Protecting South Mountain
The South Mountain Landscape is critical to our water resource and needs our protection!
South Mountain Conservation Landscape Initiative – a CPC priority Why should this be important to you?
Most residents of south central Pennsylvania are familiar with the South Mountain, even if they don't know it by name. It is hard to miss the prominent forested ridge that forms the southern boundary of the Cumberland Valley as one travels on US Routes 11 or 15, Interstate 81, or the many rural roads in the area. Few people realize how the South Mountain and the Cumberland Valley are inter-related. What happens on the South Mountain can have a direct effect on the resources and quality of life in the Cumberland Valley.
The importance of South Mountain to the Cumberland Valley is due to the unique geology of the area. The resistant rocks that form the South Mountain are among the oldest on earth. The sandstone and quartzite of South Mountain have been subject to weathering through freeze and thaw cycles, which resulted in the formation of fractured and broken rock, known as colluvium. The precipitation falling on South Mountain moves through the colluvium and eventually reaches the Cumberland Valley, a process that takes about six months. With current rainfall amounts, and yearly averages etc, the amount of water discharged at Boiling Springs requires 20 square miles of surface area.
If you exclude South Mountain you only have 3 sq miles available to supply the water so therefore about 85% originates on the mountain. The surface and ground water resources of the Cumberland Valley depend on this process for wells, drinking water, and streams.
The South Mountain region is under tremendous development pressure given its proximity to Washington, Baltimore and Harrisburg. Thousands of acres in the region are being considered for residential or other development. This development threatens the Cumberland Valley, as well as the mountain itself. Development results in construction of impervious surfaces. These impervious surfaces cause precipitation to run off the surface, instead of percolating through the colluvium. Any impervious surface reduces the amount of ground water reaching the valley and increases the amount of flood producing runoff. This runoff is also harmful to the ecology of the mountain and the valley because it is often very acidic. Runoff also increases the amount of sediment that is eventually deposited in the streams.
Many residents of the eastern and central portion of Cumberland County rely on public water supplies which use the Yellow Breeches Creek and Conodoguinet Creek as sources of water. Reduction of the amount of precipitation reaching the ground water would result in a reduction in the flow volume of these and other valley streams in addition to private wells during dry seasons. This diminishes both the quality and quantity of water available.
To protect South Mountain we will need considerable resources. We are obligated to compensate landowners at fair market value for their development rights or land purchase. This is a long-term protection project that we are investing in and we invite you to join us. We are beginning in Monroe Township with a “Landscape Visioning” initiative. We are preparing a plan for conservation landscape visioning to help residents and local government officials better understand current circumstances and make informed choices about future conservation and development in the community. Using CommunityViz® software will provide us the ability to facilitate a real-time, interactive decision making environment where participants, including citizens, agency planners, consultants and decision-makers, could quickly and easily discern which land-use alternative best serves their interests. Because this information will be easily understood by laypersons, it provides the ability to link community-based efforts of changing public policy with the professional competency of the local, regional and county planners. It will engage and educate the residents of the region because they will have the information to move forward public policy that supports land use/resource protection efforts.
Please see the attached PowerPoint for additional information. If you are interested in actively participating, please contact Debbie Bowman at dbowman@centralpaconservancy.org.
