$378K Awarded To Improve Schuylkill River Water Quality

Nine different projects were awarded a total of $378,000 to support the health of the Schuylkill River watershed.

The grants, which include a project in Montgomery County and several projects upstream which will impact local water quality, were disbursed by the Schuylkill River Greenways National Heritage Area.

“The work that the Schuylkill River Restoration Fund and our partners are doing is exponentially important in today’s legislative and regulatory environment,” Schuylkill River Greenways Executive Director Elaine Paul Schaefer said in a statement. “It’s now more important than ever to show communities and government officials the need for public investments and policies that protect water quality as well as preserve our natural resources.”

Projects include streambank stabilization, improved riparian buffers, cattle fencing, at farms along the river, and more.

In Montgomery County, the Perkiomen Watershed Convervancy was awarded $98,000 for streambank restoration along the west branch of Skippack Creek in Lower Salford.

The awards were announced at Sunny Acre Farm, which was awarded a grant to help improve Irish Creek.

See details on the projects below.

The program was funded by Exelon ($177,253), the Philadelphia Water Department ($100,000), Aqua PA ($64,000), and MOM’s Organic Market ($2,867).

Main and body images courtesy Schuylkill River Greenways. Main photo 1 Caption: Kent Himelright, far left, of the Berks County Conservation District gives a tour of Sunny Acre Farm in Centre Township while discussing the restoration developments that have been made to the farm in the last year. The farm was a 2017 Schuylkill River Restoration Fund recipient. Earlier this month, about 35 people gathered at Sunny Acre Farm for the announcement of this year’s restoration fund grant recipients which totaled more than $378, 000.

Main Photo 2 Caption: The Irish Creek runs through Sunny Acre Farm in Centre Township. The Farm was a 2017 Schuylkill River Restoration Fund grant recipient. The restoration project includes streambank stabilization, an increased riparian buffer along the creek, and cattle fencing. Following the 2018 Restoration Fund announcement, attendees toured the farm and witnessed firsthand the developments that have been made.