BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Almost $500,000 in state grant funding was awarded to four Lehigh Valley stormwater projects, officials announced Friday.
The money came through the Growing Greener and Act 167 grant programs, both through the state Department of Environmental Protection, state Sen. Lisa Boscola, D-Lehigh/Northampton, said in a news release.
The four projects received a total of $474,802 in grants, officials said.
Grants included: $175,000 to the Wildlands Conservancy for dam removal and stream restoration on Bushkill Creek in Northampton County; $120,000 to the Bushkill Stream Conservancy for creek restoration at Binney and Smith Preserve; $149,802 to Partnership for the Delaware Estuary for expansion of the Delaware River Innovation Partnership for water quality improvements in the Delaware River; and $30,000 to the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission for a regional watershed assessment.
Officials in July removed one dam from the Bushkill Creek in Easton, aiming to improve water quality and recreation, fully opening the Bushkill to the Delaware River "for the first time in 100 years."
The Growing Greener Program invests in projects that restore waterways damaged by nonpoint source pollution, or contamination that does not originate from a single source. Under Act 167, counties are required to prepare and adopt a watershed stormwater management plan, reviewed every five years.
The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission prepares the plan for both Lehigh and Northampton counties.
"The Growing Greener Program has a long history of making a positive impact on our commonwealth’s environment and natural resources and this state investment to further protect the Delaware River and Bushkill Creek is another prime example. Funding through the Act 167 program will allow the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission to make necessary updates to the Lehigh Valley Watershed Assessment to further protect waterways throughout our region."State Sen. Lisa Boscola, D-Lehigh/Northampton
“The Growing Greener Program has a long history of making a positive impact on our commonwealth’s environment and natural resources and this state investment to further protect the Delaware River and Bushkill Creek is another prime example,” Boscola said. “Funding through the Act 167 program will allow the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission to make necessary updates to the Lehigh Valley Watershed Assessment to further protect waterways throughout our region.”
For more information on Growing Greener grants, go to the DEP website.
