Gov. Wolf Announces Growing Greener Grant Awards To 106 Local Clean Water Projects

Gov. Tom Wolf Thursday announced the award of 106 projects to clean up local waters statewide, benefiting hundreds of communities, have been selected to receive funding through the Department of Environmental Protection’s Growing Greener Program.

“These grant projects represent important opportunities for citizen and community engagement in local water cleanup around the commonwealth. The vitally important roster of local governments and nonprofit organizations who willingly tackle them is a great representation of our spirit of partnership,” said Gov. Wolf. “Their efforts are invaluable investments in our public health, the vitality of our communities, and the quality of our environment in Pennsylvania.”

Growing Greener grants will go to 106 projects. Fifty-one are in Pennsylvania’s part (43 counties) of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, reflecting part of the ramped-up state and federal funding commitment to Pennsylvania’s federal mandate to reduce nitrogen, phosphorous, and sediment pollution in the watershed.

Fifty-five Growing Greener projects are in the 24 counties beyond the watershed. Together, all projects will receive just over $20.7 million.

“There’s no magic wand to wave to clean up all of Pennsylvania’s streams and rivers at once. Reducing acid mine drainage, nutrients, sediment, and other pollutants requires countless strategic, collaborative community efforts at the creek, river, lake, and watershed levels. Achieving a collective impact is the essential role Growing Greener projects play,” said DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell.

The Growing Greener grant program--the largest single investment of state funds to address Pennsylvania’s environmental challenges--is supported by the Environmental Stewardship Fund, which receives its funding from landfill tipping fees.

Since it was launched in 1999, the Growing Greener program has provided more than $296 million to environmental projects statewide.

Grant Awards Outside Chesapeake Bay Watershed

-- Allegheny

-- Allegheny County Parks Foundation, Pinkertons Run acid mine drainage treatment and streambank stabilization, $318,672

-- Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh, Larimer/East Liberty Park green infrastructure, $60,000

-- Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Deer Creek stream restoration, $38,642

-- Armstrong

-- Armstrong County Conservation District, Pine Run stream restoration, $59,889;

-- Agricultural best management practices to reduce sediment and nutrient loads to Spra Run, $110,096

-- Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Buffalo Creek stream restoration, $73,995

-- Berks

-- Berks County Conservation District, County agricultural best management practices implementation, $231,486

-- Bucks

-- Bucks County Conservation District, Dimple Creek Watershed water chestnut management project, $95,385

-- Carversville Farm Foundation, Carversville farm stream restoration, $60,904

-- Middletown Township, Sediment reduction initiative to retrofit five stormwater basins, $175,000

-- Warrington Township, Naturalizing the detention basin at Folly and Pickertown Roads, $16,515

-- Butler

-- Stream Restoration Incorporated, Slippery Rock Stream bioengineering, $125,450

-- Carbon

-- Carbon County Conservation District, Nesquehoning Creek stabilization phase 3, $215,000

-- Chester

-- Brandywine Red Clay Alliance, Plum Run Watershed Renaissance Initiative, $150,000

-- Kennett Area Park Authority, Red Clay/Nixon Park stream restoration, $77,500

-- New Garden Township, Bucktoe Creek stream restoration, $36,000

-- Open Land Conservancy of Chester County, Design and installation of stormwater best management practice in Airdrie Preserve, $52,360

-- Uwchlan Township, Ludwig’s Run stormwater basins retrofit, $90,775

-- Valley Forge Chapter of Trout Unlimited, Wilson Run stream restoration, $130,812

-- Crawford

-- Crawford County Conservation District, Agricultural Best Management Practice Cost Share Program, $263,343;

-- Little Sugar Creek streambank stabilization, $79,368

-- Delaware

-- Borough of Media, Bioretention and infiltration best management practices, $163,050

-- Erie

-- Environment Erie, Begin ANEW stormwater education and management, $55,556;

-- Service Learning Projects, $36,650

-- Greene

-- Greene County Conservation District, Browns Creek stabilization/best management practice implementation, $207,484

-- Indiana

-- Indiana County Conservation District, McKee Run streambank stabilization, $20,494

-- Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Ross Run restoration phase 2, $52,193

--  Jefferson

-- Jefferson County Conservation District, Pine Run agricultural best management practices implementation, $486,580

-- Mercer

-- Mercer County Conservation District, Elder Run streambank stabilization, $40,247; Sandy Creek Watershed conservation project, $209,000

-- Montgomery

-- Borough of Ambler, Growing Ambler Greener 2017-2020, $206,100

-- Upper Dublin Township, Rose Valley Creek Willowmere Study, $18,991

-- Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association, Thompson Dam alternatives analysis, $44,000

-- Worcester Township, Defford/Clyston Roads retrofit basin, $42,804

-- Northampton

-- Northampton County, Monocacy Creek restoration at Archibald Johnston Conservation Area, $80,000

-- Philadelphia

-- City of Philadelphia, Philly Tree Canopy (Renew Philly Trees), $250,000

-- Venango

-- Scrubgrass Creek Watershed Association, Restoration of Upper Scrubgrass Creek phase 2, $147,418

-- Warren

-- Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Brokenstraw Watershed improvement phase 2, $96,072

-- Washington

-- Washington County Conservation District, Covered Bridge Meadow agricultural best management practices, $36,683

-- Wayne

-- Equinunk Watershed Alliance, Equinunk Area Watershed Management Plan, $50,000

-- Lake Wallenpaupack Watershed Management District, Stormwater structure installation at Deerfield Lake, $123,910

-- Westmoreland

-- Jacobs Creek Watershed Association, Route 31 green infrastructure urban stormwater best management practices, $350,000

-- Sewickley Creek Watershed Association, Lowber treatment system iron sludge management, $171,725

-- Westmoreland County Conservation District, Murrysville stormwater basin retrofits, $64,620; -- Vandergrift CBD stormwater management phase 2, $5,000

In Chesapeake Bay Watershed

-- Bedford

-- Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Bobs Creek erosion/sediment reduction, $46,572

-- Berks

-- Berks County Conservation District, Creekside Stables erosion best management practices, $50,033;

-- Dennis Bross Farm best management practices, $306,551

-- Blair

-- The Trust for Tomorrow, Freedom Township stream restoration project, $57,801

-- Bradford

-- Bradford County Commissioners, Bradford County sediment and nutrient reduction initiative, $220,000

-- Sugar Creek Watershed Association, Browns Creek stream corridor restoration, $68,000

-- Cambria

-- Cambria County Conservation District, Glendale Lake shoreline stabilization project phase 5, $167,618;

-- Northern Cambria flood control restoration project phase 2, $29,838

-- Centre

-- Centre County Conservation District, Reducing pollution loads from Centre County farms, $702,147

-- Penns Valley Conservation Association, Upper Penns Valley streambank best management practices, $65,911

-- Cumberland

-- Cumberland County Conservation District, Agricultural best management practices, $289,813

-- Dauphin

-- Capital Area Greenbelt Association, Paxtang Parkway Watershed restoration and management, $421,200

-- Huntingdon

-- The Trust for Tomorrow, Brown Farm Stream Restoration Phase 2, $182,866;

-- Peachy and Brown Farms Stream Restoration, $249,194

-- Indiana

-- Cambria County Conservation District, Cherry Tree flood control restoration phase 2, $70,701

-- Juniata

-- Juniata County Conservation District, Lost Creek restoration phase 2, $116,028

-- Lackawanna

-- Throop Borough, Sulphur Creek restoration, $280,000

-- Lancaster

-- Borough of Ephrata, Ephrata Wastewater Treatment Plant stormwater management improvements, $85,033

-- City of Lancaster, Long’s Park stormwater mitigation, $500,000

-- Luzerne

-- Dallas Township, Toby Creek streambank stabilization and stormwater enhancement design, $36,550

-- Harvey’s Lake Borough, Eradication/control program for Hydrilla in Harvey’s Lake, $208,870

-- Luzerne County Conservation District, 2016 Agricultural best management practice projects, $318,000;

-- Nescopeck Creek Watershed restoration efforts, $140,000

-- Lycoming

-- Lycoming County Conservation District, Agricultural and streambank best management practices, $214,984

-- Montour

-- Montour County Conservation District, Chillisquaque Creek/Limestone Run restoration, $746,713

-- Potter

-- Potter County Conservation District, Potter County streambank stabilization, $20,050

-- Trout Unlimited, Kettle Creek nonpoint source sediment reduction, $32,100

-- Schuylkill County

-- Schuylkill Conservation District, Good Spring Creek floodplain restoration phase 1, $230,000; -- Swatara Creek floodplain restoration phase 1, $2,991,000

-- Snyder

-- Snyder County Conservation District, Snook barnyard improvement – lower lot, $163,840

-- Susquehanna

-- Susquehanna County Conservation District, Countywide spring developments, $71,808;

-- Priority watershed spring developments, $32,651;

-- Meshoppen Watershed barnyards, $38,328; -- Tunkhannock Creek Watershed barnyards, $170,000; Wyalusing Watershed barnyards, $180,000

-- Tioga

-- Tioga County Conservation District, Marsh Creek Watershed improvement, $60,389

-- Wyoming

-- Lake Carey Welfare Association, Nutrient inactivation of phosphorous in Lake Carey, $69,210

-- Wyoming County Conservation District, Freeman Farm manure and wastewater handling and storage, $134,650

-- York

-- American Rivers, Inc., Removal of Kehm Dam and wetland and riparian buffer development, $219,632

-- Hallam Borough, Unnamed tributary to Kreutz Creek stream restoration, $80,000

-- Jackson Township, Jackson Township Community Park stream restoration, $190,000

-- Wrightsville Borough, Wrightsville green infrastructure plan, $356,350

Multiple Counties

-- Armstrong Conservation District, Excitation emission matrix analysis water quality testing in Armstrong and Indiana Counties, $7,839

-- Cooks Creek Watershed Association, Watershed Implementation Plan, $39,080

-- Headwaters Resource Conservation and Development Council, Agricultural best management practices on nine farms, $181,352

-- PA Association of Conservation Districts, CREP Outreach Program Office, $382,355

-- PA Lake Management Society, Lake best management practices phase 3, $103,068

-- Stroud Water Research Center, Healthy Soils, Healthy Streams training and technical assistance, $336,630

-- Trout Unlimited, Nonpoint Source Technical Assistance Program, $191,300

-- Villanova University, Impact of nutrient and fine sediment accumulation and distribution on stormwater rain garden performance study, $244,937

-- Western PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation, Quick Response 8: Timely repair projects to prevent environmental degradation or costly repairs, $100,000

-- Wildlands Conservancy, Implementing high priority stream restoration in the Lehigh Watershed, $138,039

Multiple Counties or Regions

-- Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Prioritizing forested buffer investments, $629,557

-- Columbia County Conservation District, Multicounty soil health project, $409,465

-- Endless Mountains Resource Conservation and Development Council, Applied agroforestry education, $46,200

-- National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Pennsylvania-NFWF Agricultural Conservation Collaborative, $550,000

-- Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy, Focused sediment reduction in Chesapeake Bay, $425,000

-- Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, TreeVitalize XIII, $100,000

-- Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Chesapeake Bay Conservation Easement Incentive Project, $379,000;

-- Juniata best management practices implementation/technical assistance, $194,770

For more information on the program, visit DEP’s Growing Greener Program webpage.

Related Stories:

Growing Greener Coalition Applauds Growing Greener Grants, Points To Need For More Clean Water Investments

DCNR  Invests $44 Million In Local Recreation, Natural Resource Conservation Projects

Growing Greener Coalition Applauds DCNR Grants To Support Local Conservation, Recreation Projects, Cautions Funding Is Insufficient

DEP Awards $550,000 For 15 Projects To Protect Lake Erie, Delaware Estuary Areas