About the Quittapahilla Watershed Association

The Quittapahilla Watershed Association was organized in 1997 by a group of individuals who are committed to the quality and preservation of the Quittapahilla watershed. The group includes conservationists and other citizens who had established the Quittie Creek Nature Park in Annville, Pa.

Through their efforts, 24 acres of woods, wetlands and limestone bluffs had been set aside in 1991 to preserve the area's natural and cultural history. After the Quittie Creek Nature Park's creation, the group realized that they could not maintain the beauty of the creek that ran throughout the park without looking at the context in which the creek existed.

The entire Quittapahilla Watershed is in Lebanon County, and the creek's major tributaries include Killinger Run, Bachman Run, Beck Creek and Snitz Creek. The Quittapahilla Creek flows into the Swatara Creek, which flows into the Susquehanna River and eventually into the Chesapeake Bay.

A special meeting was called on June 8, 1997 to organize the Quittapahilla Watershed Association (QWA), and, in 1998, the group became affiliated with the Swatara Creek Watershed Association. The Quittapahilla Watershed Association's goal has been to get interested individuals, organizations, and businesses in Lebanon County to help maintain healthy streams. Since the beginning of the Quittapahilla Watershed Association, numerous local organizations have become involved in watershed projects. All those involved have helped in the success of keeping this creek and its major tributaries clean and beautiful.

See bank protection practices for techniques used to preserve streams and banks.