Big Spring Watershed Association

10/07/2026

This past Friday BSWA was awarded a Community Impact Grant from the South Mountain Partnership to begin to manage invasive plants along the Big Spring. We will be removing invasive plant such as Japanese Knotweed, purple loosestrife, poison hemlock and others and putting in native plants. Look for volunteer opportunities in the coming months and in 2027!

10/03/2026

We had a small, but mighty group for our cleanup this morning. Final count was 6 bags of trash, a small tire, and a recliner. It was a beautiful morning to be along the spring.

10/02/2026

We had a great stream team training with Alliance for Aquatic Resource Monitoring - ALLARM tonight. We look forward to begin water quality monitoring of the Big Spring!

09/16/2026

It is not too late to join the Big Spring Stream Team and help us protect Big Spring! Join us on October 1 at 5:00 on the Dickinson College campus for training on water monitoring led by Alliance for Aquatic Resource Monitoring - ALLARM. See the QR code below or the link in the comments to sign up for the training and message the BSWA page for more information.

08/14/2026

ICYMI 👇

Last week, Pennsylvania DEP Deputy Secretary for Water programs, Jill Whitcomb, and Dustin Shull, assessment section chief with the Bureau of Clean Water visited WITF's The Spark to talk about how we track PA waters 👉 bit.ly/witf-waterquality

Read the report for yourself to see how the waters are doing in your community 👉 bit.ly/iwqr2026

07/31/2026

We had a great turnout for the Alliance for Aquatic Resource Monitoring - ALLARM stream team meeting last night. If you are interested in volunteering as a water quality monitor, message me or email Joey Knouse who is ALLARM's volunteer coordinator. Find his email in one of the posted photos. There will be a training of monitoring volunteers on October 1 from 5 to 6. This is a great opportunity to help protect this vital resource.

07/28/2026

Our Stream Team meeting is in just a few days on Thursday, July 30th at 7:00 pm at the First United Presbyterian Church in Newville. Join us to learn about the water quality of the Big Spring and find out more about opportunities to be a water quality monitor!

07/15/2026

Here is the final article in the Valley Star Times recognizing BSWA's 25 anniversary. This installment looks at the challenges and opportunities ahead.

In the lifespans of aquatic organisms, 25 years is more than enough generations to measure progress. Ammonia levels dropped. Dissolved oxygen and other water chemistry measures significantly improved. Water cress

07/06/2026

The Valley Times Star's series on the history of BSWA continues with its 3rd installment. This article explores some of BSWA's recent achievements.

Historic preservation is another BSWA goal. Even before the conservation plan, there was an idea to transform the “Barrel Factory”, a remnant outbuilding of the former McCracken Mill, into a

06/28/2026

Interested in making sure that Big Spring’s water quality remains protected? Join our Stream Team conducting water quality monitoring! BSWA is working with ALLARM of Dickinson College to expand our monitoring efforts and we are looking for new volunteers. Join us for our meeting on July 30th at the First United Presbyterian Church to learn more about the data we have gathered and next steps.