Grant Program Funds Five PA Watershed Projects

Pennsylvania American Water, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Water, has announced the recipients for its 2007 Environmental Grant Program. The five grantees--Berks County Conservation District, Hallstead Borough (Susquehanna County), Pennsylvania Environmental Council - Northeast Regional Council, South Park Township (Allegheny County) and the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy--will each receive a share of grant funds totaling $31,615.The American Water Environmental Grant Program supports projects that protect or restore drinking water sources and surrounding watersheds. American Water selected grant recipients based on criteria ranging from need to community involvement to sustainability."We have been extremely pleased with the calibre of projects received in the last three years for this program," said Pennsylvania American Water president Kathy Pape. ""... we are investing in these organizations and supporting the people behind their projects, individuals and groups who are looking to the future by improving the sustainability of our water resources today."Berks County Conservation District plans to use grant dollars to create a self-guided trail demonstrating how to protect water sources and the organisms inhabiting them. The Storm Water Best Management Practices (BMPs) Interpretive Trail will show examples of BMPs intended to show methods for successful infiltration, peak volume reduction and runoff elimination.The Hallstead Park Bank Stabilization project, a plan for restoring Hallstead Park after the devastating floods of June 2006, will use funds to create an effective riparian buffer while stabilizing Salt Lick Creek's bank. The riparian buffer, meant to prevent the park from being affected by future floods, will contain native wildflowers, mature trees, shrubs and other plants.To address illegal dumping and its impact on the environment, Pennsylvania Environmental Council teamed up with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to create the Cleanup Our American Lands and Streams (COALS) program, now in its second year. Grant money will help fund as many as eight fall 2007 COALS cleanups in Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties.South Park Township intends to use its share of American Water grant dollars on this year's bi-annual area cleanup. The money will be put toward tools and the disposal of trash and tires collected along Piney Fork and Peters Creeks.The grant awarded to Western Pennsylvania Conservancy will support a riparian restoration and protection initiative aimed at reducing livestock access and agricultural runoff to streams. Funds will help conservancy staff construct four miles of streambank fencing and four stabilized stream crossings in the Neshannock Creek and Big Run watersheds. The fencing will protect drinking water sources by reducing watershed pollutants. Improved water source quality will support the survival of two endangered fish and several mussel species, as well.American Water launched its Environmental Grant Program in January 2005 in Pennsylvania. The success of the pilot program lead the company to expand the grant program to include 13 states.