The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has awarded more than $3.1 million in watershed restoration grants statewide, including a significant investment in Berks County aimed at improving water quality in the Upper Little Swatara Creek watershed.
The Berks County Conservation District will receive $317,872 through the federal Section 319 Nonpoint Source Management Grant program to support streambank restoration and agricultural improvements in the northern part of the county.
The project includes restoration work along Crosskill Creek and the installation of best management practices on an unnamed tributary to Little Swatara Creek. The conservation district will also implement a multi-year water quality monitoring program to track long-term progress under the watershed’s implementation plan.
According to DEP, the project is expected to reduce pollutant loads by 2,215 pounds of nitrogen, 5,901 pounds of phosphorus, and 223 tons of sediment each year.
“Clean water is vital to community health and a fundamental right of every Pennsylvanian,” DEP Secretary Jessica Shirley said in announcing this year’s grant awards. “These projects are examples of good stewardship and best practices to create healthier streams and wetlands, reduce flood risk, and improve fish and wildlife habitat.”
The grant is part of a statewide effort to address nonpoint source pollution—contamination that comes from diffuse sources such as agricultural runoff, stormwater, and erosion. About 53 percent of Pennsylvania’s impaired watersheds are affected by these types of pollutants, according to DEP.
The Section 319 program is funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and focuses on carrying out Watershed Implementation Plans for priority areas across the state, including portions of the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
