The Cambria Somerset Authority (CSA) was formed in 1999, in anticipation of acquiring water interests and related land properties of Manufacturers Water Company, a subsidiary of

Bethlehem Steel Corporation The Bethlehem Steel Corporation was an American steelmaking company headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. For most of the 20th century, it was one of the world's largest steel producing and shipbuilding companies. At the height of its succe ...

. Transfer of ownership occurred in August, 2000. The CSA now owns and manages 5,200 acres (21 km²) in

Cambria County Cambria County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 133,472. Its county seat is Ebensburg. The county was created on March 26, 1804, from parts of Bedford, Huntingdon, and Somerset Countie ...

and Somerset County Pennsylvania, including managing recreation, conservation, open space and water supply uses of the lands and water encompassing the Wilmore Dam and Reservoir, Hinckston Run Dam and Reservoir, and South Fork Dam and impoundment, all in Cambria County; and Border Dam and impoundment, and

Quemahoning Reservoir The Quemahoning Reservoir, also known to locals as The Dam, is created by the Quemahoning Dam, located on Quemahoning Creek on the border of Quemahoning Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania, Quemahoning Township, Conemaugh Township, Somerset ...

and Dam, both in Somerset County.

Financing

The Authority has been operating at a loss, with subsidies from Cambria County and Somerset County. Each county contributed $60,000 in 2006, and $75,000 each in 2005.

Recreational activities

Recreational activities include boating, fishing, hiking, hunting, camping,

whitewater rafting Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...

and nature watching. Conservation of the water and lands includes protection of

riparian A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the terrestrial biomes of the Earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks ar ...

buffers; water quality improvements to local waterways; sustainable forest management practices; and protection of aquatic species.

References

External links

* http://www.cambriasomersetwater.com/ Authority official web site {{Johnstown, Pennsylvania Municipal authorities in Pennsylvania Government of Cambria County, Pennsylvania Government of Somerset County, Pennsylvania Water companies of the United States