The Greater Johnstown Water Authority and its predecessor, the Johnstown Water Company have been practicing watershed management in the watersheds serving its reservoirs since the late 1800's. By and large this has consisted of acquiring the land above the reservoirs and instituting a managed forestry program. The forestry program now nets several hundred thousand dollars a year with selective cuts marked by the Authority's in house forester and placed for bid among the local timber companies.

Since 1989, the Authority has opened its watershed to public hunting pursuant to a cooperative agreement with the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

Since 1994, the Greater Johnstown Water Authority has been using well water to supplement its water supply. This was first done in the village of Tanneryville which had been served by a stream intake on Red Run. The Safe Drinking Water Act required filtration of all surface supplies. A cost analysis was done comparing the cost of pumping water from the main system, installing a small filtering plant for the stream intake or drilling a well. The well was chosen and a 300 gpm artesian well was developed. This well requires the same testing and a well head protection plan to minimize risks of contamination and assure good quality drinking water.

The following links discuss aspects of watershed management and protection and well head protection:

• PADEP Draft Report on Water Resource Management 9/95
• AWWA White Paper on Total Water Management
• New York City Watershed Management
• University of Michigan, Regional Groundwater Center
• Minnesota well head protection