What is a Watershed - And How Does It Work?
Understanding what a watershed is and how it works is the first step to clean water for our communities and our environment. Find out more...

What's New

• New FEMA Floodplain Maps Available for Chester County (

  New

   

  Maps in 

  Effect 9/29/2017

  ) 
• Portions of Chester County were re-studied by FEMA and floodplain maps are available online. Additional details for property owners and municipalities available here.
• 2016 Impaired Streams of Chester County
  • In July 2017, PADEP published the 2016 Pennsylvania Integrated Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Report which lists whether streams and lakes are meeting their designated uses. You can view interactive maps, .pdf maps, an overview summary, and much more on this web page with detailed information about the streams and lakes in Chester County. Of the 2,348 miles of streams in Chester County, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) routinely assesses 1,394 stream miles using an EPA-approved assessment methodology to determine if a stream is meeting water quality standards. In the 2016 report, PADEP listed 957 miles of streams in Chester County as impaired which means they do not meet water quality standards.
• Can I do maintenance in and around a stream? 
  • PA DEP recently released a booklet, Guidelines for Maintaining Streams in Your Community, to help explain what kind of maintenance is allowable and what kind will require a consultation or a permit with PA DEP. 
• Bathymetric Map of Chambers Lake at Hibernia County Park
  • A bathymetric map has been prepared for Chambers Lake at Hibernia County Park. The map illustrates the depth and shape of the underwater terrain of the lake bed of Chambers Lake, which is a 90-acre, 384 million gallon water supply reservoir and regional flood control facility of the Chester County Water Resources Authority.
• Planned Habitat Enhancement Project at Barneston Dam
  • This Project, funded entirely by the Ruffed Grouse Society, will enhance, protect, and manage American Woodcock habitat through native plantings and controlling the spread of undesirable invasive plant species. A fact sheet provides additional details.
• 2 New USGS Report on Chester County Trends Now Available Prepared by USGS in cooperation with Chester County Water Resources Authority.
  
  • Estimated Fecal Coliform Bacteria Concentrations Using Near Real-Time Continuous Water-Quality and Streamflow Data from Five Stream Sites in Chester County, PA; USGS Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5075.
  • Evaluation of Long-Term Trends in Hydrologic and Water-Quality Conditions, and Estimation of Water Budgets through 2013, Chester County, PA; USGS Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5025. 
• A visual snapshot of current precipitation, groundwater and streamflow conditions for Chester County is presented through a set of color graphs and maps, with links to additional online webpages for more detailed information.

• Chester County Master Watershed Stewards 2017/2018
  • Master Watershed Stewards are local volunteers who received extensive training on watershed science and management. If you have a volunteer opportunity that you would like to promote, please contact Megan Hopkins-Doerr at mxh1135@psu.edu. This program is co-sponsored by Penn State Extension, Chester County Conservation District and Chester County Water Resources Authority.
• Volunteer Opportunity: Participate in the Volunteer Rainfall Observer Network
  • Volunteers are responsible for taking readings of a rain gage daily and after significant precipitation events, manually recording the readings, and submitting the log on a monthly basis by email or postal mail. The volunteer is committed to recording - on a daily basis - accurate measurements, and able to consistently participate for years. If you would like to learn more, please contact us at 610-344-5400.

 
 

Right-To-Know Information

Click here for the Chester County Water Resources Authority's Right-To-Know information. This is solely for requests to the Chester County Water Resources Authority. Any requests intended for the County of Chester must follow the procedures posted on the County Of Chester's Open Records Law web page (click here).