The state will buy 7,000 acres of watershed land for $4.4 million, and Pennsylvania Suburban will donate another 2,000 acres of remaining land above its water supply reservoirs. Much of the land is in the Appalachian Mountains and, under the agreement, will be protected in perpetuity by DCNR.

DCNR, headquartered in Harrisburg, PA, manages about 2.1 million acres of state forestland and also maintains and preserves 116 state parks. PSC chairman Nicholas DeBenedictis said in a statement, "Our goal is to ensure the protection of the valuable water resource contained within these woodlands, which will continue to serve the residents of the Roaring Creek watershed. A former secretary of the environment for the commonwealth, DeBenedictis added, "I am confident that DCNR views water quality protection as one of the primary functions of its forestlands."

PSC is among the nation's largest investor-owned utilities. It and its subsidiaries provide water and wastewater services to two million residents in PA, OH, IL, NJ, ME and NC.