The Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC) and Aqua Pennsylvania announced a new grant program to improve the health of waterways that supply drinking water in Pennsylvania. The Protect Your Drinking Water program will award grants ranging from $2,500 to $10,000 for watershed protection and education projects that address pollutants of concern to public water supplies, such as fertilizer runoff, road salts and bacteria. This year’s grants target upstream areas of the Chester, Ridley, and Crum Creek Watersheds in Delaware and Chester Counties, benefitting Aqua customers in those communities. PEC’s Water Team will administer the new grant program in partnership with Aqua, an Essential Utilities company, thanks to a generous $74,000 donation through the company’s Essential Foundation. Please visit PEC’s Submittable webpage to apply: pennsylvaniaenvironmentalcouncil.submittable.com/submit
The goal of the program is to raise awareness of and engage new partners in source water protection, which is the first barrier against contamination of public water supplies. Effective source water protection helps reduce public health risks and water treatment costs, among other benefits to communities and the environment.
Grants will fund projects such as green stormwater infrastructure, stream bank stabilization, agricultural best management practices, spill prevention planning, water quality monitoring, and educational programming. Outcomes could include on-the-ground projects, as well as the development and implementation of citizen, municipal and student educational programs.
Organizations interested in applying for funding are encouraged to visit www.pecpa.org for more information. Applications are due by April 15, 2024, at 5:00 pm EST and grantees will be announced at an awards ceremony on May 15, 2024.
If you have any questions, please contact Diana Maher at dmaher@pecpa.org.