylvania Clean Streams Law, was established in 1972 and later
amended in 2000. According to the law in the Pennsylvania Code, “anyone conducting earth disturbance
activities must use best management practices (BMPs) to minimize the amount of sediment leaving the
site of the earth disturbance activity.” PA DEP is responsible for overseeing Chapter 102 requirements ,
and has given conservation districts with trained staff the responsibility to review erosion and
sedimentation control (E&S) plans, conduct trainings, perform site inspections, and –in some counties—
the authority to conduct compliance and enforcement actions (PA DEP, 2007b).
Erosion and sediment control plans must meet Chapter 102 requirement by being properly designed
and implemented and available on site for all earth disturbance activities. These plans must document
how land and water resources are being protected against accelerated erosion through the implementation
of BMPs. The timing and sequencing of the BMP installation must be accounted for in the plan.
Minimizing disturbances, utilizing silt fence, mulch, diversion ditches, sediment traps, and sediment
basins are examples of erosion control BMPs.
Excluding agricultural plowing and tilling, timber harvesting, and road maintenance activities, all
other earth disturbances greater than five acres of disturbances between one and five acres with a point
source discharge must obtain a NPDES stormwater permit. As previously mentioned, farms that are not
CAFOs and timber operations that are fewer than 25 acres are not required to obtain a NPDES permit, but
are required to have a conservation plan or an E&S plan for their activities. Timber harvesting activities
that disturb 25 acres or more for haul roads, skid trails, and landing areas, as well as road maintenance
activities disturbing 25 acres or more, is required to obtain a NPDES permit. Agricultural activities do not
require a permit, but do require an E&S plan (PA DEP, 2007b).
The Dirt and Gravel Road Maintenance Program,
enacted in April 1997 through section 9106 of the
Pennsylvania Vehicle Code, provides dedicated funding to
eliminate stream pollution caused by dust sediment from
unpaved roads. The notion for this program was initiated in
Potter County, Pa, in April 1990, when members from
Pennsylvania Council of Trout, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, and God’s Country Chapter of Trout Unlimited met
for a fishing trip, which was impractical due to a severe rain
storm. Instead, the groups observed the local waterways and
were shocked when they witnessed the amount of sediment
being washed into area waterways.
The program receives four million dollars annually from
the State Conservation Commission (SCC) through dedicated
and earmarked funding that is given to county conservation
districts based on need. Conservation districts, in turn,
Improperly designed dirt and gravel
roadways can increase the amount of
sediment washed into nearby waterways
(Source: Potter County Conservation
District)
disseminate funds to municipalities and other road-owning entities. Funding is provided to address
pollution on problems previously identified in county-wide dirt and gravel road assessments. The
assessment, conducted in 2000, provided information from field investigations where dirt and gravel
roads were identified and evaluated using 12 criteria. The criteria included: amount of road sediment in
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