Source Water Protection

Protecting the Drinking Water Sources that Provide Water Supply to the Community

The Gettysburg Municipal Authority (GMA) was awarded DEP-approval of their Source Water Protection Plan (SWPP) in December 2017.  The steering committee was chaired by Pat Naugle, president of the Adams County Watershed Alliance.  Also represented on the committee are the Adams County Department of Emergency Services (ACDES), Office of Planning and Development (ACOPD), the Conservation District (ACCD), the Penn State Cooperative Extension, and two neighboring townships. GMA is committed to protecting the drinking water sources that provide water supply to the community. Even before completing the SWPP, GMA participated in an emergency response training hosted in Adams County and facilitated by ACDES and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.  GMA developed a comprehensive list of 33 management options to protect their sources, which includes working ACOPD to develop more of a thorough review process to ensure source water protection is considered in new land development projects and working with the ACCD to promote private drinking water well construction standards throughout the County.  

GMA has six groundwater wells  and an intake in Marsh Creek that provide drinking water to approximately 12,500 people.