PHOTO PROVIDED The Williamsport Water Authority trails offer plenty of great views, such as the one shown in this photo by Nancy Hornberger.

In our area, when you turn on your water faucet, you can count on clean, healthy water to drink. Many of you reading this article view Bald Eagle Mountain every day.

After you read this article and then look at the mountain, give it a nod for being the source of our notably high-quality tap water.

Bald Eagle Mountain and the Mosquito Valley area near Duboistown are part of the Williamsport watershed, where our local water originates. From the watershed’s 10,000 forested acres, rain flows down the mountain streams and is then gathered into four huge reservoirs within the water authority before being treated and sent to its 51,000 local customers.

Capturing this water supply was the brilliant idea of wise engineers in 1856. Many neighboring communities must use other water sources such as the Susquehanna River for their tap water.

Until fairly recently, the watershed was not open to the public, but now much of the acreage is available for hiking, biking, running and viewing an amazing array of wildlife, birds and wildflowers. Signage spells out restricted areas. Dogs, guns and fishing are prohibited. Fishing is prohibited in order to ensure that lead in lures doesn’t make its way into the water system.

Maps of the public and restricted areas are available in the parking lot. The water authority also asks that all trash be packed out, again so as not to effect water quality.

This massive forest supports Class A trout streams if you walk a distance up some of the trails. One of the most interesting features, about two miles up the mountain, is an old trout farm. In the 1800s, foresters built up walls along one of the streams where they then raised native trout.

These stone formations remain functional and architecturally beautiful. Some old stone bridges and abandoned houses remain also. Near the parking lot on the right, you will see very old maple trees planted in a precise rectangle. These trees originally outlined an old schoolhouse attended by local Mosquito Valley kids.

The Williamsport Municipal Water Authority’s executive director Mike Miller and its board are dedicated to maintaining the ecological diversity of the watershed, knowing that such diversity best supports the health of the entire ecosystem, which in turn best supports purer water from the watershed.

Partially because of this healthy, diverse ecosystem, many bird species are available for viewing. Bobby Brown, one of our local audubon expert birders, notes that 153 species have already been documented in the watershed.

While our watershed supports increasing numbers of visitors, Miller reminds us to be prepared: a bear or rattlesnake could occasionally appear. Also, he notes, the watershed is so huge that a hiker can get lost if they get off the trails. Such unlikely risks are surely worth the benefits of taking in the serene beauty of the watershed woods and trails.

To travel to the water authority from South Williamsport, drive west on Southern Avenue through Duboistown. Turn left onto Valley Street. Drive about a mile and turn left onto Mosquito Valley Road. Drive about two miles to the parking lot at the dead end.

Don’t miss this gem.