On January 10, Gov. Tom Wolf announced the award of more than $3 million in Growing Greener grants for projects to help reduce pollution from stormwater, restore streams and address local flooding issues for communities in 7 counties.
The counties include-- Cambria, Dauphin, Lancaster, Montgomery, Schuylkill, Washington and York.
“The storms of 2018 showed the devastation that rushing floodwaters can cause for communities,” said Gov. Wolf. “In addition to rebuilding what was lost, it is also important to prepare for the future and these projects will help protect communities, and in many cases, reduce water pollution as well.”
Grants were awarded for nine projects, funded through the Growing Greener program. Many of the projects involve streambank restoration to repair and restore fish habitat and prevent future erosion.
Other projects are for floodplain restoration, which allows stormwater to spread out and slow down, so it can be absorbed into the groundwater, rather than rushing over streambanks.
“Growing Greener projects have been instrumental in cleaning up abandoned mine lands, preserving farmland, and protecting and restoring watersheds throughout the Commonwealth,” said Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Patrick McDonnell, whose department oversees the grants. “These grants are an investment into improving waterways now and protecting against future flooding for these communities.”
Approved projects include:
-- Cambria County:
-- Chest Creek Flood Control Restoration, $21,260 to stabilize 300 linear feet of streambank on Chest Creek in Patton Borough.
-- Nanty-Glo Flood Control Restoration: $19,940 to install numerous features in the South Branch of Blacklick Creek to improve flood protection and fish habitat in Nanty-Glo Borough.
-- Dauphin County:
-- Spring Creek Restoration and Best Management Practice Implementation: $120,000 to design and permit streambank and floodplain restoration at two sites along Spring Creek in Swatara Township.
-- Conewago Creek Stream Restoration: $738,752 to restore 3,000 linear feet of floodplain along Conewago Creek and tributary in Dauphin and Lancaster Counties.
-- Lancaster County: Chiques Creek Pollutant Reduction Project: $99,000 to design and permit 3,040 linear feet of floodplain restoration and establish 8 acres of riparian buffer along Chiques Creek in Manheim Borough.
-- Montgomery County: Hatboro Memorial Park Streambank Restoration: $212,101 to restore and stabilize a 900-foot section of a tributary stream in the Hatboro Memorial Park in Hatboro Borough.
-- Schuylkill County: Mill Creek Floodplain Restoration: $325,000 to restore floodplain and reduce flood impacts along Mill Creek in the Borough of Port Carbon.
-- Washington County: Washington Catfish Creek Upper Watershed Restoration Project: $145,000 to reduce sediment runoff and control stormwater, as well as stabilize 1,580 feet of Catfish Creek to prevent flooding in the city of Washington.
-- York County: Fox Run Floodplain Restoration: $1,493,742 to restore 4,062 linear feet of floodplain along Fox Run, which runs through several York County municipalities.
The Growing Greener grant program is supported by the Environmental Stewardship Fund, which receives its funding from landfill tipping fees and a transfer from the Marcellus Shale Legacy Fund.
Click Here for more information on DEP’s Growing Greener Plus Grant Program.
Resources
For more information on buffers, financial and technical assistance available, visit DCNR’s Forest Buffers and DEP’s Stormwater Management webpages.
CFA Accepting Applications
The Commonwealth Financing Authority will accept applications from February 1 to May 31 for its Act 13 Watershed Restoration Grants which includes funding control nonpoint source pollution runoff, which includes agricultural operations. Click Here for more.
New DCNR Grant Round
Learn more about grant opportunities to support riparian buffer, trail and recreation projects, visit DCNR’s Community Conservation Grant Program webpage. A new grant round is opening January 22 and will close April 10. Click Here for more.
Forest Buffer Summit
Registration is now open for the DCNR and Western PA Conservancy Pennsylvania Riparian Forest Buffer Summit on February 20-21 at the Best Western Premier Conference Center, 800 East Park Drive in Harrisburg. Click Here for more.
(Photo: Example of a streambank stabilization project designed by the Cambria County Conservation District.)
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