Venango County is home to many beautiful waterways. Most Pennsylvania streams are given a designation under a regulation called "Chapter 93." These categories are based on the aquatic life living in the stream, quality of water flowing through the stream, and recreational uses of the stream. Streams that can support excellent water quality, sustain a healthy and biodiverse aquatic community, and act as a resource to humans and wildlife are given a "High Quality" or "Exceptional Value" designation. High Quality and Exceptional Value streams should be protected. Projects near these streams are required to have different Best Management Practices (BMPs) than projects that are not near special protection streams. Be aware of what streams are nearby and contact your local conservation for assistance before beginning your project. 

It's project season! As you plan your home improvement projects, keep permits in mind. Your township and your local conservation district should be your first points of contact. They can help determine if your project requires any plans or permits and answer any questions about forms, applications, and templates. 

Pennsylvania's regulations have specific requirements for timber harvest sites that loggers should follow. These regulations support the protection of existing natural resources and the restoration of sites once logging activities have been completed. 
The Venango Conservation District prefers to take a position of education. We realize that education for timber harvesters is lacking within our county and that timber harvesters are workers trying to get a job done to provide for themselves and their families. We are taking steps to provide education to timber harvesters before they begin work that may lead to complaints. Preventing problems before they begin saves everyone time, money, and headaches. 
Check out this link for more information about timber harvest erosion & sediment control plans: Timber Harvest E&S
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​Venango County is bountiful with natural resources, one of which is streams. They support natural biodiversity, distribute drinking water, and regulate water and ecosystem quality. Streams are the veins running through the body of Venango, providing life to everything they touch.
The Venango Conservation District is delegated by the Department of Environmental Protection to handle part of the Chapter 105 program which relates to projects in and near the water. The District can issue Chapter 105 General Permits 1 through 9.
The graphic below provides general information about how Pennsylvania's regulations define a stream and when a permit is necessary for a project in or near a stream. 

We asked several different groups of folks that live and work in Venango County how their local conservation district could serve them better, and overwhelmingly, the leading request was for more education. Our staff thought that social media posts were great for sparking curiosity, but sometimes conservation topics, especially when it came to permitting and pollution, were more detailed and nuanced than what a Facebook post could convey. Thus, the Pollution Solution was born! We hope to deliver at least two educational posts per month. If you want to keep up with new content, delivered to your email inbox, subscribe to our free Substack.