On December 1, the Department of Environmental Protection announced it has awarded $19.3 million in 2024 Countywide Action Plan (CAP) Implementation Grants to county teams across Pennsylvania’s share of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

These grants support their efforts in reducing nutrient and sediment pollution to restore the health of local streams, rivers, and lakes.

“These grants have proven to be effective in boosting projects restoring Pennsylvania streams, rivers and lakes,” said DEP Interim Acting Secretary Jessica Shirley.  “Since 2021, we’ve seen teams implement everything from streambank tree plantings to livestock crossing installations. I’m excited to see the ingenuity and progress made by this year’s grant recipients. Their work benefits not only their communities, but our Commonwealth and beyond.”

Nutrient pollution and eroded sediment can enter streams, rivers and lakes from wastewater treatment and other activities on land, such as using too much fertilizer, plowing and tilling farm fields, stripping away trees and vegetation, and expanding concrete and paved surfaces.

Nutrient pollution like nitrogen and phosphorus can cause algal blooms that block sunlight from reaching the underwater grasses that provide critical food and habitat for aquatic life.

In addition to also blocking sunlight by making the water cloudy, sediment pollution like soil runoff smothers creatures that live at the bottom of rivers, streams, and the Chesapeake Bay – like oysters, clams, mussels, worms, and insects.

Like the other jurisdictions in the watershed, Pennsylvania is mandated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to lower its nutrient and sediment pollution levels by 2025.

Pennsylvania is required to reduce nitrogen by 34.13 million pounds and phosphorus by 750,000 pounds.

The 2024 CAP Implementation Grant round brought in applications for 226 projects that will be completed in the next 12 to 18 months, resulting in an estimated reduction of over 170,000 pounds/year of nitrogen, 122,000 pounds/year of phosphorus, and 36.3 million pounds/year of sediment.

Grants Awarded

The following counties were awarded grants--

Adams County Conservation District: $ 511,926

Bedford County Conservation District: $ 121,239

Berks County Conservation District: $ 184,855

Blair County Conservation District: $ 200,000

Bradford County Conservation District: $ 221,000

Cambria County Conservation District: $ 200,000

Centre County Government: $ 471,306

Chester County Conservation District: $ 1,447,858

Clearfield County Conservation District: $ 200,000

Clinton County Commissioners: $ 201,043

Cumberland County Commissioners: $ 769,841

Franklin County Conservation District: $ 1,810,865

Fulton County Conservation District: $ 212,415

Huntingdon County Conservation District: $ 298,720

Lackawanna County Conservation District: $ 214,349

Lancaster County Conservation District: $ 4,020,072

Lebanon County Conservation District: $ 146,099.75

Luzerne Conservation District: $ 200,000

Lycoming County Commissioners: $ 105,466.72

Montour County Conservation District: $ 687,157 for Montour, Columbia, and Sullivan counties

Northumberland County Conservation District: $ 477,280

Potter County Conservation District: $ 200,000

Schuylkill Conservation District: $ 277,657

Snyder County Conservation District: $ 745,180 for Snyder and Union counties

Susquehanna County: $ 187,500

Tioga County Conservation District: $ 302,624

Tri-County Regional Planning Commission: $ 1,397,663 for Dauphin, Perry, Juniata, and Mifflin counties

York County Planning Commission: $ 1,810,989

Visit DEP’s Chesapeake Bay Watershed webpage to learn more about cleaning up rivers and streams in Pennsylvania's portion of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.  Click Here to sign up  for regular updates on Pennsylvania’s progress.

How Clean Is Your Stream?

The draft 2024 report has an interactive report viewer that allows you to zoom in to your own address to see if the streams near you are impaired and why.

Click Here to check out your streams.  Click Here for a tutorial on using the viewer.

For more information on environmental programs in Pennsylvania, visit DEP’s website, Report Emergencies, Submit Environmental Complaints; Click Here to sign up for DEP’s newsletter; sign up for DEP’s eNotice; visit DEP’s Blog,  Like DEP on Facebook, Follow DEP on Twitter and visit DEP’s YouTube Channel.

NewsClips:

-- Chesapeake Bay Program: Chesapeake Bay Sees Its Smallest Dead Zone In 39 Years

-- Chesapeake Bay Foundation: Smaller Dead Zone Is Promising Sign, Major Challenges Lie Ahead

-- LebTown.com: Quittie Stream Restoration At 22nd Street Is Complete, But Won’t Look Ugly For Long

-- WESA: Pitt Study Identifies Pollutants In Streams Feeding Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers; Acid Mine Drainage, Sewage Overflows, Toxic Metals Adversely Impact Water Quality

-- Brodhead Watershed Assn.: Clean Water Is Up To You - Driveway Car Washing Sends Oil, Gas, Heavy Metals Into Our Rivers & Streams

-- Delaware RiverKeeper Dec. 1 RiverWatch Video Report

Related Articles:

-- DEP: Clinton & York Counties In Drought Warning, Westmoreland Added To Drought Watch, 13 Counties Remain In Drought Watch  [PaEN]

-- DEP Awards $19.3 Million In 2024 County Clean Water Action Plan Chesapeake Bay Implementation Grants  [PaEN]

-- New Report Shows Positive Impact Of Soil Health Management Systems In Delaware River Watershed  [PaEN]

-- Warren, Erie, Crawford Counties Master Watershed Stewards Offering Info Sessions On Becoming Master Stewards; Spring Training Begins In March  [PaEN]

-- EPA Region 3 Awards Nearly $387 Million For Clean Water, Drinking Water Infrastructure Upgrades In Pennsylvania  [PaEN]

[Posted: December 1, 2023]

12/4/2023