Middle Spring Watershed Association (MSWA) is a non-profit 501(c)3 charitable organization formed in January 2006 to promote the protection and restoration of waters which encompass the Branch and Middle Spring Creek drainage. The protection and restoration actively address sewage treatment issues; development impact; water quality; increasing fish, wildlife and plant habitats; and promote community education about the ecological importance of the Branch and Middle Spring streams.
In 2021 MSWA expanded its scope to also include those portions of the Conodoguinet Watershed within the outer boundaries of the two Southampton Townships (Cumberland and Franklin Counties), so our coverage area includes all of Shippensburg and the immediate vicinity.
Our educational and community outreach efforts include a rain barrel and water conservation education project, educational presentations at local Earth Day and other appropriate festival events, and stream cleanups several times each year. MSWA was instrumental in a project to remove the old Middle Spring dam, the riparian buffer across the stream from the wastewater treatment plant, and the mudsills and riparian buffer at Shippensburg Little League. MSWA continues to oversee on-going efforts to restore the riparian habitat at that and other sites on the stream. We have been a watchdog on local wastewater treatment policies, and we monitor the water quality of Middle Spring Creek.
MSWA coordinates efforts with the Watershed programs of both Cumberland County and Franklin County Conservation Districts, neighboring watershed associations, student groups and faculty at Shippensburg University, environmental classes and student organizations from Shippensburg H.S., Penn State Extension's Master Watershed Stewards, Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers (POWR), other groups interested in the ecology of local creeks, and riparian conservation organizations throughout the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.