Conservation District

Over 65 years ago Pennsylvania state legislators recognized the need to support grassroots local conservation efforts.
As a result, the PA Conservation District Law was passed authorizing the creation of county conservation districts in every county, except Philadelphia. The Northampton County Conservation District was founded in 1961 when a group of farmers joined together to promote the use of conservation practices to protect soil and water resources in Northampton County.

Today, the Northampton County Conservation District's main goals are to promote soil conservation, maintain or improve water quality and promote environmental education. To achieve these goals, the Conservation District performs a variety of programs ranging from reviewing erosion and sediment pollution control plans for earth disturbance activities to providing advice on starting a local watershed association.

The Conservation District is led by a seven member Board of Directors. District Directors are volunteers that are nominated by an approved local organization and then appointed by Northampton County government. Their responsibilities range from policy creation to supporting efforts of district staff and their partner agencies to provide quality administrative, technical, and educational assistance to all county residents. Four members of the board are farmer directors, two are public directors and one is a representative of Northampton County Council.

Why soil conservation is important

Soil Conservation is a set of management strategies that are used to prevent soil from being eroded from the earth's surface or becoming chemically altered by overuse. Various strategies, or best management practices (BMPs), are used by excavation contractors, farmers and others to achieve this goal. So, what is the harm if a little mud washes into the stream? Excess sediments are associated with increased turbidity and reduced light penetration in the water column, as well as more long-term effects associated with habitat destruction and increased difficulty in filtering drinking water. By volume, sediment is the greatest pollutant to the surface waters of Pennsylvania.

Complaints

The District needs your help. If you see any Erosion and Sedimentation Control issues associated with construction or agricultural activities or manure management issues on farmland, please contact our front office: 610-829-627 6 and follow the prompts for Nate Pritchard and Jonathan Fox. Do not call 102 technical staff directly. All complaints will be kept anonymous as required by State/Federal laws. NCCD will accept complaints via email, please email complaint information to northamptoncd@northamptoncd.org.

NOTE: If your complaint or issue is regarding wetlands, stream encroachments, or illegal dumping of construction debris please contact the PA Department of Environmental Protection complaint line at 1-866-255-5158 (State-wide), as NCCD does not currently have delegation authority over these areas.

Stormwater and/or flooding issues should be addressed to the associated municipality, District assistance will be provided when requested by municipality.

In the event of an emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number.

What's New

Quick Links

Meeting Schedule

Our Newsletter

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection PAG-01
The PAG-01 General Permit is intended to provide NPDES permit coverage for stormwater discharges associated with small construction activities in satisfaction of state (25 Pa. Code § 102.5(a) and 25 Pa. Code § 92a.1(b)) and federal (40 CFR § 122.26(b)(15)) regulations, subject to applicable eligibility requirements.
The term stormwater discharge associated with small construction activities means the discharge of stormwater from construction activities including clearing, grading, and excavating that result in earth disturbance of greater than or equal to one acre and less than five acres. The PAG-02 General Permit or an Individual NPDES Permit may be used for NPDES permit coverage if a project is not eligible for PAG-01 coverage.

PAG-01 NPDES General Permit Training
This course is applicable to consultants and developers, and has been enabled for guest access.
It is available at the following link. https://pacleanwateracademy.remote-learner.net/course/view.php?id=721
This course provides training on the PAG-01 NPDES General Permit for Stormwater Discharges Associated with Small Construction Activities, effective March 1, 2022. In this course DEP provides an overview of PAG-01; explains similarities and differences compared to the PAG-02 General Permit; describes the suite of PCSM BMPs available under PAG-01; addresses the NOI requirements for PAG-01; and provides an explanation of post-approval requirements.
NEW Water Quality Project Mini-Grant Program
NCCD has a new mini-grant program! Grants of up to $5,000 are available (as funds allow) to projects to improve water quality and reduce pollution to the natural resources of Northampton County. Applicants should complete the Grant Request for Assistance and contact the NCCD Watershed Specialist to complete an application. Applications are due by the end of each month to be considered at the next scheduled NCCD Resource Technical Committee and Board Meeting. Grant round is currently open.

o Effective May 3, 2024, Wendy McRoberts is no longer working with the Conservation District; please discontinue sending any emails to or copying Wendy for District business.

o Dion Campbell has been reassigned from District Manger to District Engineer; please only include Dion for project-related PCSM or technical matters.

o Nate Pritchard is Acting District Manager; please copy Nate for all District business.

o Jonathan Fox is the Chapter 102 Program Coordinator for all NPDES-related business; please contact him for Pre-application meetings and NPDES fee questions.