Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds Awards $135,000 In Grants

The Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds announced the awarding of nearly $135,000 for 10 grants to help restore 19.5 miles of Abandoned Mine Drainage impacted streams, assist in underground mine pool monitoring and safeguard private water supplies from sewage impacts.

 

The next round of grant applications are due August 7.

 

The projects funded include:

Alliance for the Chesapeake—Cedar Run Project: This project aims to work within the Yellow Breeches Creek watershed to identify locations for riparian plantings and stabilization projects. The project will produce a plan for managing watershed concerns and outline ‘next-steps.’ $15,000 grant.

Blair County Conservation District—Bear Loop Run: The Blair District has been an integral partner in assisting the Altoona Water Authority with restoring mine-impact watersheds that serve their municipal reservoirs. This project provides support for pre-Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act restoration of a disappearing stream. The stream currently runs through spoil material before disappearing into an underground mine complex. This project will convey the stream, via a new channel, to a natural wetland where the flow will augment Bear Loop Run, and assist with increasing volume during low-flow events. The project is also intended to reduce AMD seeps caused by the disappearing stream, and subsequent underground complex. $10,000 grant.

Clinton County Conservation District—Tangascootack #1: Project funds were awarded to address system inadequacies that resulted in net acidic water quality of 250 mg/L. Post system rehab water quality is expected to be 50 mg/L of alkalinity. Additionally, the grant will allow for a ten-fold increase in current treatment. $12,500 grant.

Western Pennsylvania Conservancy—Morgan Run: Western Pennsylvania Conservancy will serve as the project sponsor for Chestnut Ridge Trout Unlimited Morgan Run project. This project will relocate high pH ground water flowing into a vertical flow pond and route it directly into a polishing pond. The high pH water will assist residual iron precipitation in the polishing pond. The current system configuration is causing rapid iron precipitation—significantly reducing the treatment system’s lifespan. $15,000 grant.

Earth Conservancy—Espy Run: Project dollars were provided to assist the group in enhancing their current treatment system to include: longer storage time, channeling/realigning 6,000 linear feet of disappearing stream lost to a deep mine complex, adding aeration to treatment, and evaluating current site contouring. $10,000 grant.

Emigh Run Lakeside Watershed Association—Hubler #1: Project dollars were awarded to provide additional treatment for the Hubler #1 site. The project addresses TMDL criteria for Alder Run, and complements efforts underway at the Hubler #2 and #3 sites. $9,400 grant.

Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation—Mine Mapping: EPCAMR is working collaboratively with Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement and other partners to digitize underground mine maps, and evaluate: water reserves, potential coal reserves, mine complex boundaries, and potential points for mine water access/withdraw. The project additionally, uses geospatial relationships to determine if hardcopy mine maps adequately depict underground conditions. EPCAMR feels the project could safeguard miners, and provide an economic development tool for companies interested in large, industrial water supplies. $15,000 grant.

Natural Biodiversity—Riparian Restoration: This project is intended to foster early response treatment for invasive plants within Juniata River ‘priority headwater streams.' $18,000 grant.

Scott Conservancy—Woodville/John Hamm AMD project: Project funds were allocated for the treatment of a 180 gallon per minute discharge that has 70 mg/L of iron. The project was outlined in the Chartiers Creek Restoration Plan, and is being funded almost entirely with non-agency dollars. The project is designed with Resource Recovery in mind, and will collect 90,000 lbs of iron annually. $20,000 grant.

Westmoreland County Conservation District—On-lot Septic Response: Second only to AMD, Westmoreland County is working to assist home owners in dealing with the county’s on-lot sewage problem. This project aims to develop a comprehensive program that will address this primary concern for private water contamination. The project will provide homeowners with assistance on proper septic, well, and pond/wetland designs that will minimize contamination and provide source water protection. $10,000 grant.

 

For more information on the grant program, visit the Foundation for PA Watersheds website.