2024 Pennsylvania Integrated Water Quality Report

The number of stream miles assessed and the assessment status of each stream varies by protected use. All wadeable streams in Pennsylvania have been assessed at least once for the Aquatic Life Use category. DEP is currently conducting the second round of Aquatic Life assessments on Pennsylvania's wadeable streams. DEP continues to work towards the goal of  100% assessment  for all waterbodies in the state for all relevant protected uses. The chart contains the 2024 stream assessment status for each of the four main protected water use categories.

Pennsylvania has a series of programs in place to control sources of water quality impacts. Click on each program name to see an expanded overview of how the programs protect water quality, how much the programs invest, and to visit important links related to that program.

 Agriculture  - The Agriculture Program, located within the Bureau Watershed Restoration and Nonpoint Source Management (BWRNSM), is responsible for developing regulations, policies, guidance, outreach, and inspection strategies for compliance assessment, compliance assistance, and enforcement of regulatory programs relating to agriculture. This section conducts activities relating to the compliance with regulatory requirements for agriculture-related erosion and sediment control; manure and nutrient management; and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitted Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs).

 Clean Water Permitting  - DEP’s Clean Water Permitting Program manages and regulates the discharge of pollutants to surface waters and groundwater in Pennsylvania, with the objective of protecting water uses, including human health and aquatic life. The program is administered by DEP’s Bureau of Clean Water (BCW) and is implemented by DEP’s six regional offices. BCW establishes regulations, guidance and policy that are used by DEP regional offices to carry out program objectives.

 Conservation District Support Program  - DEP’s Conservation District Support Section, located in the Bureau Watershed Restoration and Nonpoint Source Management (BWRNSM), provides operational and liaison support to the 66 Conservation Districts throughout Pennsylvania. This support includes the distribution of annual funds through the Conservation District Fund Allocation Program.

 Coastal Resources Management  - DEP’s Coastal Resources Management Program (CRMP) is located within Compacts and Commissions Support in the Office of Water Programs. The CRMP receives annual funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to protect and enhance natural resources using a comprehensive approach in Pennsylvania’s two coastal zones: 112 miles of coastline along the tidal Delaware River in Bucks, Philadelphia, and Delaware counties and the 77 miles of shoreline along Lake Erie in Erie County. The CRMP works to address 11 federally approved policy areas through direct program activities and annual competitive pass-through coastal zone grants.

 Department of Conservation and Natural Resources  - The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources (DCNR) conducts several conservation and partnership programs including River Conservation Grants, managing aquatic invasive species, and providing education programs.

 Department of Health  - The Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) controls and funds several aspects of water quality relating to human health. Specifically, DOH regulates and monitors inland beaches in accordance with the Federal Beach Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act, which helps ensure public safety.

 Interstate Basin Waters  - DEP’s Compacts and Commissions Office is located within the Office of Water Programs and coordinates Pennsylvania’s responsibilities as a member of interstate organizations. The Compacts and Commissions Office delivers planning, development, implementation, and evaluation of statewide policy and program activities to promote interagency and interstate cooperation on shared water resource issues. This includes partnering with established river basin commissions and interstate associations that work to restore and protect water quality, including Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), Great Lakes Commission (GLC), Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resource Council, Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resource Regional Body, Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin (ICPRB), Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO), Partnership for the Delaware Estuary (PDE), and Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC).

 Mining Operations  - DEP's Office of Active and Abandoned Mining Operations is responsible for the policies and implementation of programs that regulate or minimize the impact from the extraction of coal and noncoal (industrial minerals). The office is organized into four Bureaus that have distinct roles and responsibilities for the safe extraction of mineral resources and the reclamation and protection of environmental resources. The Bureau of District Mining Operations is responsible for permitting and inspection of mining sites across Pennsylvania. 

 Nutrient Credit Trading  - DEP’s Bureau of Clean Water is responsible for managing Pennsylvania’s Nutrient Credit Trading Program (Program). The Program is one part of the Chesapeake Bay restoration strategy being implemented in Pennsylvania to address water quality issues. The primary purpose of the Program is to provide a more cost-efficient way for National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permittees in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed to meet their effluent cap load for nutrients.

 Oil and Gas  - DEP's Office of Oil and Gas Management is responsible for the statewide oil and gas conservation and environmental programs to facilitate the safe exploration, development, and recovery of Pennsylvania's oil and gas reservoirs in a manner that is protective of Pennsylvania’s environment. The office develops policy and programs for the regulation of oil and gas development and production pursuant to the Oil and Gas Act, the Coal and Gas Resource Coordination Act, and the Oil and Gas Conservation Law; oversees the oil and gas permitting and inspection programs; develops statewide regulations and standards; conducts training programs for industry; and works with the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, Oil and Gas Technical Advisory Board and the Pennsylvania Grade Crude Development Advisory Council. The office also regulates aboveground and underground storage tanks at oil and gas well sites.

 PENNVEST  - The Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority Act (March 1, 1988, P.L. 82, No. 16) passed by the Pennsylvania General Assembly authorized the establishment of the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST). PENNVEST is mandated by the Act to establish and administer revolving funds to provide financial assistance through the issuance of loans and grants for the construction, maintenance, and improvement of Pennsylvania’s water infrastructure. The Act also authorizes PENNVEST to issue notes and bonds, make appropriations and repeals, and authorize referendums to incur indebtedness. PENNVEST’s mission is “To serve communities and the citizens of Pennsylvania through capital funding for drinking water, sewer, storm water, non-point source pollution prevention and other related projects that benefits the health, safety, environment, promote economic development, and improve water quality.”

 Radiation Protection  - DEP’s Bureau of Radiation Protection is responsible for ensuring the public, occupational, and environmental exposure to radiation from non-natural and controllable natural sources is As Low As Reasonably Achievable. Our program includes the oversight of radioactive materials, radiation-generating machines, radon testing and mitigation, and environmental surveillance. Our program provides emergency response capability for four operating nuclear power sites and Three Mile Island.

 Safe Drinking Water  - DEP's Bureau of Safe Drinking Water is responsible for managing the federally delegated drinking water program and because we have primary enforcement authority (primacy), DEP implements both the federal and state Safe Drinking Water Acts and associated regulations. To control impacts to water, the Safe Drinking Water Program: protects all Pennsylvania residents and visitors from microbiological, chemical, and radiological contaminants in drinking water served at nearly 8,400 public water systems; conducts surveillance, compliance, enforcement, and permitting activities at public water systems to ensure compliance with safe drinking water standards; protects Pennsylvania's drinking water sources through proper planning and management of water resources and their uses; responds to water supply emergencies, such as floods, droughts, chemical spills, or waterborne disease outbreaks; and maintains a web-based reporting application to allow accredited laboratories and public water suppliers to report drinking water sample results electronically. The bureau also trains and certifies drinking water and wastewater operators for over 10,000 treatment plants.

 Sewage Facilities Planning and Permitting  - DEP’s Bureau of Clean Water manages the Sewage Facilities Program, which implements the Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act (known as “Act 537”) and enforces 25 Pa. Code Chapters 71,  72, and  73. Chapter 71 is titled “Administration of Sewage Facilities Planning Program”, Chapter 72 is titled “Administration of Sewage Facilities Permitting Program” and Chapter 73 is titled “Standards for Onlot Sewage Treatment Facilities”. The programs goal is to address existing sewage disposal needs and help prevent future problems through proper planning, permitting, design, operation, and maintenance of all types of sewage facilities.

 Storage Tanks  - DEP’s Bureau of Environmental Cleanup and Brownfields is responsible for policies and implementation of the Storage Tank Program. The program provides for the health and safety of the citizens of Pennsylvania by protecting Pennsylvania’s air, land, and water from storage tank releases. The program staff work as partners with individuals, organizations, governments, and businesses to prevent releases from storage tanks and restore our natural resources when releases do occur. Under the Storage Tank and Spill Prevention Act, which became effective on Aug. 5, 1989, the Storage Tank Program is responsible for developing and implementing regulations for aboveground and underground storage tanks. Specific program responsibilities include the following: registration and permitting of regulated aboveground and underground storage tank systems and collection of annual tank registration fees, certification of individuals and companies that perform tank inspection and tank handling (installation, modification, removal) activities, establishment of technical and operational standards for aboveground and underground storage tank systems, and development of procedures for reporting of releases and corrective action by tank owners.

 Stormwater Compliance  - DEP’s Stormwater Compliance Section in the Bureau of Clean Water is responsible for developing policies, guidance, outreach, and inspection strategies for compliance assessment, compliance assistance, and enforcement of regulatory programs relating to stormwater runoff. This section conducts activities relating to regulatory compliance for construction-related erosion and sediment control; post- construction stormwater management; Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s); and industrial stormwater.

 Water Quality Standards  - DEP’s Water Quality Division (Division), located in the Bureau of Clean Water, develops, reviews and maintains Pennsylvania’s water quality standards (WQS). This includes water uses, numeric and narrative criteria to protect those uses, and an antidegradation policy. DEP routinely evaluates and revises both the protected water uses for surface waters of the Commonwealth and the water quality criteria in 25 Pa. Code Chapter 93. As part of every regulatory update, the public is provided an opportunity to submit comments on the proposed regulation and to present testimony at a public hearing.

 Wetlands Protection  - DEP’s Bureau of Waterways Engineering and Wetlands (BWEW) coordinates the overall implementation and development of the wetlands protection program; however, many aspects of implementation are delegated. Thirty-two of Pennsylvania’s County Conservation Districts have Chapter 105 delegation agreements with DEP to register certain general permits within their counties. The basic duties of each District are to provide information to the public on Chapter 105 regulations, review registrations for and authorize the use of general permits and perform on-site investigations. Other programs/offices within DEP are responsible for reviewing and approving general and individual permits relating to mineral resources, abandoned mine lands, oil and gas activities, and the bureau’s own Stream Improvement and Flood Protection programs. 

Pennsylvania's latest  Climate Impacts Assessment  presents updated climate projections based on the latest climate model data. These projections show that Pennsylvania is expected to get warmer and wetter, which will have serious impacts on surface waters through the rest of this century. Some of these impacts include higher frequencies of bacterial contamination and harmful algal blooms, increased erosion, higher water temperatures, and more contamination associated with flooding.

To tackle this challenge, Pennsylvania has created a  Climate Action Plan . Pennsylvania’s 2021 Climate Action Plan identifies climate change adaptation strategies and pathways that Pennsylvanians can take to prepare for and adapt to the impacts of climate change. It also sets mitigation targets of 26 percent reduction of net greenhouse gas emissions by 2025, and 80 percent reduction of net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, along with a suite of 18 strategies to achieve those targets.

DEP is also working to address climate change through ongoing water quality assessment method development. For example, DEP recently created a fish-based assessment method that leverages a thermal fish index to not only make Aquatic Life Use assessments, but also monitor and track changes in fish populations as climate change alters in-stream temperatures over time. Additionally, DEP is currently working on a new assessment method that utilizes advanced molecular source tracking for bacteria contamination. With these new methods, DEP will be better able to understand and respond to Pennsylvania's changing environment.

Click on the "Climate Change in PA" StoryMap to explore it while staying in the Integrated Report. Clicking on the box at the top-right of the StoryMap will open the StoryMap in another tab.

DEP has sentinel water quality monitoring stations throughout Pennsylvania that are specifically designed to record trend data. This monitoring program is called the Water Quality Network (WQN). More information on these stations can be found on DEP's  WQN mapping application . From the data collected at these stations, trend reports are developed like the one that the Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) creates for the  Chesapeake Bay .

As technology and data analyses advance, more resources are being developed to access and explore DEP's trend data. For example, USGS has created a  national dataset of trends  that can be viewed and downloaded. This allows DEP to show data in new and meaningful ways, such as sediment and nutrient yields (pounds per acre of a watershed). Displaying data as pounds per acre of a watershed allows sites to be compared to each other, regardless of watershed size. Click on each site to view a chart of yields through time. The entire yield dataset is also available in  tabular format .