Big Spring Creek is one of Pennsylvania’s most historic limestone spring creeks. Flowing through Cumberland County toward Newville, it supports native brook trout along with wild rainbow and brown trout. Designated a High Quality/Exceptional Value Waterway by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, it is both a treasured wild trout fishery and a critical local water source.

Today, this remarkable stream faces a serious development threat.

The AAMPA Warehouse Project Threat to Big Spring Creek Conservation

A proposed 1.36-million-square-foot warehouse complex—known as the AAMPA Warehouse—would be constructed just 3,400 feet from Big Spring Creek along Route 11.

The project includes three warehouse buildings, hundreds of trailer parking spaces, and extensive impervious surfaces. While stormwater control measures are proposed, many conservationists are concerned about:

• Thermal pollution from heated asphalt runoff
• Increased sedimentation during construction
• Petrochemical contamination risks
• Long-term groundwater impacts

Because the watershed is underlain by porous limestone karst geology, pollutants can move quickly into the creek system.

Why Protecting Big Spring Creek’s Wild Trout Matters

Big Spring Creek is more than a fishing destination — it is a fragile coldwater ecosystem.

Wild trout depend on stable, cold temperatures. During heavy summer storms, runoff from large asphalt surfaces can enter waterways at significantly elevated temperatures, potentially stressing or killing trout and aquatic insects.

The risks are not hypothetical. In 2019, a spill into nearby Letort Spring Run resulted in the loss of approximately 250 wild brown trout.

When Exceptional Value streams are degraded, recovery is difficult — and sometimes impossible.

Local Conservation Groups Unite to Save Big Spring Creek

The Big Spring Preservation Association (BSPA) has established a legal defense fund to ensure proper environmental oversight and water monitoring requirements are enforced before development proceeds.

The Big Spring Watershed Association (BSWA) fully supports these efforts.

Cumberland Valley Trout Unlimited (CVTU) has:

• Pledged financial support to the BSPA
• Submitted advocacy letters
• Hosted public discussion at membership meetings
• Raised awareness throughout the Cumberland Valley

The AAMPA project has not yet received final approval. Community involvement still matters.

Stand With Big Spring Creek. Donate Today.

Big Spring Creek is more than a destination — it is a living, breathing limestone ecosystem that defines the Cumberland Valley. Protecting it requires action.

Cumberland Valley Trout Unlimited (CVTU) has pledged financial support to the Big Spring Preservation Association and continues to advocate for responsible oversight, water monitoring, and long-term protection of this Exceptional Value waterway.

Here’s How You Can Help:

• Participate in the Limestoner Spring Fly Fling & Banquet
  A portion of the proceeds from the Limestoner directly supports local conservation efforts — including the protection of Big Spring Creek. Register a two-person team or attend the banquet to be part of the solution.
• Become a Community Supporter
  Make a monetary donation to CVTU to strengthen our conservation advocacy and legal defense efforts for waters like Big Spring Creek.
• Support the Big Spring Preservation Association
  Contribute directly to the BSPA legal defense fund, working to ensure proper environmental protections are required before any development moves forward.

Development projects come and go. Wild trout streams, once damaged, rarely recover fully.

By showing up, giving generously, and supporting conservation organizations, we can ensure Big Spring Creek remains the pristine gem we all know and love.