Essential Utilities, PA Environmental Council Award $60,000 In Grants To Support Projects To Protect Drinking Water In Bucks, Chester, Delaware Counties

On April 21, the PA Environmental Council and Essential Utilities announced the award of $60,000 in grants for projects aimed at improving the health of local waterways throughout southeast Pennsylvania. 

This marks the third round of funding through the “Protect Your Drinking Water” grant program.

“Protecting our water starts at the source,” said Essential Utilities Chief Environmental, Safety & Sustainability Officer Chris Crockett. “Through partnerships like these and support from the Essential Foundation, we’re investing in local watersheds and empowering communities to safeguard clean, reliable water for generations to come.”

The Protect Your Drinking Water program awards grants for watershed protection and education projects that address deforestation, pollution, and other threats to water quality. 

The program has awarded over $145,000 in the past three years to projects in the Chester/Ridley/Crum, East Branch of Brandywine Creek, and Neshaminy Creek Watershed areas.

2026 Grant Recipients Include:

-- Chester-Ridley-Crum Watersheds Association ($10,000 to create a stream revitalization assessment of the Chester, Ridley, and Crum watersheds to inform future project plans)

-- Natural Lands ($9,500 to restore a floodplain habitat along the Crum Creek)

-- Pennsylvania Resources Council ($7,500 for their Compost, Not Chemicals program, which seeks to reduce fertilizer runoff and improve sustainability of backyard practices)

-- Delaware County Conservation District ($5,500 for a water sampling and outreach initiative focused on reducing road salt pollution)

-- Upper Providence Township, Delaware County ($5,000 to restore and protect a portion of the riparian ecosystem, which will stabilize stream banks and improve water quality)

-- Heritage Conservancy ($7,500 to expand educational initiatives at their previously funded pollinator meadow project)

-- Stroud Water Research Center ($5,000 to engage students, families, and community members in multiple restoration projects along the East Branch Brandywine Creek)

-- Stroud Water Research Center ($10,000 to train citizen scientists to quantify current road salt contamination in groundwater and waterways, and then use those data for education and awareness)

Outcomes of the Protect Your Drinking Water grant program will include on-the-ground projects, as well as educational and volunteer programs designed for students, municipal staff, and citizens to further engage in drinking water protection. 

PEC’s Water Team administers the grant program in partnership with Essential Utilities, with funding from the company’s Essential Foundation.

“The important work of protecting clean drinking water is becoming increasingly challenging for a number of reasons including more extreme weather and growing sources of pollution,” said Tom Gilbert, President of PEC. “It takes many partners working together to address these challenges, and this grant program helps facilitate that.”

PEC is committed to empowering the public to be active, informed stewards. Educating people about where their drinking water comes from is an essential step toward improving the health and function of our local waterways.

Click Here for the PEC/Essential Utilities announcement.

For more information on programs, initiatives and special events, visit the PA Environmental Council website, visit the PEC Blog, PEC Bill/Regulation Tracker, follow PEC on Twitter or Like PEC on Facebook.  Visit PEC’s Audio Room for the latest podcasts.  Click Here to receive regular updates from PEC.

[Posted: April 22, 2026]  PA Environment Digest