Mill Creek

The Mill Creek Watershed is located in the Central portion of the county.  This 56 square mile watershed is named for the numerous mills that were located along its streambanks back in the day.  Today there are about 76 miles of streams within the Mill Cr. Watershed.  The mainstem of the Mill Cr. and its tributaries flow mostly southwest to the stream’s confluence with the Conestoga River around New Danville.  According to the USGS Stream Stats website only about 12% of the watershed is forested and about 8% of the watershed has urban development on it.  The watershed starts east of New Holland in the Welsh Mountain and encompasses portions of New Holland, Leola, Intercourse, and Bird-in-Hand.  There is an active watershed association doing work within the watershed, the Millcreek Preservation Association.  The Association does mostly outreach and educational work along with stream and conservation work throughout the watershed.  There have been numerous studies completed by various groups within the watershed and outside the watershed as well.  There is even a Watershed Implementation plan for the Mill Cr. which is a guiding blueprint for restoration efforts.