| What is a watershed?
A watershed is the land over which water flows before it drains into a water body such as a lake, stream, pond, wetland, or ocean. No matter where you are, you’re in a watershed!
Adams County is divided into two major watersheds that flow into the Chesapeake Bay: the Susquehanna River Watershed and the Potomac River Watershed.
The Conewago Creek is the largest stream in Adams County that drains to the Susquehanna River. Tributaries to the Conewago Creek include the South Branch Conewago, Bermudian, Latimore, Opposum, Beaverdam, and Beaver creeks.
Adams County is also home to several tributaries that drain to the Potomac River via the Monocacy River. These tributaries include Marsh, Rock, Alloway, Middle, Piney, and Tom’s creeks.
Adams County contains more than 1,300 miles of streams. Virtually every stream that flows through Adams County originates within the county. We are the headwaters for the Chesapeake Bay, so it’s really true that “The Water Starts Here!”
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Adams County has a total area of 522 square miles. Some 520 square miles of Adams County is land, and 2 square miles is water. Our total area is .29 percent water.
As of the 2000 census, there are 91,292 people residing in Adams County. That’s 33,652 households, or 24,767 families. At the time of the 2000 census, Adams County was the fourth fastest-growing county in Pennsylvania. According to U.S. Census Bureau 2003 population estimates, Adams County the third fastest-growing county in Pennsylvania.
Adams County receives an average of 42.4 inches of precipitation a year.
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