Big Spring Creek has been designated as a High Quality or Exceptional Value Waterway by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection but is now facing a serious threat. (Neil Sunday photo)
December 18, 2025
By Neil Sunday
On the western edge of Pennsylvania’s Cumberland County lies its fifth largest spring creek which meanders quietly and undisturbed towards the quaint town of Newville. Big Spring Creek has a historic population of brook trout, as well as wild rainbow and brown trout. It has been designated as a High Quality or Exceptional Value Waterway by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP). This creek is a legendary limestone stream in the Cumberland Valley area, and a bucket-list destination for fly fishers visiting from around the globe.
The Big Spring Creek and the fish that call it home face a serious threat– a large warehouse complex which is planned to be built a mere 3,400 feet from its banks. Appalachian Asset Management Company, located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania plans to construct the warehouse along PA Rt. 11, locally known as Ritner Highway. The project is referred to as “The AAMPA Warehouse.”
The PA DEP website states : “The applicant is proposing to develop a parcel historically used for agriculture into three warehouse structures totaling approximately 1.36 million square feet. The site is proposed to contain 481 semi-trailer parking and 881 non-trailer parking locations. Fourteen Stormwater Control Measures (SCMs) are proposed throughout the site to manage the increase in stormwater runoff from the impervious surfaces.”
Big Spring Creek provides immense recreational opportunities and is an integral part of the water supply for the Newville community. For many residents and anglers, the chance that a massive warehouse with potential for pollution and stormwater runoff could be constructed near the headwaters is cause for alarm. Imagine a sweltering summer day with a thunderstorm that dumps heavy rain onto an enormous non-porous surface such as asphalt. Asphalt can reach temperatures upwards of 50 degrees hotter than the ambient air temperature. The runoff, if not properly mitigated, could potentially run into the clean and cold waters of the Big Spring Creek causing an instantaneous temperature spike. This could prove detrimental to its fish, flora, and macroinvertebrates. This scenario, coupled with the chance of petrochemicals and sedimentation increase due to construction, could be devasting for the Big Spring Creek.
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Mark Spicka, president of Big Spring Watershed Association (BSWA), believes “There can be sediments [that are] disturbed from the construction of such warehouses that can get into people’s wells. There can be various petrochemicals and other chemicals.”
The limestone karst topography which filters the spring water is porous in nature. This porosity also could be what allows unwanted debris, sediments and pollutants to be transferred from the construction site or warehouses directly into its waters.
Big Spring Creek has a historic population of brook trout. (Neil Sunday photo) At the August 14, 2025 Public Hearing held by the PADEP, local Orvis-endorsed guide, Cumberland Valley Trout Unlimited (CVTU) board member, and Orvis Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient Tom Baltz warned those in attendance of potential errors or mistakes, which often happen during construction, that could lead to diminished water quality and potential fish kills.
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Pollution and accidents do occur. On July 31, 2019 a pollutant was spilled into the nearby Letort Spring Run alongside the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania resulting in approximately 250 wild brown trout being killed.
In an effort to ensure Appalachian Asset Management is required to provide water monitoring and water quality measuring procedures during construction and post completion, local conservation groups are rallying to support the conservation of the Big Spring Creek. The Big Spring Preservation Association (BSPA) is a non-profit corporation founded on a shared love and reverence for this rare natural treasure. BSPA has set a goal to reach $50,000 in donations. Donations to the Big Spring Preservation Association (a Pennsylvania Non-profit Corporation, with a pending IRS 501(c)3 designation, EIN # 35-2920464) will be used in support of the legal defense fund to protect the Big Spring Creek regarding the PA DEP’s pending approval of the AAMPA project (and for future protection and preservation of the Big Spring Creek and surrounding areas) through the retention of David J. Raphael, Esq. (K&L Gates, Partner, Environmental, Land, and Natural Resources practice), former PA DEP Chief Counsel. The BSWA is in full support of these efforts and urges everyone to donate what they can to support this vital cause. CVTU has also pledged $1,000 to the BSPA. CVTU has contributed letters and email campaigns to support this effort and have encouraged Mark Spicka to speak on behalf of the BSWA at their monthly membership meetings. To donate and support the BSPA, see the link below.
The Big Spring Creek and the fish that call it home face a serious threat– a large warehouse complex which is planned to be built a mere 3,400 feet from its banks. (Matt Supinski photo) Additionally, there has been a Go Fund Me account set up by the Coalition to Save Big Spring Creek, which aims to have a Public Awareness campaign and states:
“We are raising funds to support outreach efforts that will call attention to this urgent issue. Your donation will help us create and distribute educational materials, place yard signs throughout the community, expand our digital outreach, and organize events to bring people together in defense of the Big Spring Creek. If we are fortunate enough to raise more than our initial needs, any additional gifts will be directed to a legal defense fund to ensure we have the resources needed to protect our water and our way of life.”
The Coalition to Save Big Spring recently had a Public Event at CrossRoads Wine Shop in Newville on December 7, 2025 where they stated they raised $1,200 of their $2,000 goal.
As a professional fly-fishing guide and native to the Cumberland Valley, I urge you to get involved. Learning about this issue is the first step. There are interests that are detrimental to our natural areas like the Big Spring Creek. Our inaction could lead to the demise of the streams we love– and once they are too far gone, they rarely come back. Join a local conservation or nature advocacy group. Consider making a contribution to these groups, whether it’s financial or through volunteerism– your actions make a difference. The AAMPA Project, for now, has not been given the greenlight. By being involved and through supporting local efforts, collectively we can ensure the Big Spring Creek remains the pristine gem we all know and love.
Donate here:
Neil Sunday is a full-time fly-fishing guide based of TCO Fly Shop in Boiling Springs, PA. (Kevin Landgren photo) Neil Sunday is native to the Cumberland Valley, PA and calls the Yellow Breeches Creek, the Big Spring Creek and the Letort Spring Run home. He’s a full-time fly fishing guide based of TCO Fly Shop in Boiling Springs, PA. Neil leads the Stream Improvements Committee and is currently a 13-year Board of Director for Cumberland Valley Trout Unlimited. He organizes work parties on the Letort Spring Run to improve habitat for wild trout.
