In 2017, the Adams County Conservation District coordinated the Adams County State of the Waters conference to help inform local decision-makers about current water-quality and -quantity issues in the county. Presentations were provided by local and state water resource professionals.

The Watershed Alliance of Adams County in partnership with Strawberry Hill Nature Preserve and Adams County Trout Unlimited received a Coldwater Heritage Partnership Grant from the PA Department of Conservation of Natural Resources for a study focused on the Middle Creek Watershed. The study documented existing conditions by collecting information on (1) habitat and fish populations through visual surveys; and (2) water quality through chemical testing and aquatic macroinvertebrate (insect) identification.

The Watershed Alliance of Adams County received a Growing Greener grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to restore a section of the Conewago Creek in the Narrows. An unusually large storm in 1996 caused severe erosion along the creek’s banks. Rock structures were designed and installed to stabilize the streambank and restore a more natural stream flow pattern.

The Watershed Alliance of Adams County conducted a stream cleanup event on the Conewago Creek in the Table Rock area with funding from the Susquehanna River Basin Commission.

The Watershed Alliance of Adams County received a Growing Greener grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to provide the agricultural community with innovative technology and practices. The project included windmill aeration of manure storage pits, promoting no-till and manure incorporation by providing low-cost rental on aeration equipment, and stable storage methods for chicken manure.

The Watershed Alliance of Adams County received a Growing Greener Grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection too assess the health of the Rock Creek watershed. The study documented existing conditions and recommended future water-quality improvement priorities in the watershed.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation awarded the Watershed Alliance of Adams County a grant to expand watershed planning, restoration, and evaluation activities throughout Adams County. As part of this project, the Watershed Alliance, in partnership with the Center for Watershed Protection, held two workshops for local townships and municipalities to review ordinances that affect watershed issues. The grant also provided funds for a cooperative effort by six townships and municipalities in the Rock Creek Watershed to respond to an Act 167 Stormwater Management Plan for the Monocacy basin and a preliminary Comprehensive Watershed Management Plan.

This project is a continuation of the Real-time Stream Gage project. The report evaluated the groundwater contribution (or base flow) to the West Conewago Creek watershed upstream of the East Berlin stream gage by using hydrogeologic data generated primarily from the USGS Gerhart and Lazorchick (1998) model of the lower Susquehanna River Basin. The report also studied how the impervious cover within the watershed may affect base flow and available water resources.