Montgomery County Farms To Show Water Quality Improvements
PENNSBURG (Montgom
ery Co.) Spring Mountain
Farm and Pointe of View
Farm in Montgomery County
will open their farms Satur
day, April 26, to show changes
they made to improve their
farm operations and to protect
the headwaters of the Perkio
men Creek Watershed.
Farmers and other interest
ed individuals are invited to
visit both farms and to see
first hand the improvements
made that will result in clean
er water for the region.
This agricultural-oriented
tour offers several benefits to
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attendees. First, to see exam
ples of Best Management
Practices (BMPs) that can be
used on livestock farms that
can improve a farmer’s live
stock operation while also
protecting streams, wetlands,
and other environmentally
sensitive areas from nutrient
and sediment pollution. Sec
ond, to provide an opportuni
ty to meet the organizations
and agencies that assisted
these farmers and would be
available to assist with similar
projects on other farms in the
region. Another is to learn
about Pennsylvania’s Nutrient
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Finally, to hear about cost
sharing opportunities to assist
with the installation of these
BMPs.
The tour will begin at 9:15
a.m. at Spring Mountain
Farm just outside of Gilbert
sville. Spring Mountain Farm
is owned and operated by
Charlie Wamick and his fam
ily. It is a 60-acre preserved
farm specializing in beef cattle
and horses.
Visitors will be able to see
the improvemeiits made to the
barnyard area to provide for
better handling and control-
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ling of animal manure.
Previously manure was
stockpiled on an earthen
area just outside the
bam. From the piles, nu
trient laden water ran di
rectly into a small
stream. Also a stabilized
stream crossing was in
stalled at the farm. The
crossing now allows the
animals to cross the soft
mud bottomed stream
without getting stuck
and protects the stream
bank vegetation.
At 10:30 a.m., the tour
will proceed to Pointe of
View Farm in East
Greenville. Tour partici
pants will meet with Rob
and Val Myers who oper
ate a 55-acre farm, which
is also permanently pre
served. The Myers raise
beef cattle and sheep.
To protect the soil and
water resources on their
farm, the Myers installed
a gravity fed watering
system and a stone-stabi
lized stream crossing for
their animals. Previously
the animals concentrated
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grazing to one area and stayed
close to the house because of
limited access to drinking
water. By providing drinking
water in the pasture fields, the
animals will now graze more
of the pasture fields, be more
efficient in grazing, and will
have adequate water available
for their drinking needs.
Spring Mountain Farm and
Pointe of View Farm both
benefited from funding re
ceived by the Southeastern
Pennsylvania Resource Con
servation and Development
(SEPA RC&D) Council.
SEPA RC&D was able to help
Spring Mountain Farm with
the barnyard improvement be
cause of generous funding re
ceived from the Pa. Depart
ment of Environmental
Protection (DEP) Growing
Greener Program. The fund
ing received by SEPA RC&D
is targeted specifically to im
prove water quality around
livestock barnyards.
SEPA RC&D was also able
to assist both farms with their
stabilized stream crossings be
cause of funding received
from PA DEP through Section
319 of the Federal Clean
Water Act that is adminis
tered by the US EPA. The 319
funds were also used to assist
Point of View Farm with their
livestock watering system.
Ducks Unlimited, another
project partner, aided Point of
View Farm by providing and
installing the fencing along
the stream banks.
While both farms will bene
fit from the improvements
made on their farm, so too will
thousands of people and busi
nesses in the region that will
have cleaner water available
for a variety of uses. Both
farms are located on small
tributaries to the Perkiomen
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Creek, which flows into the
Green Lane Reservoir and
into the Schuylkill River. The
Philadelphia Suburban Water
Company and the Philadel
phia Water Department also
benefit because they rely on
the reservoir and river to pro
vide drinking water to their
customers.
At the tour, April 26, at
tendees will be able to meet
with representatives from a
variety of agencies and organ
izations. In attendance will be
David Schaffer of the Natural
Resources Conservation Serv
ice (NRCS), who assisted both
farmers by providing engi
neering services and oversee
ing the installation of the Best
Management Practices; An
drew Frankenfield of the
Montgomery County Cooper
ative Extension Service, who
assisted the farmers by pro
viding information on proper
pasture management and live
stock grazing; and Bill Dome
nico of the Montgomery
County Conservation District,
who assists farmers with
meeting the current Pennsyl
vania Nutrient Management
Law.
Also attending will be Eliza
beth Emlen, who is the admin
istrator for the Montgomery
County Farmland Preserva
tion Program and John Met
rick, who assisted the farmers
with the Southeastern Penn
sylvania Resource Conserva
tion and Development Coun
cil project funding efforts.
For more information about
the tour and driving directions
to the farms, please contact
Andrew Frankenfield of the
Montgomery County Cooper
ative Extension at (610)
489-4315.
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