HARRISBURG – State Senator Gene Yaw (R-23) today announced that Bradford, Lycoming and Susquehanna counties have been awarded funding to clean up local waters through the Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Growing Greener program.
According to DEP, Bradford County will receive $220,000 to be directed to the county’s sediment and nutrient reduction initiative. Additionally, the Sugar Creek Watershed Association, which encompasses 17 municipalities, will receive $68,000 as part of the Browns Creek stream corridor restoration project.
The Lycoming County Conservation District will receive $214,984 to implement and enhance agricultural and streambank best management practices across the county. In addition, the Susquehanna County Conservation District will receive $71,808 for countywide spring developments, $32,651 for priority watershed spring developments; $38,328 for the Meshoppen Watershed barnyards project; $170,000 for the Tunkhannock Creek Watershed barnyards project and $180,000 for the Wyalusing Watershed barnyards project.
As part of a regional initiative, $46,200 has been awarded to the Endless Mountains Resource Conservation and Development Council for Applied Agroforestry Education and $425,000 has been awarded to the Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy for focused sediment reduction in the Chesapeake Bay.
“Our local conservation districts and watershed associations are the boots on the ground when it comes to protecting the environment, regularly offering technical assistance and educational guidance to the people and communities in our region,” Yaw said. “I was pleased to hear that this funding will be directed to our region for site improvements.”
The grants awarded today by DEP are funding over 106 projects to clean up rivers, streams and watershed resources across the state.
The Growing Greener program was created in 1999 to protect and improve watersheds, reduce storm water runoff and acid mine drainage (AMD), and to support educational programs and other critical conservation related efforts.
The program is supported by the Environmental Stewardship Fund, which receives its funding from landfill tipping fees. Since it was launched in 1999, the Growing Greener program has provided more than $296 million to environmental projects statewide.
For more information on DEP or the Growing Greener Program, visit www.dep.pa.gov.
CONTACT:
Adam Pankake, Executive Director
717-787-3280