Public info meeting on Lycoming Creek re-designation reports set for 7 p.m. March 1 at Lycoming College

Narrow Mountain can be seen just beyond the Lycoming Creek in this image by Michael Kinney.

​The Lycoming College Clean Water Institute and Susquehanna Chapter of Trout Unlimited will be hosting an important public information meeting on the results presented in a draft Water Quality Standards Review and Stream Evaluation Report on the Lycoming Creek watershed conducted by the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

The review and report contained recommendations by the DEP staff that Lycoming Creek and most of its watershed streams qualify for protection as Exceptional Value waters under state regulations.

The meeting is scheduled for March 1, 2023 at 7 p.m. in room G09 of the Heim Science Building on the Lycoming College campus. The public can park in the lot at the southeast corner of Mulberry Street and Washington Boulevard, enter through the Lynn Science Building, and take the elevator down to the ground floor.

The meeting will be presented by Josh Lookenbill, Environmental Program Manager, Water Quality Division of PA DEP. 

At the meeting, DEP staff will present an overview of the stream redesignation process and specifically on the information and recommendations in the Draft Lycoming Creek Stream Evaluation Report that is currently being provided for public review and comment as referenced in the Pennsylvania Bulletin on February 4, 2023. Comments are due by March 6, 2023.

Download a draft of the Water Quality Standards Review and Stream Evaluation report by clicking the following button:

Report

Download a draft of the Lycoming Creek Stream Evaluation report in the following button:

Report

The DEP develops water quality standards for all surface waters of the state. These standards, which are designed to safeguard Pennsylvania's streams, rivers and lakes, consist of both use designations and the criteria necessary to protect those uses.

As part of the water quality standards program, DEP conducts stream evaluations on an ongoing basis. Evaluations may be conducted on streams or stream segments that are found to be missing from the water quality standards (Chapter 93 of the DEP's Rules and Regulations) or on streams or segments DEP believes to be improperly designated.

Lycoming Creek is one of the largest streams in Lycoming County with a drainage area of over 270 square miles with over 400 miles of streams, many of which would qualify as Outstanding State Resource Waters.

In addition to its value as a high quality warm- and cold-water fishery, it supplies recharge water for the Williamsport Municipal Water Authority’s Lycoming Creek Wellfield, an important component of the public water supply sources of the Greater Williamsport Area.

The public is encouraged to attend the meeting to learn how the uses of the streams are protected under state laws and regulations.