Susquehanna River Basin Commission Awards $6.6 Million In Consumptive Use Mitigation Grants

On April 28, the Susquehanna River Basin Commission announced $6.6 million in grant funding for 14 projects that will improve water availability and water quality in the basin during droughts.

“For a first-ever grant of its kind in the Basin, the caliber of applications was remarkable,” said Andrew Dehoff, SRBC Executive Director. “We’re going to be able to fund some truly innovative and beneficial projects that will improve water availability and watershed resilience during critical low flow periods and drought events.”

The grants are funded by consumptive use fees paid to the Commission through regulated projects as mitigation for their water use. 

Managing consumptive use, defined as water used but not returned to rivers and streams because it is evaporated, transpired, incorporated into products or otherwise lost, is especially important when natural flows are low.

This inaugural year of the grant program sought applications that enhance water supply, reduce demand by conservation, reuse or recycling, increase flow resilience, or improve environmental conditions and water quality.

Grant Awards--

-- Village of New Berlin - $185,000

-- Tioga County (NY) Soil and Water Conservation District/Upper Susquehanna Coalition - $358,560

-- Western Pennsylvania Conservancy - $309,653

-- Kline Township Municipal Authority - $92,101

-- Mahanoy Township Authority - $513,000

-- Municipal Authority of the Borough of Shenandoah - $286,200

-- Houtzdale Municipal Authority - $252,000

-- RCAP Solutions, Inc. - $454,522

-- Cambria County Conservation District - $126,303

-- Ephrata Borough - $500,000

-- Londonderry Township - $400,000

-- Borough of Akron - $748,770

-- York County Conservation District - $861,591

-- Watershed Alliance of York - $1,500,000

One of the awardees is a public water supply project that will enhance groundwater recharge within a watershed critical to its supply, located in Centre County, Pa. 

“The Houtzdale Municipal Authority is excited to be a recipient of a SRBC consumptive use mitigation grant.  The application process was very simple and streamlined to complete,” said John Gallagher, Plant Manager of Houtzdale Municipal Authority. “The anticipated project, if proven to be successful, will be a benefit to sustaining the Authority’s groundwater sources now and into the future.”

2nd Grant Round

A second round of the grant program is anticipated to open fall 2022.

Visit the Consumptive Use Mitigation Grant Program webpage for more information.

For more information on programs, training opportunities and upcoming events, visit the Susquehanna River Basin Commission website.  Click Here to sign up for SRBC’s newsletter.   Follow SRBC on Twitter, visit them on YouTube.

Upcoming Event:

-- May 19: Lower Susquehanna Source Water Protection Partnership meeting. SRBC Offices, Harrisburg or via Zoom. 9:00 a.m. to Noon

[Posted: April 29, 2022]  PA Environment Digest