Prettyboy Watershed

Challenges and Successes

Challenges

The Prettyboy watershed flows from York County, Pennsylvania, through Carroll County, Maryland and feeds the Prettyboy Reservoir located in Baltimore County, Maryland. The Prettyboy Reservoir is one of three reservoirs in the Baltimore Metropolitan System that collectively provides water to 1.8 million consumers in Baltimore City and surrounding areas. Heavy agricultural land use and unmanaged growth in the headwaters is increasingly stressing both the quality and quantity of water resources.

Successes

As a result of the Exchange Team's recommendations, a new citizen-led watershed coalition has been formed by landowners interested in improved private land stewardship, including sustainable forestry and agriculture, to protect public water supply in the Prettyboy Reservoir watershed.

Significant donations from local landowners covered start-up costs for the coalition and partnerships have been formed with existing organizations to share technical resources and coordinate landowner outreach.

The Action Plan for the 20 year-old Reservoir Protection Agreement is being revised and will incorporate many of the Exchange Team's recommendations, formalizing them in a multi-jurisdictional Memorandum of Understanding. Voter surveys have been proposed for Carroll County, Maryland to explore the feasibility of bond financing for watershed protection.

Media Coverage

Committee Members

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