The PA Contribution: Miles and Miles of Waterways

Whenever I’d watch a television show or movie set in Pennsylvania, I used to wonder why there always seemed to be a river, stream or bridge shoehorned into a scene. Eventually, I realized why. It’s because it would be hard not to have a waterway in the background. When it comes to total waterway miles among U.S. states, Pennsylvania is second only to Alaska. In its 46,000 square miles of land area, Pennsylvania has an estimated 83,000 to 86,000 miles of flowing water. To put it in perspective, Alaska covers roughly 665,000 square miles —more than 14 times the area of Penn’s Woods — and has some 365,000 miles of rivers and streams. So, square mile for square mile, Pennsylvania easily takes the trophy!

The shear size difference between PA and Alaska demonstrates how dense the network of waterways in PA really is. Credit: alaska.org

The Commonwealth’s 67 counties each contain hundreds, if not a thousand or more miles of streams or rivers, forming a dense and dynamic web across the entire state. With over half of the state’s 80,000+ miles of streams eventually finding their way into the Bay itself, it’s important for Pennsylvanians to do what they can to keep it clean. Tens of thousands of miles of flowing water means tens of thousands of opportunities to take steps of our own to contribute to a cleaner Chesapeake Bay.

The 49,000 miles of Chesapeake water in PA come mostly from the Susquehanna River basin, but also some from a small part of the Potomac River watershed. From the mountain springs to the vast, shallow valleys, each tributary connects the upstream landscape. They support wildlife (not just the aquatic kind), and all manner of riparian trees, shrubs, grasses, wildflowers and other plants. The Susquehanna watershed is the largest contributor of freshwater to the Bay — more than 50 percent of the total, according to the U.S. Geological Survey — and it supplies drinking water to millions of people in the region.

Headwater streams are particularly important for regulating water temperature and nutrient flow as it travels downstream. On top of that, recreators like anglers, hikers, and paddlers heavily rely on clean, healthy water to enjoy their hobbies and passions, especially along the roughly 16,000 miles of wild trout streams.

Adam Miller casts his fly rod in search of wild brown trout in one of the many Central PA streams that drain to the Bay. Photo Credit: Derek Thomas

With all of these miles of waterways, it makes sense that they can vary greatly in health. Pennsylvania DEP’s 2022 Integrated Water Quality Report found that roughly one-third of Pennsylvania’s streams are impaired — meaning they do not meet standards for at least one use (supporting aquatic life, recreation, or drinking water). The sources of these impairments are the usual suspects: agricultural runoff like fertilizers, animal waste and sediment, and stormwater runoff in urban areas containing oils, metals and nutrients. Other contributors, however, include sedimentation due to eroding streambanks and acid mine drainage in certain areas of Pennsylvania within the watershed, which can send highly-acidic water downstream, often carrying heavy metals with it.

Of the 49,000 miles of waterways in Pennsylvania that lead to the Bay, roughly 11,600 miles of those streams are classified as impaired. Since the Bay is downstream, much of this water finds its way into the more open waters to the south, creating challenges for the Bay’s health. The Bay regularly sees low dissolved oxygen zones, impaired fish and shellfish habitat, and reduced water clarity.

With this abundance and connectedness of the state’s rivers and streams comes its vulnerability. Luckily, there are always folks hard at work, helping to mitigate these effects. Across the board, every actor is playing their part. Many nonprofits, non-governmental organizations and volunteer groups are organizing or participating in tree plantings and stream cleanups. Local governments are consistently showing more interest in greener growth and development. Farmers are benefitting from agricultural best management practices (BMPs) that make their farms cleaner and more sustainable. Homeowners and municipalities are implementing new green infrastructure practices every day. Even large companies within the agriculture or development space are recognizing their own impacts and supporting clean water efforts!

These coordinated land use, agriculture, and stormwater practices are clearly important, as is maintaining support for state and federal clean water policy and funding. We as individuals, though, can make an impact too. We can never underestimate the power of community engagement. Anyone can play a vital role in monitoring, cleaning, and improving their local waterways, and educating and encouraging others to do so. I’ve met plenty of volunteers who went to one event with a spark of curiosity, and left with a fire inside them to do more. Some of these volunteers have become extremely impactful, far-reaching champions in their communities and beyond.

If you decide to attend a local, upstream tree planting, you can feel good knowing those trees will help trap sediment and nutrients, and provide habitat for all of our favorite critters. If you’re a homeowner who takes the plunge into stormwater reduction practices like rain gardens and rain barrels, you can be confident you’re keeping nutrient-rich stormwater runoff out of your local waterways. No matter what you do upstream, you can feel proud to know that your efforts are not only local. They’re impacting the health of the water all the way down to your favorite seafood restaurant, all the way to the coastal farmers relying on you, and all the way to where the Bay enters the vast expanse of the Atlantic.

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