Officials recently honored the Conestoga River as Pennsylvania's River of the Year for 2026. The ceremony was held in Lancaster County Central Park and was a part of Lancaster Water Week, an annual celebration of the 1,400 miles of streams and rivers in Lancaster County, hosted by Lancaster Conservancy. This week of events encourages people to enjoy and learn about the waterways throughout the county and to volunteer and take action to clean and protect them.

Historically, the Conestoga River was highly polluted, and many tributaries are still considered impaired. However, the river has become a source of increased recreation and enjoyment for local communities. It received 2,510 votes for River of the Year.

"How Lancaster has rallied around the Conestoga River has been nothing short of inspiring," noted Brian Gish, a Lancaster native and senior watershed planner with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF). "My entire life, I've encountered negative perceptions of this waterway, but recently I've seen attitudes pivot. In my conversations with the watershed's farmers, residents, and leaders, indifference is transforming into passion and action."

Gish has led a multi-year effort to develop a comprehensive plan to improve the headwaters of the Conestoga River.

"Countless projects are undoing centuries of damage, driven by a community - my community - reconsidering its relationship with this river," Gish noted. "The Conestoga's future is our future, and we're taking steps to secure both. I'm seeing our river heal. If we stay the course, it will be healthy in our lifetimes."

Ashley Spotts, CBF's Lancaster restoration biologist, has worked on numerous projects along the Conestoga as well. She specializes in planting riparian buffers, groups of trees along waterways that filter out pollutants.

"I've always had a passion for native plants, and I've worked 20 years with many farmers and landowners along the Conestoga River and its tributaries to plant trees in an effort to raise water quality," Spotts said. "It feels so good to return to a planting years later and see a small forest, with fruiting persimmons and oaks branches weighted down with acorns. Not only will this provide resources for the plants and animals on land, but I know these trees mean healthier water as well."

CBF is planning an event, led by Spotts and scheduled to occur in August, that will bring together landowners, farmers, and partners to launch a watershed improvement plan developed by Gish for the Upper Conestoga watershed. Developing water quality plans in priority watershed areas, with support from partners and landowners, is central to CBF's water improvement work throughout Pennsylvania.

CBF is celebrating 40 years of protecting and restoring Pennsylvania's environment.