On the second Friday of every month, the Gettysburg Times includes a column by the Watershed Alliance of Adams County; previous columns can be found on WAAC’s web site (adamswatersheds.org).
Below is a list of the previous columns.
Date and Author / Title and First LineDecember 2015
Vy Trinh / Managing manure in winter
‘Tis the season. There is a nip in the air. Winter is almost upon us.
November 2015
Jack Knowles-Kellett / One drain at a time
Have you seen the new storm drain markers?
October 2015
Pat Naugle / How’s the water situation?
So, what is the water situation in Adams County?
September 2015
Pat Naugle / Source water protection
What is source water protection?
August 2015
Adam McClain / Adams County CoCoRaHS
If you were to ask me how much it rained yesterday, or even within the last month, back in 2011, it may have taken some time to get you the answer.
July 2015
Adam McClain / Watch Your Step
In 1941, Robert McCloskey wrote and illustrated the popular children’s book titled, Make Way for Ducklings.
June 2015
Linda Gawthrop / Goats Put Out To Grass
Goats have been used by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Reclamation, the Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Forest Service for weed control and wildfire prevention.
May 2015
Pat Naugle / Hot shower
Enjoy taking a hot shower? Thank an engineer.
April 2015
Fran Koch / Planning your garden? Join us…
…at the 16th Annual Meeting of the Watershed Alliance of Adams County (WAAC) Thursday, April 16, from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm at the Adams County Agricultural & Natural Resources Center, 670 Old Harrisburg Road (Business Route 15 across from HACC), Gettysburg.
March 2015
Sue deVeer / Tom’s Creek needs a friend
Recently, members of the Watershed Alliance of Adams County (WAAC) joined with members of the Friends of Tom's Creek to launch a new stream monitoring program in the Tom’s Creek watershed.
February 2015
Pat Naugle / Water quality, riparian buffers, and you
What are riparian buffers, and how do they affect you?
January 2015
Paul Kellett / The Watershed Alliance of Adam County wants you!
Welcome to 2015. The beginning of a new year is synonymous with the making of resolutions.
December 2014
Adam McClain / Protecting and improving our streams
The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Article 1. Section 27. states that, “The people have a right to clean air, pure water…”
November 2014
Pat Naugle / Stream Water Quality: How to Tell
The quality of our water is sometimes taken for granted. Adams County is the headwaters of two of our rivers, the Potomac and Susquehanna.
October 2014
Linda Gawthrop / Who you gonna call?
There has been a lot of research on the value of having healthy riparian buffers to improve water quality, reduce/control flooding, aid water storage, and provide shade cover for wildlife.
September 2014
Autumn Arthur / Water conservation, back-to-school edition
The renewed presence of school buses and gluestick sales are a sure sign that our students have returned to their classrooms bright-eyed and ready to learn.
August 2014
Paul Kellett / Thanks where thanks are due
As August begins with my yard still green and my hose still off, it seems anappropriate time to pause and give thanks.
July 2014
Charles Skopic / Fourth of July reflections
Words of wisdom and courage are enshrined in our Declaration of Independence, signed by 56 members of the “thirteen united States of America” assembled “in Congress, July 4, 1776.”
June 2014
Fran Koch / Partner with the Watershed Alliance
The Watershed Alliance of Adams County (WAAC) is always seeking partners with similar goals to collaborate in protecting water resources in Adams County. We all need clean water.
May 2014
Charles Skopic / Drought Watch and WARN
Recent heavy rains notwithstanding, the question is not whether, but when we in Adams County will experience our next drought.
April 2014
Mark Berg / You’re invited to the 15th…
…Annual Membership Meeting of the Watershed Alliance of Adams County (WAAC) takes placeMonday, April 28, at 7pm, in the Adams County Agricultural & Natural Resources Center.
March 2014
Paul Kellett / Past time for a well ordinance?
Last month this column focused on the ability of local governments to respond to a water contamination emergency.
February 2014
Charles Skopic / Water Emergencies
Chemicals leaking from a storage tank near the river supplying water to Charleston, West Virginia and surrounding communities was national news.
January 2014
Paul Kellett / Happy New Year, Adams County water
Welcome to 2014; a new year is often the time for taking stock and trying to change, but sometimes no change is the best thing.
December 2013
Charles Skopic / All very confusing
Recently, neighbors asked me about the proposed “Big Pipe” which would import water from the York Water Company (YWC) into the Gettysburg Municipal Authority (GMA) system
November 2013
Charles Skopic / Pennies from Heaven
Imagine if precipitation, our water source, stopped falling or was greatly reduced (think severe drought).
October 2013
Adam McClain / Proper Well Construction
There are times when cutting costs make a lot of sense. Paying for premium cable or satellite stations would be unnecessary if you only watch the local weather or news channels.
September 2013
Charles Skopic / Pipe Dreams
Piping water from the Susquehanna River to the Gettysburg area was proposed by the Gettysburg Municipal Authority (GMA) in 2006 to provide an additional water source when needed.
August 2013
Chuck Reid / Helping students and teachers understand water
In our region, the health of the Chesapeake Bay has major educational crossover with the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.
July 2013
Charles Skopic / Septic System Blues and Basics
“Out of sight, out of mind” is often an accurate description of how homeowners relate to their on-lot septic system.
June 2013
Adam McClain / Drier Times to Come?
Since 1980, there have been five Drought Emergency declarations by a Pennsylvania Governor for Adams County: 1980, 1991, 1995, 1999, and 2002.
May 2013
Charles Skopic / Annual Physical Exam
Imagine you are in a small room: fluorescent lights, vinyl tile, institutional furniture, some medical devices, and an examining table.
April 2013
Charles Skopic / Ten Good Reasons
Water is precious and should be protected, but we take a clean, reliable water supply for granted – until the next drought.
March 2013
Paul Kellett / Call in the reserves?
Other Watershed Alliance articles have dealt with the seasonal lack of water in the area.
February 2013
R. B. Lasco / How Well Is Your well?
Our neighbors down around Washington sometimes joke about the number of bodies their tap water has passed through before they drink it.
January 2013
Charles Skopic / Three Wishes
Making NewYear’sresolutions for an entire county is unusual, so instead I offer three wishes.They all concern our water situation, as you might expect in this column.
December 2012
Charles Skopic / Some Assembly Required
The holiday season has many pleasant moments, family gatherings, religious services, and gifts.
November 2012
Adam McClain / For the Person Who Has Everything
Most people probably have a person or multiple people on their Christmas or Hanukah list that do not need anything, and every year it gets a little harder to get them a gift
October 2012
Stephanie Tilden / LakeMeade Residents, Protecting the Bay
The Watershed Alliance of Adams County (WAAC) works to monitor, improve, and protect water resources within Adams County through education, data collection, and water management projects.
September 2012
Adam McClain / Wanted: Unused Water Wells
“Is the water level in my well decreasing each year?”
August 2012
Charles Skopic / Investigators Wanted
Interesting work and high job satisfaction from community service.
July 2012
Paul Kellett / Creating a Water Budget
“How high’s the water, Mama?” Johnny Cash
“What you gonna do when the well runs dry?” Hank Williams
June 2012
Sarah Kipp / Preserving Land to Protect Our Water
The Land Conservancy of Adams County was recently awarded a grant to preserve 147 acres in the Marsh Creek watershed.
May 2012
Aaron Jolin / Of CFLs and Mercury - Light with Care
Compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) are commonly referred to as “Curly Cues” - hard to miss given their appearance, advertised energy efficiency statements, and expected life.
April 2012
Charles Skopic / Mission Impossible?
The Annual Meeting of the Watershed Alliance will take place Wednesday, April 25, at 7pm, in the Agricultural and NaturalResourcesCenter,670 Old Harrisburg Road.
March 2012
R.B. Lasco / Where does it all go?
Just five years before the Battle of Gettysburg, the “Plunger Closet” was patented.
February 2012
Mark D. Berg / Watch your butt! (Cigarette, that is)
What were you thinking? Of course I mean cigarette butt.
January 2012
Charles Skopic / Water or Blood
“Water must flow or blood must flow” is a rallying call for militant Pakistanis concerned about hydroelectric dams being planned or built byIndiaon the IndusRiver’sheadwaters in Kashmir.
December 2011
Charles Skopic / Congratulations, New Commissioners
Three new commissioners were elected in November with new ideas and new energy to deal with old problems:
November 2011
Adam McClain / Here they come again…
On November 2nd, three local schools and Strawberry Hill Nature Preserve received fertilized Brook Trout eggs from the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission as part of the Trout in the Classroom (TIC) program in Adams County.
October 2011
Carrie Russell / Gauging our water supply
Does Adams County have enough water to meet current and future demands?
September 2011
Charles Skopic / When to fix a leaky roof?
Not when it’s raining; too difficult, possibly dangerous. And no need for repairs during fair weather; the roof isn’t leaking.
August 2011
R. B. Lasco / Don’t mow this weekend
After the lawnmower is put away, after the shower, sitting on the patio sipping a cool drink and admiring the lawn is truly pleasant--and wrong.
July 2011
Charles Skopic / Wet Spring --- Wet Year?
Maybe, maybe not.
June 2011
Chad Clabaugh / Row your boat…for a clean stream
On May 7th, members of the Watershed Alliance of Adams County (WAAC) and volunteers from the community, with support from area businesses, performed a stream cleanup of a section of the West Branch of the Conewago Creek.
May 2011
Charles Skopic / Protecting our drinking water
Common sense tells us that we should protect our water sources from contamination, an idea often stated as, “don’t poison the well.”
April 2011
Adam McClain / Trout in the classroom
In 2009, the Conservation District, Trout Unlimited and GettysburgHigh School combined funding to initiate the first Trout in the Classroom (TIC) program in AdamsCounty.
March 2011
R. B. Lasco / Now we can go with the flow
Heraclitus in ancient Greece pointed out, “You can never step in the same river twice.”
February 2011
Heidi Moltz / Planning the future of your water
The Marsh and Rock Creek watersheds, together a crucial source of water for much of Adams County, was designated a Critical Water Planning Area by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in January.
January 2011
Adam McClain / How does groundwater exist?
Groundwater is a term that is often misunderstood.
December 2010
Phyllis Chant / Sustainability:preserving our environment
A system or process is sustainable if it can continue indefinitely without depleting any of the material or resources required to keep it running.
November 2010
Mark Berg / Calling all middle school teachers
You and your students are invited to become involved in the 2011 PA Children’s Water Festival at Gettysburg College on Tuesday, May 24.
October 2010
Charles Skopic / What is plan B?
A backup plan – Plan B – is always good to have if your original plan – Plan A – goes awry.
September 2010
Adam McClain / Don’t flush those pills!
Developed to promote human health and well-being, pharmaceuticals are now attracting attention as a potentially new source of water pollution.
August 2010
Adam McClain / Conserving Water during Dry Months
In Adams County, water conservation is an important practice due to the large number of residents who rely on wells or groundwater as their source of drinking water.
July 2010
Charles Skopic / The Big IF
We all want to believe there’s enough water in Adams County to satisfy our current and future needs.
June 2010
Adam McClain / Protecting our water
As we all know, water resources in Adams County is a major issue at both the county and municipal levels.
May 2010
Charles Skopic / Do we have enough water?
That’s the question when Adams County suffers a dry spell/drought, or when a major housing development or other project that would use large amounts of water is proposed.
April 2010
Mark Berg / Water, water everywhere? No!
April’s National Geographic magazine is a special issue on “Water: Our Thirsty World.” If you haven’t seen it, I recommend you get a copy.
March 2010
Adam McClain / Winter Optimism
After the massive amount of snow we’ve had to move this year, SNOW may be a disgusting four-letter word to most of us.
February 2010
R. B. Lasco / Geothermal Home Heat—is it for you?
Your Watershed Alliance is well aware that air pollution can cause water pollution.
January 2010
Charles Skopic / War Warmer Weather, Warmer Water
A pleasant thought on a winter day, bringing to mind strolling on the beach in summer or lounging by a pool.
December 2009
Mark Berg / Where did the year go?
This year, the Watershed Alliance of Adams County (WAAC) celebrated its 10th Anniversary.
November 2009
Charles Skopic / Planning to fail?
Of course not; people, businesses, and organizations don’t plan to fail, but they sometimes fail to plan!
October 2009
Phyllis Chant / Paper mills and the Chesapeake Bay
For years there has been concern over the high levels of nutrients entering the Chesapeake Bay every day.
September 2009
Bill Hanne / WRAC’S First Annual Report
On July 16, 2008, the Adams County Commissioners signed Resolution 15 establishing the Adams County Water Resources Advisory Committee (WRAC) and gave five charges to the committee, recognizing that the county has “increasing water needs for a growing population, and for its agricultural, commercial, and tourism industries.”
August 2009
Charles Skopic / Drill, baby, drill (Part 2)
Residents of Cumberland Township, concerned about a high-volume well drilled in their neighborhood by the Gettysburg Municipal Authority (GMA), were dismayed when they learned that they are not represented on GMA’s Board of Directors, even though GMA supplies water to customers in both Cumberland and Straban Townships.
July 2009
Charles Skopic / Drill, Baby, Drill
That slogan from the 2008 U.S. presidential election provoked a lively discussion of U.S. energy policy. In
June 2009
Chad Clabaugh / Even streams need Spring cleaning
On Saturday, April 25, as part of the Great American Cleanup, members of the Watershed Alliance of Adams County (WAAC), employees of the civil engineering firm C. S. Davidson, and volunteers from the community – adults, students, and children – cleaned up a section of Stevens Run,which flowsfrom east to west through the Borough of Gettysburg.
May 2009
Pat Naugle / Water Quality, Riparian Buffer Zones, and You
What are riparian buffer zones and how do they affect us. First to the definition, riparian buffer zones are simply the vegetated areas adjacent to streams.
April 2009
Charles Skopic / Happy Anniversary, WAAC!
This month, the Watershed Alliance of Adams County celebrates its 10th anniversary, and you’re invited.
March 2009
R. B. Lasco / GWAW – Well, well, well.
Last month, the Penn State Cooperative Extension announced the results of a study of 700 wells in Pennsylvania.
February 2009
Bicky Redman / Water and SouthMountain
As you may be aware from recent articles, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has engaged a partnership of various state and local governmental entities that are supporting the South Mountain Landscape Initiative.
January 2009
Mark Berg / 2008 was a very good year…
…for land and water in AdamsCounty.
December 2008
R. B. Lasco / Whose Bay?
Imagine the Grand Canyon inundated to fill pools and water lawns in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Imagine six golf-casino resorts in Yosemite.
November 2008
Bill Hanne / Introducing WRAC
On July 16, the Adams County Commissioners established a Water Resources Advisory Committee (WRAC).
October 2008
Charles Skopic / Saved by the bond?
Before the mortgage meltdown drastically slowed new home construction, there was concern that rapid sprawl-type development in AdamsCounty might deliver a knockout punch to our agriculture and tourism industries, threaten our water resources, and diminish the quality of life for us and future generations
September 2008
Charles Skopic / Hurrah for WRAC!
No, “WRAC”is not a misprint for WAAC (Watershed Alliance of Adams County) which often is mentioned in these articles.