Kelly Anderson of PWD's Source Water Protection Program addresses a group at the 2016 event annoucing last year's grant winners.
The 2017 Schuylkill River Restoration Fund Grant Round is now open! Letters of Intent must be submitted to the Schuylkill River Heritage Area by February 16.
The Schuylkill River Restoration Fund provides grants to government agencies and non-profit organizations for projects that improve the quality of water in the watershed—a watershed that provides millions of people with their daily drinking water and acts as a major economic generator.
The Philadelphia Water Department contributes to the fund, and our Source Water Protection Program helps to identify projects that improve the health of the watershed.
The grants focus on three major sources of pollution:
- Abandoned mine drainage (AMD) resulting from coal mines that once thrived in Schuylkill County, home to the river's headwaters
- Agricultural runoff, which can contain fertilizers, sediment and other pollutants from the many farms dotting the watershed
- Stormwater runoff, most often associated with developed areas, where asphalt, concrete and roofs prevent rain from soaking into the ground and instead send polluted water into rivers and streams during and after storms
As a contributor to the fund, PWD has invested in dozens of projects that are having a real impact on the health of the river.
In September 2016, Schuylkill River Restoration Fund grant awards totaling $278,832 were given to eight projects that will improve water quality in the river and its tributaries.
Since being established in 2006, the fund has distributed over $2.7 million and leveraged another $4.7 million for 82 projects that protect and restore the Schuylkill River.
Find out how to apply now.
To read about some of the projects funded through the grant, check out our Watersheds Blog post from the 2016 grant announcement event, which followed a tour of sites where partners are implementing improvements designed to address a number of water quality issues.