PA Environment Digest

The PA Infrastructure Investment Authority this week approved the investment of $355 million in 111 green infrastructure, drinking water and wastewater projects in 47 counties.

“The grants and low interest loans provided today by the PENNVEST Board of Directors continues the Commonwealth’s commitment to strengthen our economy while also making wise investments in our water resources,” Gov. Rendell said. “These projects will put people to work to meet many environmental and public health challenges in scores of communities across the state."

Most of the funding, $248 million, is for low-interest loans; $107 million in grants represents PENNVEST’s second allocation from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The awards range from a $5,945 grant to reduce storm water runoff in a Susquehanna County community by planting 20 trees along two streets in the downtown area, to a $30.7 million loan to expand the capacity of an existing wastewater treatment plant in Lackawanna County to eliminate or reduce nitrogen and phosphorous discharges into nearby streams, in compliance with the Chesapeake Bay agreement.

The Green Infrastructure projects funded with federal stimulus funds included:

Adams County

-- Gettysburg Municipal Authority received a $20,000 grant to install 100 rain barrels at homes whose downspouts are connected to the sanitary sewer system, which gets overloaded during wet weather.

Allegheny County

-- Friends of Pittsburgh Urban Forest received a $274,393 grant to plant trees and other vegetation and increase water permeable surfaces on and around five City of Pittsburgh parking lots to reduce storm water runoff.

-- Horticultural Society of Western Pennsylvania received a $1.6 million grant to construct three irrigation ponds to collect, store and recycle 2.5 million gallons of storm water runoff that will be used to irrigate the Botanic Gardens of Western Pennsylvania’s gardens, reducing demand on the local drinking water supplier.

-- Western Pennsylvania Conservancy received a $2.4 million grant for its TreeVitalize program that will plant 6,250 new trees along major commercial corridors throughout the City of Pittsburgh and in residential communities to reduce storm water flows during wet weather that now contaminate the Monongahela, Ohio and Allegheny rivers.

Armstrong County

-- Armstrong Conservation District received a $1.7 million grant to reduce stream sedimentation caused by storm water runoff from dirt and gravel roads in the county.

Bedford County

-- Everett Hardwood Business Park received a $137,802 grant to connect downspouts to a storm water capture and storage system to eliminate basement flooding that now occurs at the business park during wet weather.

-- Six Mile Run Area Volunteer Fire Company received a $35,070 grant to capture rainwater at the fire company’s facility and store it in a cistern, for use as a water supply at the facility and for use in fire suppression in the boroughs of Coaldale and Defiance.

Bradford County

-- Standing Stone Township received $340,000 in two grants to eliminate sediment contamination of Rummerfield Creek by stabilizing and repairing two landslides and adjacent portions of Mosier Road.

Bucks County

-- Tinicum Township received a $600,000 grant to resurface roads in the township that erode during wet weather and contaminate local streams with sediment.

-- West Rockhill Township received a $51,075 grant to replace deteriorated culverts and stabilize roadside swales and a cart way to eliminate sediment contamination of the East Branch of Perkiomen Creek that occurs during wet weather.

Chester County

-- Chester County Conservation District received a $1.8 million grant to reduce storm water contamination of local streams with 34 separate activities that include constructing or improving six riparian buffers, 11 rain gardens and two storm water basins.

-- Chester County Conservation District received a $339,245 grant to reduce sediment and nutrient contamination of the Chesapeake Bay watershed by reducing storm water runoff from agricultural operations that currently contaminate three headwater tributaries to the Susquehanna River.

-- Tredyffrin Township received a $523,974 grant to construct infiltration beds, inlets and a recharge trench along various stretches of roads in the township to reduce storm water runoff and contamination of local streams during wet weather.

Clearfield County

-- Ferguson Township received a $142,380 grant to resurface three township roads that are subject to erosion during wet weather, reducing sediment contamination of local streams.

Crawford County

-- Sadsbury Township received a $98,000 grant to resurface a township road that erodes during wet weather, reducing sediment contamination of Conneaut Lake.

Cumberland County

-- Upper Mifflin Township received a $248,600 grant to resurface a number of township roads that erode during wet weather, reducing sediment contamination of Three Square Hollow Run, a tributary of the Conodoguinet Creek.

Dauphin County

-- Chesapeake Bay Foundation received a $14.9 million grant to help implement best management practices on agricultural operations throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed in Pennsylvania, thus reducing nutrient runoff into streams in the watershed and, ultimately, the Bay itself.

Delaware County

-- Villanova University received a $134,750 grant to disconnect downspouts currently draining 40,000 square feet of impervious surfaces, eliminating 85,000 cubic feet of storm water runoff that annually drains into the Darby watershed.

Erie County

-- Erie County Conservation District received a $1.6 million grant to stabilize more than 100,000 square feet of road base on seven roads in the county where sediment runoff contaminates local streams and wetlands during wet weather.

Fayette County

-- Pennsylvania Environmental Council received a $1.3 million grant to install pervious paving, rain barrels, cisterns and take other measures that will reduce storm water runoff into the sanitary sewer system in Ohiopyle Borough, which is currently overloaded during wet weather.

Lackawanna County

-- Pennsylvania Urban & Community Forestry Council received a $300,000 grant to plant 1,000 trees in 13 communities in the county in order to reduce storm water runoff during wet weather that currently contaminates local waterways.

Lehigh County

-- Lehigh County Conservation District received a $100,000 grant to construct a model storm water conservation project related to a storm water basin retrofit that will reduce stream flooding.

-- Lehigh County Environmental Center received a $40,000 grant to finance the green components of a new park office building, including a vegetative green roof to absorb rainfall as well as a 1,500 gallon storage system to harvest rainwater for reuse in the building.

Luzerne County

-- Lake Township received a $131,044 grant to grade and resurface both Wesley Road and Bear Hollow Road to reduce sediment runoff that contaminates Fades Creek and Harvey’s Creek during wet weather.

-- Luzerne Conservation District received an $185,000 grant to eliminate storm water runoff from its site by constructing a 10,000 gallon rainwater harvest system, a 230 foot storm water infiltration trench and installing 8,200 square feet of porous pavement.

Montgomery County

-- Towamencin Township received a $281,964 grant to construct a 35,910 square foot pervious parking lot with an infiltration bed and bioretention basins at Fischer’s Park to reduce the runoff of suspended solids, nitrates and phosphorous into Towamencin Creek.

-- Whitemarsh Township received a $618,485 grant to retrofit a conventional storm water basin into a constructed wetland to reduce the runoff of sediment and phosphorous into Spring Mill Creek, which is a designated impaired water body.

Philadelphia County

-- Pennsylvania CleanWays received a $174,698 grant to construct a forested riparian buffer by removing non-native and invasive vegetation from the project area and planting up to 400 trees to reduce storm water runoff into Indian Creek.

-- Pennsylvania Horticultural Society received a $1,838,500 grant to design and plant a number of different types of “Civic Landscapes” throughout the City of Philadelphia, including green installations and community gardens, all of which will control storm water runoff into streams that run through the City.

-- Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education received a $20,000 grant to construct a 4,000 gallon cistern to collect rain runoff from the Center’s building which current contaminates Smith’s Run and the Schuylkill River with silt from the Center’s roof.

Pike County

-- Shohola Township received a $494,417 grant to install new drainage pipes and structures and stabilize four landslides, all along Rosa Road, to reduce sediment contamination of the Delaware River.

Snyder County

-- Snyder County Conservation District received a $119,833 grant to construct 52 acres of riparian buffers along streams in various parts of Snyder, Union, Centre, Cambria and Clearfield counties to reduce sediment and nutrient contamination of these streams.

Sullivan County

-- Sullivan County Conservation District received an $870,642 grant to refurbish roads throughout the county that are contaminating local streams with sediment that runs off of the roads during heavy rain.

Susquehanna County

-- Montrose Restoration Committee received a $5,945 grant to reduce storm water runoff in downtown Montrose by planting 20 street trees along both Public Avenue and Maple Street.

Wyoming County

-- Factoryville Borough received an $85,600 grant to install a green parking lot at the Factoryville Borough and Clinton Township Joint Municipal Park, thereby reducing the potential contamination of the south branch of the Tunkhannock Creek, classified as an Exceptional Value stream.

York County

-- North Hopewell Township received a $749,976 grant to reduce sediment contamination of local streams by refurbishing dirt and gravel roads in various sections of the township.

-- York Township received a $460,673 grant to use innovative methods in the design and construction of Stump Park that will minimize storm water runoff by constructing two pervious parking lots, several bioretention rain gardens and site-wide tree planting.

A complete list of projects funded is available online.

The next deadline for PennVEST applications is August 18.

NewsClip: Water Grants, Loans To Get Projects Moving In Western PA

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