FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024
Contact: Patrick Starr, Pennsylvania Environmental Council
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (267) 479-6101
Second Round of PEC and Aqua Pennsylvania “Protect Your Drinking Water” Grants
Philadelphia — The Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC) and Aqua Pennsylvania are pleased to announce the second round of grants aimed at improving 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. In its inaugural 2024 round, the program awarded nearly $32,000 to four organizations in the Chester/Ridley/Crum Watersheds area. The 2025 grants will not only target the Chester/Ridley/Crum watersheds, but also the Neshaminy Creek and the East Branch of Brandywine Creek, benefitting Aqua customers throughout southeast Pennsylvania. PEC’s Water Team will continue to administer this grant program in partnership with Aqua, an Essential Utilities company, thanks to a generous $60,000 donation through the company’s Essential Foundation.
“2024 grant awardees are now hard at work protecting riparian buffers, installing green infrastructure, monitoring stream health, and providing public education and outreach programming,” said PEC Senior Program Manager Paul Racette. “We look forward to seeing new source water protection programs developed and delivered in the upcoming 2025 grant round, further protecting source water, restoring stream health, and reducing public health risks and water treatment costs.”
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.
“Our goal is to raise awareness of the importance of source water protection and engage new partners in stewardship activities,” said PEC Executive VP Patrick Starr. “Across the Commonwealth, PEC collaborates with partners to protect and restore healthy watersheds. This collaboration with Aqua is a great example of that!”
PEC is also committed to empowering the public to be active, informed stewards. Educating people about where their drinking water comes from is an essential step toward improving the health and function of our local waterways.
“Presenting the grantees with checks during our first round of grants was a rewarding experience, and we are excited to be able to expand the program in our next round to engage more partners in our mission to protect and provide our customers with quality drinking water,” said Aqua Pennsylvania President Marc Lucca. “We are proud to partner with the Pennsylvania Environmental Council on this important program.”
The grant application will be open on PEC’s Grants & Awards web page starting on October 21, 2024. Organizations interested in applying for funding should visit pecpa.org/apply at that time. Applications are due by January 15, 2025, at 5:00 pm EST.
About PEC
Founded in 1970, the Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC)’s mission is to protect and restore the natural and built environments through innovation, collaboration, education, and advocacy. We work closely with government, business, nonprofit,and community stakeholders to advance our shared goals in energy and climate policy, trail development and outdoor recreation, watershed protection and restoration, reforestation, and conservation-focused economic development. PEC is active throughout Commonwealth, with regional offices in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, State College, and Dallas, PA. Learn more at www.pecpa.org.
About Aqua Pennsylvania
Aqua Pennsylvania serves approximately 1.5 million people in 32 counties throughout the Commonwealth ofPennsylvania. Visit AquaWater.com for more information or follow Aqua on Facebook at facebook.com/MyAquaWater and on X at @MyAquaWater.