The Western Pennsylvania Watershed Protection Program this week announced grant awards for six projects totaling $66,000, according to John Dawes, Administrator of the program.

The Program also announced pplications for the next round of grants are due March 15.

The projects funded in the latest grant awards include:

Clearfield County Conservation District, $10,000: Based on the recommendations of a watershed assessment completed on Clearfield Creek in 2003, the District in cooperation with the Morgan Run Watershed Association has joined efforts to treat the MR FROG Discharge. This discharge will be treated passively and will result in a reduction of 1063 lbs/day of acidity and over 434 lbs/day of metals.

Emigh Run/Lakeside Watershed Association, $5,000: This project funding was awarded to relocate the headwaters of Emigh Run, Clearfield County. This project relocation will move the headwaters to its original location. This project will prevent the headwaters from running through nearly 0.5 miles of spoil piles and will result in better water quality in the stream’s headwaters. Checkout this Watershed Hero feature.

Wiconisco Creek Watershed Association, $20,000: This project allocation was for the integrated use of chicken manure as a soil amendment on abandoned mine reclamation projects. The funds will be used to analyze the beneficial reuse of this manure in terms of vegetative growth, nutrient runoff, and sediment reductions as a result of reclamation runoff in Schuylkill County.

Kiski-Conemaugh Stream Team, $20,000: This grant was in support of the ongoing assistance of the Stream Team for general operational support of their monitoring process that assists over 25% of WPWP grantees and provides justification for the AMD projects of their service region, including: Armstrong, Cambria, Indiana, Somerset and Westmoreland counties.

Shamokin Creek Restoration Alliance, $6,000: This first-time grantee was awarded funds for the Big Mountain Discharge. Once completed this project will mitigate the impacts of 500 lbs/day of metals and 1,400 lbs/day of acidity to Shamokin Creek.

Western PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation, $5,000: This preapproved grant was paid out as the Office of Surface Mining/VISTA position was filled. In this case the VISTA person was located in the Broad Top TWP/Six Mile Run watershed.

For more information and applications visit the Western Pennsylvania Watershed Protection Program webpage.

1/14/2005