Dec 21, 2012 2 min read

The Groundwater Foundation, headquartered in Lincoln, Neb., named Washington County a 2012 Groundwater Guardian Community.

Washington County first earned Groundwater Guardian status 13 years ago after starting a program to educate elementary school students throughout Washington County about groundwater through a partnership program with California University of Pennsylvania.

“We only have the water that we have,” said Joan Jesser, community contact for the Washington County Groundwater Guardian community. “There’s no new water – that’s what we tell the kids, we’re using the same water the dinosaurs used – and we have to keep it clean.”

The Groundwater Guardian program encourages and recognizes local groundwater protection and education activities. Local communities implement activities to address local groundwater concerns and issues.

Washington County implemented several new activities in 2012. The team monitored for potential negative impacts from Marcellus Shale drilling, installing monitoring equipment in 21 streams across the county and distributing the data at outreach events to residents of the county, public agencies and local municipalities. Groundwater feeds most streams in Washington County.

Additionally, the team started working on a stream bank restoration project, gathering funds and supplies and interviewing landowners.

The Groundwater Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1985, educates youth and adults about the importance of groundwater and how to protect it.