Susquehanna River Basin Commission Awards $6.1 Million To Support 17 Drought Resiliency Projects; 400+ Million Gallons Of Water Savings Expected Annually

On April 30, the Susquehanna River Basin Commission announced the award of more than $6.1 million to 17 projects that will improve water availability and quality during critical low flow periods. 

This marks the fourth year of competitive funding to progressive drought resiliency projects through the Consumptive Use Mitigation Grant Program.

“These grants create robust partnerships between the Commission and awardees through the common goal of a strengthened river basin,” said Andrew Dehoff, SRBC Executive Director. “With each project, together we improve our basin’s ability to weather periods of drought through uncertain future climate patterns.”

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.

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 by regulated projects as mitigation for their consumptive water use.

Together these projects are estimated to deliver more than 400 million gallons of water savings a year. 

Awardees include municipalities, golf courses, industry and non-profits. Innovative project types range from state-of-the-art leak detection technology to irrigation system upgrades that incorporate soil moisture readings, and the permanent conservation of wetlands that increase groundwater recharge to stormwater diversions that protect water quality.

More than half of the awarded projects are in a SRBC consumptive use priority area, which are watersheds targeted for the development of additional water conservation, mitigation or reuse measures due to significant water use and/or limited water availability. 

These are the Pennsylvania grant awardees--

Municipal Authority of the Borough of Mansfield - $443,835

Elmhurst Country Club - $269,775

U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities - $298,900

ClearWater Conservancy - $188,500

Keystone Potato Products LLC - $404,572

Lewistown Country Club - $500,000

City of Lebanon Authority - $629,520

Rich Valley Golf Inc. - $184,000

Cocalico Creek Watershed Association - $459,050

Ephrata Area Joint Authority - $226,834

Manheim Township - $500,000

City of Lancaster - $366,200

Meadia Heights Golf Club - $438,750

Chester Water Authority - $46,500

Click Here to read more about each project on our website, including past year awardees that have already successfully implemented watershed resilience throughout the basin.

Visit SRBC’s Consumptive use Mitigation Grant Program webpage for more on this program.

Click Here for the SRBC announcement.

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.

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-- Susquehanna River Basin Commission Awards $6.1 Million To Support 17 Drought Resiliency Projects; 400+ Million Gallons Of Water Savings Expected Annually  [PaEN]

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[Posted: April 30, 2025]  PA Environment Digest