CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. — Over one million dollars has been pledged to 13 green infrastructure projects spanning across Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.
The Chesapeake Bay Trust, in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection announced on Friday that $1,058,720 in funding has been awarded to the projects.
The awards help communities develop and implement plans that reduce stormwater runoff; increase the amount of green spaces in urban areas; improve the health of local rivers, streams, the Chesapeake Bay and the human population within the communities.
The Borough of Chambersburg was awarded $150,00 in grants to a project designed to directly reduce stormwater runoff in the Conococheague Creek.
The project also intends to reduce associated flooding in the immediate area, address bank stabilization, and implement green infrastructure components.
Major enhancements to the area include reduction of Hood Street flooding, the instillation of sub-surface infiltration beds to manage stormwater, the planting of pollinator gardens, and the removal of invasive species and planting native riparian buffers.
"We congratulate all grantees for putting forth projects that will support clean water and strong neighborhoods," said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz.
"This program helps communities reinvigorate gray and green infrastructure projects that reduce stormwater runoff and pollution to local waters and the Chesapeake Bay, while improving their economy, quality of life and community beautification."
The green infrastructure program is designed to facilitate communities implementing traditional "gray" infrastructure projects, such as repaving roads, to add green elements at little additional cost, which then offer cost-effective savings.
The Watershed Alliance of York in York and Lancaster Counties also received a grant of $20,700.
The money will go towards a two-part workshop that will focus on the responsibilities of Homeowner Associations (HOAs) in York and Lancaster counties for their stormwater management infrastructure.
