Conewago Synoptic Sampling Overview
Conewago synoptic sampling includes surface water collection at thirty locations where water samples are collected and analyzed for nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment. Photo: Katie Bartling, Penn State
Summer 2024
The Conewago Creek watershed spans a section of northwestern Lancaster, southern Dauphin, and western Lebanon counties. The landscape characteristics within the watershed are representative of the physiographic and land use types of southeastern Pennsylvania in general and include mostly forested ridges and valleys scattered with small farms highlighting a diverse mix of crops and pasture. Overall this watershed exhibits land use that is roughly 42% agricultural, 37% forested, 17% developed, and 4% other.
In addition, water quality here is indicative of Lancaster County and exhibits stream impairments for aquatic life use attributed to sediment and excess nutrients from runoff associated with agricultural and developed land uses. Approximately 41 miles out of the total 110 stream miles in the watershed are impaired by sediment, pollutants, and excess nutrients and do not support the diversity and abundance of aquatic life found in healthier waterways.
For the last decade, the Penn State Agriculture and Environment Center (AEC) has helped support a watershed partnership called the Conewago Creek Initiative (CCI), a diverse partnership comprised of approximately 30 organizations. The CCI has been instrumental in working with community members to facilitate conservation practices to improve water quality.
In 2011, the AEC partnered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service (USDA-ARS) Pasture Systems and Watershed Management Research Unit at University Park (PSWMRU) to add Conewago to the list of showcase watersheds as part of the Upper Chesapeake Bay Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) Network. There are two other showcase watersheds within the Upper Chesapeake Bay: Mahantango Creek and Spring Creek. Established in 2009, under the Executive Order 13508 on Chesapeake Bay Protection and Restoration, showcase watersheds produce a breadth of research data that assists in informing regional planning for sustainable agriculture through voluntary land use management and adoption of agroecosystem best management practices.
As part of the broader effort to provide research capacity to the Conewago, in August 2020, The Penn State AEC partnered with Penn State Hydrology researchers Dr. Jonathan Duncan and team at the Duncan Lab to establish a surface water monitoring program within the watershed. The sampling program contributes to a USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) grant and results help to update the status of water quality throughout the watershed. Data collection occurs quarterly and provides a one-day “snapshot” of surface water quality across the watershed, thus called “synoptic” sampling. Surface water samples from thirty locations are collected and analyzed for nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment at the Duncan Lab. Discharge measurements are also taken using stream channel transects and floating object sampling methods. This project provides watershed-scale data and supports mutual objectives related to monitoring the effects of land use and conservation practices on water quality. To date, the team has completed eleven sampling events and results are being analyzed.
The Synoptic Sampling events are open to the public as volunteer events and are a great way to engage with local watershed partnership groups. Please contact Katie Bartling (kfb5680@psu.edu) if you would like to be added to the volunteer list.
