June 25, 2025June 25, 2025

Ripple Effect: 9 years of Water Week Reflections

Since its inception in 2017, Lancaster Conservancy’s Water Week has become a powerful annual celebration of more than 1,400 miles of local streams and rivers in Lancaster County—essential resources that sustain our drinking water, agriculture, economy, and outdoor life. While over half of these waterways are impaired by pollution, efforts and initiatives like Water Week bring about real change and a shared commitment to stream health and ecological restoration.

The event has built momentum over the years and grown from 14 events in its inaugural year to over 60 events in 2025 including First Friday celebrations, creek stomps, paddles, trivia, and bike tours. This collaborative week of education, celebration, and action has been made possible by dozens of partners and sponsors.

LandStudies has been a consistent Water Week partner over the years, offering educational tours of different restoration projects throughout Lancaster County. These tours combine our technical expertise with community involvement by engaging the public with watershed restoration techniques and the multitude of positive impacts that stem from such work, ultimately building a better understanding of watershed health and ecological stewardship.

LandStudies Water Week Highlights

2025: Lititz Run Watershed Bike Tour

Building on the 2021 virtual tour, we finally got the bikes on the road for a 13-mile guided group ride exploring the Lititz Run Watershed where riders stopped at different project sites along the way, learning how they are improving water quality, restoring ecological functions, and providing other benefits to the community. Proceeds benefited the Lititz Run Watershed Alliance.

2024 – 2022: Green Infrastructure Tours at Landis Homes Senior Living Community

LandStudies assisted Landis Homes with a tour of their green infrastructure and stormwater best management practices that focused on implementation strategies and maintenance. We offered guided wetland, stream restoration, and evening walking tours highlighting native plantings and sustainability initiatives on Landis Homes campus. More details here: Landis Homes Stream and Floodplain Restoration | MOST Center

2021: Lititz Run Watershed Virtual Tour

LandStudies developed a virtual tour using ArcGIS that set the groundwork for self-guided tours of the Lititz Run Watershed. You can view this online platform here > Lititz Run Healthy Watershed Tour

2020: Watershed Restoration Presentation

LandStudies participated in a joint virtual presentation with Lititz Run Watershed Alliance, Millport Conservancy, and others called “Lititz Run: A Stream and Its Community”, highlighting one of the longest established riparian restoration projects in Lancaster County and healthy trout habitat. LandStudies shared how comprehensive regional planning and permitting provides a more holistic approach to watershed restoration.

2019: Rock Lititz Floodplain Restoration Tour

As part of a larger event at the Rock Lititz campus with live music, food trucks, and beer by Fetish Brewing, LandStudies helped close out Water Week in 2019 by offering walking and biking tours of a large floodplain restoration. This state-of-the-art Best Management Practice (BMP) provided numerous ecosystem services and replaced traditional stormwater basins freeing up 9 additional acres of developable land. More details here: Santo Domingo Creek Floodplain Restoration

2018: A Day on Lititz Run

LandStudies collaborated with Millport Conservancy, Donegal Trout Unlimited, and others in “A Day on Lititz Run”, where visitors enjoyed fly fishing demos, macro‑invertebrate studies, and wastewater facility tours. LandStudies led mini‑tours showcasing the floodplain restoration at Rock Lititz—including aquifer recharge, sediment control, and native plantings.

2017: Big Spring Run Floodplain Restoration Tour

A walking tour of this award-winning floodplain restoration project which LandStudies provided the design, construction, and landscaping services for. More details here: Big Spring Run Floodplain and Stream Restoration

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