PA DEP Conservation District Watershed Specialist (CDWS) Program

State funding that allows every County Conservation District to employ a dedicated Watershed Specialist.

Created in 2000, the CDWS Program funds a staff position at county conservation districts focused on helping communities improve water quality. Watershed Specialists collaborate with watershed associations and nonprofits, pursue state, federal, and private grants to implement restoration projects, run or enable citizen water quality monitoring, and provide education across age groups. The program page hosts fiscal-year grantee documents including a renewal request form, a budget primer with mini-grant guidelines, and a Task and Deliverable Budget Worksheet. Watershed groups are invited to contact their county Watershed Specialist directly, which makes this a practical front door for local partnership and staffing capacity.