Elverson, PA – On Tuesday Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary Jessica Shirley, Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) Executive Director Tim Schaeffer, State Conservation Commission Executive Secretary Douglas Wolfgang, and Department of Agriculture staff highlighted watershed improvement work in Berks County along the headwaters of the East Branch of the Conestoga River. The visit showcased work made possible in part through DEP Countywide Action Plan (CAP) Implementation Funds and recognized Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week.
The project reflects the Shapiro Administration’s investment in agricultural conservation and stream restoration, which has helped restore stream health and improve aquatic life use conditions in the Upper Conestoga watershed. The restored stream segment at the project site reflects the 2026 Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week theme: “Built by Nature, Protected Together.” More than 15 miles of streams in the watershed that were previously impaired due to nutrient and sediment runoff from agricultural activity and livestock access have been delisted, meaning they have been removed from the federal impaired waters list and restored for aquatic life use.
“What’s great for Pennsylvania is good for the Bay, and we know that comprehensive conservation — like those on the Zeiset family farm — can lead to restored waters,” said Secretary Shirley. “Through DEP investments and targeted conservation work on the ground, we’re seeing real results — cleaner water, restored streams, and healthier ecosystems that benefit communities across the Commonwealth.”
Doug and Michele Zeiset worked with DEP, Berks County Conservation District (BCCD), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and others to implement a variety of conservation practices on their 170-acre dairy farm, including conservation planning, stormwater diversion, roof runoff control, manure storage, animal heavy use area management, prescribed grazing, and streambank fencing with stream crossings to restrict livestock access to streams. The project was completed over a four-year period using a combination of state and federal funding sources, including DEP CAP funds.
BCCD received $372,896 from DEP through the Water Quality Improvement Program along the Mariner East 2 Pipeline Corridor. It also received $20,000 from Stroud Water Research Center towards a buffer and Conservation Reserve and Enhancement Program cost shares and incentives, as well as $29,125 from DEP’s Chesapeake Bay County Action Plan Implementation Grant.
“Expanding on the ‘Built by Nature’ theme, projects like this one are also being built for nature,” said Executive Director Schaeffer. “Across Pennsylvania, these efforts are delivering measurable benefits for water quality and aquatic life, while strengthening the Chesapeake Bay watershed. When local water quality rebounds, fish return — making meaningful and measurable differences for anglers, Pennsylvania waters, and the Bay as a whole.
The Upper Conestoga River watershed — including the headwaters, East and West branches, and associated tributaries — was previously on DEP’s impaired waters list because it did not meet aquatic life designated use for warm water fishes due to nutrient and sediment pollution, with agriculture identified as a primary source. A 2005 total maximum daily load (TMDL), or pollution diet, identified phosphorus as a key stressor.
Since then, agricultural best management practices (BMPs) have been implemented throughout the watershed. Combined with updated DEP water quality monitoring, approximately 15.16 miles of the stream were delisted (removed from the impaired waters list) in Pennsylvania’s 2024 Integrated Water Quality Report.
Governor Shapiro’s Leadership on Chesapeake Bay Restoration and Pennsylvania’s Progress to Improve the Chesapeake Bay
Governor Josh Shapiro serves as Chair of the Chesapeake Bay Executive Council, which guides policy and leadership for restoring the Bay and includes governors from all watershed states — Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia — the Mayor of Washington, D.C., the EPA Administrator, and the Chesapeake Bay Commission Chair. These members are signatories to the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement and recently adopted the 2025 Agreement, which establishes four goals and 21 outcomes focused on improving the Chesapeake Bay over the next 15 years, including thriving habitats and wildlife, healthy landscapes, clean water, and engaged communities.
The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science reported that the Chesapeake Bay continues to improve since the 1908s. The Upper Bay — fed largely by Pennsylvania rivers — scored among the highest in the watershed, reflecting Pennsylvania’s sustained progress. Overall, the Bay has shown a long-term trend of improvement thanks to the collective efforts of Pennsylvania and other states, according to the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science’s Chesapeake Bay and Watershed Report Card annual assessment. DEP’s Chesapeake Restoration Division releases the Healthy Waters Healthy Communities Chesapeake Bay Progress Report each year, showcasing work throughout Pennsylvania’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Under Governor Shapiro’s leadership, Pennsylvania has made significant, measurable progress in restoring waterways and protecting the Chesapeake Bay:
- Investments: Over $1 billion invested across state, local, agricultural, and nonprofit collaborations in the last four years.
- Nitrogen reductions: Over the past five years, Pennsylvania has reduced nitrogen pollution flowing to the Bay ten times more than in the previous decade.
- Stream restoration: 139 miles of streams restored in the last six years — more than the distance from Harrisburg to Annapolis.
- Forest buffers: Nearly 945 miles of streamside forest buffers planted in the past two years, adding 1.5 million new trees. In 2024 alone, the Shapiro Administration invested $10.5 million in tree planting and lawn-to-habitat conversions.
- Farmer support: More than 2,000 farmers have accessed financial and technical assistance through the Agriculture Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP), adopting conservation practices like no-till farming, streambank fencing, and wetland restoration.
Water quality improvements: Monitoring of the Susquehanna River shows long-term reductions in nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment. Local streams, including Turtle Creek in Union County, have been removed from the impaired waters list.
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