Thirteen of the projects funded are in environmental justice communities.
Click Here for a list of grants awarded and a project descriptions.
"Each year we seek out innovative projects that will inspire and promote water supply enhancement activities into an uncertain future climate,” said Andrew Dehoff, SRBC Executive Director. “And each year the exceptional pool of applicants does not disappoint. We’re excited to again fund some truly beneficial projects that will strengthen the water resiliency of our basin, especially during periods of drought.”
Consumptive use refers to water that is used but not returned to rivers and streams because it is evaporated, transpired, incorporated into products or otherwise lost.
The grants are funded by fees paid to SRBC through regulated projects as mitigation for their consumptive water use.
Awardees will use the funding to reduce water use or enhance supply, therefore helping to protect public health and safety, avoid water use conflicts, prevent water quality impacts, support economic production and sustain ecological flows.
Collectively these projects are bringing nearly $5 million in matching dollars to the table, underscoring tremendous partnerships and the strength of leveraging Commission funds for the common goal of an enhanced river basin.
Awardees include municipalities, golf courses, industry and non-profits seeking to implement forward-thinking projects for the benefit of their communities.
For example, the Borough of Hanover [PA] is receiving funds to improve its dam’s damaged intake tower which will allow the Borough to quickly respond during rain events, improving safety while increasing water capture, and more precisely control the outflow during dry periods.
These grant funds will also reduce future rate increases for their water customers, who are located in a potentially stressed area and environmental justice community.
Cargill Meat Solutions [Wyalusing, PA] aims to save approximately 30 million gallons of water a year by installing a condensate recovery system.
By collecting condensate from their process facility and feeding it to their boiler system, they’ll reduce the amount of water withdrawn from wells at the plant.
Other benefits include reducing the amount of energy used to boil water and reducing the amount of salt and chemicals used each year.
In its first two years, the program funded 37 projects with a total of $12.7 million.
To learn more about this program, visit SRBC's Consumptive Use Mitigation Project Grant Program webpage.
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.
Related Articles - Watersheds:
-- Chesapeake Bay Model Estimates Decline In Nutrient, Sediment Pollution; PA, 4 Other Jurisdictions Did Not Meet 2023 Reduction Targets For Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Sediment [PaEN]
-- Chesapeake Bay Foundation: Federal Farm Bills Released By US House, Senate Could Benefit Chesapeake Bay Watershed [PaEN]
-- DEP Launches Pilot Program In 10 Counties To Speed Up Processing Chapter 102 Erosion & Sedimentation Permits Starting May 1 [PaEN]
-- Pennsylvania Celebrates Conservation District Week April 28 to May 4 [PaEN]
-- Stroud Water Research Center Celebrates Outdoor Classroom Day - Helping Young Minds Discover The Natural World As Scientists Do [PaEN]
-- PA American Water Charitable Foundation Awards $267,000 In Water And Environment Grants To 15 Nonprofit Groups [PaEN]
-- Coalition For Delaware River Watershed Receives American Water Foundation Grant To Educate Utility Customers On Where Their Water Comes From [PaEN]
-- EPA Announces Over $152 Million For PA Lead Drinking Water Pipe Replacement
-- Post-Gazette: PA To Get $152 Million More In Federal Funding To Remove Lead Service Water Lines
-- Gov. Shapiro Announces SBA Low-interest Loans Available For April 2024 Flood Survivors In Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Washington, Westmoreland Counties [PaEN]
-- Delaware River Basin Commission, PEMA, Other Partners Make Available Flood Loss Reduction Assistance Resources For Local Officials [PaEN]
-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Awards $8 Million To Support 27 Consumptive Water Use Mitigation Projects [PaEN]
-- Asbury Woods Environmental Center Hosts Trout In The Classroom Release May 11 In Erie [PaEN]
NewsClips - Watersheds:
-- Hatch: The Life Of Conservationist Bill Kodrich - Environmental Stewardship And A Good Piece Of Pie [Iron Furnace TU Chapter In Clarion]
-- The Bradford Era: McKean County Conservation District Works To Improve Water Quality
-- Lancaster Farming: Conservation Partnership Restores Clean Water To Turtle Creek
-- LancasterOnline: Elizabethtown H.S. Envirothon Team Get Hands-On Science Lessons In Canoes
-- Pike Conservation District: Pike County Ponds!
-- Post-Gazette: PA Cong. Thompson Proposes Bill To Fund Farm Conservation, Nutrition Programs
-- The Center Square: Great Lakes Restoration Act Reported From US Senate Committee
-- PA American Water Launches Interactive Online Map To Identify, Replace Lead Service Lines
-- WHYY: Tyson Foods Chicken Plant In Lancaster County Pollutes Waterways With Nitrogen, Phosphorus
-- Chesapeake Bay Journal: Environmental Groups Send EPA Notice Of Potential Lawsuit On Wastewater Plant Discharge Violations, Including In Bay Watershed
-- Pittsburgh Business Times: DEP Pilot Seeks To Quicken Pace Of Stormwater Discharge Permit Process
-- Delaware RiverKeeper May 3 RiverWatch Video Report
-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: Flooded Basements Are More Dangerous Than They Seem - By Pitt Professors, Black Environmental Collective
[Posted: May 1, 2024] PA Environment Digest
