Watershed Planner Returns to His Neck of the Woods
By George Deibel
Brian Gish takes great pride in each plan he writes to heal sick waterways, but his latest project hits home.
Gish, who is the Pennsylvania senior watershed planner for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF), is in the early stages of devising a proposal to improve the condition of 13 streams that impact portions of Columbia Borough, Mountville Borough, West Hempfield Township, and Manor Township.
“This one is special for me,” he said.
Gish, whose grandfather worked in Columbia, grew up outside of Marietta, dining on mouthwatering shifter sandwiches, the local delicacy made up of ham, sweet pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, and mayo. “It’s wonderful,” he said with a chuckle.
As a Boy Scout, Gish searched for the albatwitch, the miniature, apple-eating ape-man rumored to roam the Chickies Rock region.
“I enjoyed writing the other plans, and they were places that are important to me,” said Gish, who works out of the CBF office in Harrisburg. “But this is home. These streams are ones I’ve encountered throughout my life.”
This will be the third plan Gish has written for Lancaster County waterways. He also put together game plans for the Pequea Creek and upper Conestoga River.
Gish said the state analyzes the health of waterways in four categories of use: aquatic life, recreation, fish consumption, and use as a public water source. “We focus on aquatic life,” he added.
Penning a plan involves geospatial analysis, which essentially means combining maps and statistics to figure out answers to real-world environmental problems, Gish said. The plan’s coverage area involves 30 miles of streams in an area inhabited by approximately 20,000 people.
Strickler Run and Shawnee Run are the biggest of the 13 streams in the area that flow into the Susquehanna River, making up more than a third of the drainage area. Some of the streams don’t even have a name. Shawnee Run goes through Columbia, and Strickler Run is the one stream that drains from all four municipalities in the plan’s coverage area. “That is the thread that connects them all,” Gish said. “It’s going to make a great opportunity to bring wide ranges of communities together.”
This plan will be unique. “Here, these streams don’t flow into each other,” said Gish. “They all enter the river in their own place. We saw that these streams, unlike a lot of the streams in Lancaster County, didn’t have a plan. We realized if we didn’t write a plan for these, these are streams that will probably never get a plan.”
Gish noted that as it pertains to water quality, they are equally important as the bigger waterways, especially when viewed all together. “The other neat thing about them is because they’re so small, in shorter amounts of time, you can have success stories,” he said.
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation will hold events including stream cleanups throughout the area in the coming months to engage the community and hear feedback. “Even though I feel invested in these communities, these are really their creeks,” said Gish. “(They belong to) the people who live here. We want to find out what they value. What’s important to them? What are their goals at the end of the day?”
Gish began the multiyear process by starting internal work several months ago, and he expects to complete it in 2026. Plans typically have a 20-year lifespan. The first review five years after it is finished will determine what’s working and what isn’t. A major review is conducted in the 10th year, and often parts of the plan will need to be overhauled. There is another review at the 15-year mark. After 20 years, the plan will probably reach the end of its usefulness.
“Sometimes we will see we met our targets, and the streams aren’t impaired anymore,” said Gish. “Most likely, you have to write another one, because even when you do all the right things, it can take decades for these streams to rebound.”
Bettering the Chesapeake Bay is a byproduct of the local efforts. “We like to say, ‘If you save PA, you save the bay,’” said Gish. “When I talk to people, I hardly ever mention the bay. The reason is, in the Pennsylvania office, our focus is 100% local clean water. Yes, that helps the bay. But when I go out, I am not out there working on behalf of the estuary. I am working on behalf of all people who live here and the landscapes and waterways that are here.”
Gish added, “The creeks in their backyard and the Susquehanna River are things that are important to (people). Those are the things that are important to me. If we do good work here, it’s going to help the bay, but the reason we even have a Pennsylvania office is to connect with these local communities here in the commonwealth. We understand what we do affects the bay, probably better than most people. If a solution doesn’t work for the people here, it isn’t going to happen. We make sure everything we do is relevant to the folks here and stands to improve their local environment.”
Gish said residents can already start helping by planting trees, supporting local farms, picking up litter, limiting lawn chemicals, and being careful about what they are putting down drains.
“A lot of times plans focus only on water quality,” Gish said. “I really want this one to be a more holistic plan that provides educational and recreational opportunities. “We are using the plan as a vehicle to get local communities to cooperate on other things such as stormwater. It’s a great opportunity for everyone to pull together.”
For more information visit the Chesapeake Bay Foundation website.
Gish, who is the Pennsylvania senior watershed planner for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF), is in the early stages of devising a proposal to improve the condition of 13 streams that impact portions of Columbia Borough, Mountville Borough, West Hempfield Township, and Manor Township.
“This one is special for me,” he said.
Gish, whose grandfather worked in Columbia, grew up outside of Marietta, dining on mouthwatering shifter sandwiches, the local delicacy made up of ham, sweet pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, and mayo. “It’s wonderful,” he said with a chuckle.
As a Boy Scout, Gish searched for the albatwitch, the miniature, apple-eating ape-man rumored to roam the Chickies Rock region.
“I enjoyed writing the other plans, and they were places that are important to me,” said Gish, who works out of the CBF office in Harrisburg. “But this is home. These streams are ones I’ve encountered throughout my life.”
This will be the third plan Gish has written for Lancaster County waterways. He also put together game plans for the Pequea Creek and upper Conestoga River.
Gish said the state analyzes the health of waterways in four categories of use: aquatic life, recreation, fish consumption, and use as a public water source. “We focus on aquatic life,” he added.
Penning a plan involves geospatial analysis, which essentially means combining maps and statistics to figure out answers to real-world environmental problems, Gish said. The plan’s coverage area involves 30 miles of streams in an area inhabited by approximately 20,000 people.
Strickler Run and Shawnee Run are the biggest of the 13 streams in the area that flow into the Susquehanna River, making up more than a third of the drainage area. Some of the streams don’t even have a name. Shawnee Run goes through Columbia, and Strickler Run is the one stream that drains from all four municipalities in the plan’s coverage area. “That is the thread that connects them all,” Gish said. “It’s going to make a great opportunity to bring wide ranges of communities together.”
This plan will be unique. “Here, these streams don’t flow into each other,” said Gish. “They all enter the river in their own place. We saw that these streams, unlike a lot of the streams in Lancaster County, didn’t have a plan. We realized if we didn’t write a plan for these, these are streams that will probably never get a plan.”
Gish noted that as it pertains to water quality, they are equally important as the bigger waterways, especially when viewed all together. “The other neat thing about them is because they’re so small, in shorter amounts of time, you can have success stories,” he said.
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation will hold events including stream cleanups throughout the area in the coming months to engage the community and hear feedback. “Even though I feel invested in these communities, these are really their creeks,” said Gish. “(They belong to) the people who live here. We want to find out what they value. What’s important to them? What are their goals at the end of the day?”
Gish began the multiyear process by starting internal work several months ago, and he expects to complete it in 2026. Plans typically have a 20-year lifespan. The first review five years after it is finished will determine what’s working and what isn’t. A major review is conducted in the 10th year, and often parts of the plan will need to be overhauled. There is another review at the 15-year mark. After 20 years, the plan will probably reach the end of its usefulness.
“Sometimes we will see we met our targets, and the streams aren’t impaired anymore,” said Gish. “Most likely, you have to write another one, because even when you do all the right things, it can take decades for these streams to rebound.”
Bettering the Chesapeake Bay is a byproduct of the local efforts. “We like to say, ‘If you save PA, you save the bay,’” said Gish. “When I talk to people, I hardly ever mention the bay. The reason is, in the Pennsylvania office, our focus is 100% local clean water. Yes, that helps the bay. But when I go out, I am not out there working on behalf of the estuary. I am working on behalf of all people who live here and the landscapes and waterways that are here.”
Gish added, “The creeks in their backyard and the Susquehanna River are things that are important to (people). Those are the things that are important to me. If we do good work here, it’s going to help the bay, but the reason we even have a Pennsylvania office is to connect with these local communities here in the commonwealth. We understand what we do affects the bay, probably better than most people. If a solution doesn’t work for the people here, it isn’t going to happen. We make sure everything we do is relevant to the folks here and stands to improve their local environment.”
Gish said residents can already start helping by planting trees, supporting local farms, picking up litter, limiting lawn chemicals, and being careful about what they are putting down drains.
“A lot of times plans focus only on water quality,” Gish said. “I really want this one to be a more holistic plan that provides educational and recreational opportunities. “We are using the plan as a vehicle to get local communities to cooperate on other things such as stormwater. It’s a great opportunity for everyone to pull together.”
For more information visit the Chesapeake Bay Foundation website.
