All About

Rain Gardens

photo copyright Barr Engineering 2010

Mount Pleasant Rain Garden Program

A program representative is in the process of contacting those residents of Ramsay Terrace and nearby streets in Mount Pleasant who have signed up for a free rain garden for their yard and less flooding for their neighborhood.

Click here for more information about this program.

Anyone Can Make a Rain Garden

If you’re thinking of adding a flower bed to your property, why not make it one that not only looks good…but also does some good for you and your

neighbors?

Make it a rain garden.

Like a rain barrel, a rain garden is a place to collect some of the rain water that’s now going into the storm sewer system.

And that’s a good thing.

Because the more water you keep out of the storm sewer system, the more you reduce the risk of flooding in your neighborhood.

Plus, you now have a garden that waters itself with free rain water.

Rain garden basics

A rain garden looks like most other landscape features, but with a few key differences:

• garden surface – the surface of a rain garden is gently dished out, like a bowl or saucer

• soil mix – some of the existing soil is replaced with a special mix that is good at soaking up water

• water source – water from a downspout is directed so that it flows into the rain garden.

Where you put your rain garden also is important. The particulars of your property – the slope of the ground, location of utility lines, and so on – will help determine the best location.

Click here for a Fact Sheet that answers basic questions about rain gardens

Upcoming 2010

Education Progams

PA Game Commission Summer Professional Development Opportunities

Click here to learn more

Pasture Walk & Farm Tour Showcasing Seasonal Rotational Dairying

Tuesday, September 21

7:00 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Bus trip to the Holterholm Farm in Jefferson, Maryland

Click here for information/registration flyer

Forestry I

Saturday, September 25

8:30 a.m. - noon

Westmoreland Conservation District and Ann Rudd Saxman Nature Park

Learn basic tree identification, common forestry terms, and timber measurement methods. Put on your outdoor clothes, lace up your hiking shoes, and join Forester Tony Quadro for this fun, informative workshop.

Click here to download a PDF of the Forestry 1 Registration Flyer and to pay by check.

Click here to register and pay online using PayPal.

Forestry II

coming Spring 2011

Milestones & Partners

In Westmoreland County

Conservation History

Conservation in Westmoreland County turned 60 in 2009.

A new timeline takes a look at the conditions that spawned this conservation movement…its setbacks and successes…and the many men and women whose belief and perseverance turned what sometimes seemed like radical ideas into everyday practices.

Click here for a PDF of the Timeline (3.36 MG)

As part of our 60th anniversary, we are creating a master list of names of individuals who have helped advance conservation in Westmoreland County over the years. 

Click here to see the list so far.  We know there are many more people who should be listed, and need your help in making sure they are recorded.

If you know someone who should be added to this list, please send their name and a sentence or two telling how they were involved in conservation to wcd@wcdpa.com. 

We will update the list periodically.

Thanks to everyone who has been a part of this exciting history, and who is helping to create its promising future!

Questions about Floodplains or

Flood insurance?

Click here for

information, resources, and District contact information

Flood damage to a home by Brush Creek, Grapeville, PA June 2009

About 5% of the land in Westmoreland County

is designated by the federal government to be in

the “100-year floodplain. ”This means that these places are expected to be flooded during a

very large storm.

Photo USDA

Money Is available For A Variety of Conservation Efforts...

for forest management practices...

If your timber harvest is on hold, waiting for the economy to recover, why not use this time to develop a forest management plan for your woodlot?

A forest management plan can ultimately make your timber more valuable by improving the health and quality of

your woodlot, and insuring its long-term sustainability.

Our forester, Tony Quadro, can develop several kinds of plans for your site:

• a brief, forest management plan that provides general recommendations, based on a one-time visit to your site (this plan is free-of-charge), or
• a formal Forest Stewardship Plan, with more details and specific recommendations for your site. There is a fee for this more detailed service. MORE...

...for nutrient management plans

Beef, dairy, swine, and poultry farmers as well as horse boarders, horse-barn owners, and stable managers can apply for new federal funds that will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.

The money can be used for:

• a confidential on-site review of your land (done by one of the planners contracted under this program), and/or
• a detailed plan for managing your operation’s nutrients, including recommendations of the best-management practices most relevant to your particular operation.

Dan Griffith, our nutrient management specialist/agricultural conservation technician, can tell you more (dan@wcdpa.com or 724-837-5271).

You can also visit http://livestock.rti.org. To sign up, select the button on the left side of the page that says: Sign Up for Farm Assessment.

...for Farm Air-Quality Improvements

If you are interested in making air-quality improvements on your farm, the EQIP program has funding available.

Incentive payments and cost-share monies are available for a number of practices and activities, including:

• No- and mulch-till
• Manure separators and abatement
• Composting facilities
• Windbreak establishment around livestock and poultry facilties.

This program has periodic cutoff dates, so don’t delay.

For more information, contact Dan Griffith, dan@wcdpa.com, 724-837-5271.

Visit the new Westmoreland woodlands improvement association website

The association recognizes woodlands as a renewable resource, and encourages their management for timber, water quality and control, wildlife habitat, plant propagation and recreation.

Click here

Tech Corner

Municipal officials and engineers, please note:

Potential problems with

Plastic Outfall Pipe

During routine inspections, our Erosion Control Specialist Chris Droste uncovered what may be a widespread problem in sediment basins and detention ponds with plastic outfall pipes leaking.

More...

When heavy rains and flooding wash out gravel driveways and private roads

Here are some tips to help with repairs…and to help prevent repeat problems in the future.

Know where the flow is coming from…and take the necessary steps to get the water off your driveway or road

If water is running down your driveway or road, you can add waterbars to help direct the water off the road and into the nearby terrain.  

More...