V—Lamwster Fuming, Sattmtay, Noveml
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Water Resources
*********** t************^*******^*^*******"
by Don Timmons ning Commission recently re
(Editor’s Note: Green is the leased a complete report on
universal color symbolizing water resources in the county
fertility, and accordingly, the (see editorial Lancaster Farm
earth has often been called ing 10/22/66 for summary).
“The Green Planet.” Laneas- Feeling that everyone involved
ter County, in turn, has been in agriculture should know
known as "The Garden Spot about this study and should
of America.” Underlying both understand its implications for
of these gratifying titles is one future fanning, we will report
basic ingredient WATER! some of the study s highlights
The Lancaster County Plan- in weekly installments.)
Port I . . .
County Streams Overloaded; Water
Levels Too Low, Study Indicates
BACKGROUND
In 1729, when Lancaster
.County was established, there
were no particular water prob
lems here. Recent increases in
population, disposable income,
leisure time, mobility, and ur
baniaaftion have all set the
stage £or serious water prob
lem's in the county before this
century is through.
By the year 2010, it is esti
mated that Lancaster County’s
population will have doubled.
By the same time, the water
needs per person (including in
dustry) will have approximate
ly tripled. Together, these
lads add up to water needs
totaling six times today’s re
quirements.
Discounting the rain barrel,
,the only available sources of
water are surface local
streams and ponds; ground
wells and springs. The report
shows that the former is an
unreliable supply, and that the
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Manheim
J. B. Hostetter & Son
Mount Joy
I. B. Graybill & Son
Refton
Musser’s Store & Mill
The Buck
Wilhelm Hdwe,
Myerstown
Trimble Hdwe.
Lititz, Pa.
Galen Hdwe.
Lincoln, Pa.
Lititz Pet Shop
Lititz, Pa.
Eby’s Mill, Inc.
Lititz, Pa.
See Dealers Above
Distributed by
David H. Laub Co.
1511 S. Jefferson St.
Allentown, Pa. 18103
latter will be a satisfactory
source only until about 1985.
SURFACE WATER
Seven major streams in Lan
caster County were studied for
water quality, low-flow dura
tion, and flood frequency.
These streams were: Conewago,
Conoy, Chic Mes, Conestoga,
Pequea, Conowingo, and Oc
toraro.
The base flow period for
each stream was defined as
“when the flow of the stream
is from ground water discharge
and there is no surface run
off.” The study points out that
the low-flow figures were based
on limited data and are to
be used only in very prelint
inary investigations.
Conewago Creek origin
ates in Furnace Hills, Lebanon
County; travels in a southwest
erly direction for 20.8 miles
to join the Susquehanna Raver
at Falmouth. During its last
11.5 miles, the Conewago rep
resents the boundary between
Lancaster and Dauphin Coun
ties.
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Witmer, Pa. Phone 392-7227
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Lawn and Bellaire
665-3121 367-2321 687-6292
‘■'nw, Oonewago ;is xati' u
aupplementary source of water
supply by the Elizabethtown
Walter Company, although ac
tual withdrawal* have been
I>. .p
slight and infrequent. Some
water is also drawn from the
stream for irrigation.
The creek receives the ef
fluent from the Mount Gretna
Borough sewage treatment
plant which varies from as
high as 400,000 gallons per
day in the summer season to
about 50,000 gallons per day
during the remainder of the
year.
Conoy Creek has a water
shed area of 19.2 square miles.
It origihates in Mount Joy
Township, flows through Eliza
bethtown to the Susquehanna
River, a distance of 9.6 miles.
Conoy Creek is utilized as a
source of water by the Klein
Chocolate Co. of Elizabeth
town. During 1964, the Klein
Co. drew an average of 210,-
000 gallons per working day
from the creek for its cooling
systems. Most of this, plus
some well water, was returned
to the stream in amounts es
timated at 270,000 gallons per
day.
The Elizabethtown Water Co.
also draws water from the
Conoy. Company records show
amounts average 130,000 gal
lons daily. An indeterminate
amount of water is also with
drawn from this stream for ir
rigation.
Several companies, plus the
Elizabethtown sewage treat
ment plant, discharge waste
water and effluent into the
Conoy in amounts totaling 412,-
000 gallons per day.
Chickics Creek has its
headwaters in the Furnace
Hills of Lebanon County. The
stream flows south and east to
Manheim, then to the Susque
hanna River. The main stream
channel has a length of 29.7
miles, with a watershed cover
ing 127 square miles.
Three boroughs utilize this
surface water supply: Mount
~ Pwiu*«
(though not in the watershed, Creek or its tributaries for wa
drawe about 100,000 ' g.p.d. ter supply. Abo, Held inapec
from Grubb Lake which is sup- tion and available records did
plied by Chi dries). not reveal any industrial us-
With the exception of Mount- ers. In 1964, sewage effluent
vllle, the boroughs return ap- was discharged into the creek,
proximately the amounts averaging 12,000 g.p.d. from
drawn after usage and treat- the Pequea Valley
ment. Also, the Raybestos lor High School, and about
plant at Manheim draws about 80,000 g.p.d. from the Quarry
-650,000 g.pd. from ground ville sewage plant. Irrigation
sources. After usage and set- withdrawals from the basin
tling, that water flows into have been estimated at 1.25
Cbicbies, supplementing the million gallons per day m
natural stream flow. With- 1065.
drawals of water for irrigation
are reported as substantial,
but no figures given.
Conestoga Creek is the
largest and most used of Lan
caster County’s principal
streams. The creek drains 477
square miles, 83 percent of
which is in tho counity.' The
Conestoga Creek basin consti
tutes about 42 percent of the
total land area in the county,
and two-thirds of the entire
population of the county re
side therein.
The total length of the Con
estoga Creek channel is 60.8
miles.
The Conestoga has five ma
jor tributaries: Little Cones
toga, Mill Creek, Lititz Run,
CocaKco Creek and Muddy
Creek.
With its tributaries, the
Conestoga is heavily utilized
as a water supply source for
boroughs, irrigation, and the
City of Lancaster. The effluent
of numerous sewage treatment
plants is discharged into the
creek daily. Detailed usage is
too complex to list here.
Pequea Creek drains an
area of 154 square miles. It
originates in the Welsh Mourn
tains of Lancaster County and
flows 44 miles to the Susque
hanna River.
Pequea Creek has two major
tributaries, Big and , Little
Beaver Creeks,
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L. H. Brubaker
Lititz, Pa.
Chet Long
Akron, Fa.
N. G. Myers & Son
Rheems, Pa.
Alien H. Malz Farm
New Holland
Conowingo Creek drains
39.2 square miles. It originates
in Providence Townslhip, amd
all but the last 3.5 miles of
the stream’s total 19.1 moles
are in Lancaster Counity.
Except for some irrigation,
there are no recorded usages
of the surface waters of Oon
owingo Creek and tributaries.
Octoraro Creek is the sec
ond largest stream in Lancas
ter County with a drainage
area of 212 square miles. The
stream is formed by the East
and West Branches of Oobonaro
Creek and has a total length
of 21.8 miles, with 12.9 miles
in Pennsylvania.
The Chester Municipal Au
thority has a 2.5 billion gal
lon reservoir at the junction
of the East and West Branch
es of the Octoraro. The reser
voir and the flow of the two
brandies supply water to the
dly of Chester. In 1964, this
use averaged 24 million gal
lons per day. The Octoraro
Water Co. pumps 920,000 g
to supply water to Quarryville
and some Chester County com
munities discharged into the
Stream effluent from sewage
treatment plants, amounting to
130,000 g.p.d. at Christiana,
and to 6000 gp.d. from the
Bart-Colerain Elementary
School.
SUMMARY The Study
(Continued on Page 8)
Nissley Form Service
Washington Boro, Pa.
L. H. Bruboker
Lancaster, Pa.
Grumeiii Form Service
Quarryville, Pa.
Equipment