Lancaster County is home to more than 1,400 miles of streams, yet more than half are considered unhealthy. Excess nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment flow into local waterways and ultimately the Chesapeake Bay. Improving water quality at this scale isn’t something any one organization can do alone.
Lancaster Clean Water Partners (LCWP) helps bring people together to tackle the challenge. The partnership connects more than 90 organizations across Lancaster County — from farmers and scientists to conservation groups, municipalities, businesses, and community leaders — all working toward a shared goal: clean and clear water by 2040.
To help everyone move in the same direction, partners use a shared roadmap called the Common Agenda. This framework aligns priorities, strategies, and progress tracking across organizations. Instead of working in isolation, partners coordinate their efforts — whether that means restoring streams, supporting agricultural conservation practices, managing stormwater, or engaging communities in protecting local waterways.
Working together is already producing tangible results. Across Lancaster County, farmers are implementing conservation practices that reduce runoff and keep soil and nutrients on the land. Today, more than 165,000 acres of farmland operate under soil conservation water quality plans, helping guide practices that protect nearby streams.
Restoration efforts are improving waterways directly as well. Partners have planted or maintained more than 9,000 acres of streamside forests that filter pollution and stabilize soil before it reaches the water. In addition, restoration projects have repaired more than 166,000 feet of damaged streambanks, helping streams regain their natural shape and function.
These accomplishments reflect the power of collaboration. By connecting science, agriculture, local governments, and communities, Lancaster Clean Water Partners is helping turn shared goals into coordinated action — and healthier streams across Lancaster County.
Learn More
Our own Lamonte Garber (Monte, if you are from Lancaster) sat down to talk with Allyson Gibson and Kenn Bennett of LCWP to highlight the importance of partnership and trees when working towards clean water for Lancaster County.
Listen to the podcast.
