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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Neal Goodman |
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Goodman, Seip announce $604,000 in grants to clean up polluted waters
POTTSVILLE, March 7 – State Reps. Neal Goodman, D-Schuylkill, and Tim Seip, D-Schuylkill/Berks, said Schuylkill and Berks counties were awarded a total of $604,000 in state funding for the restoration of two local sites damaged by mining, farming and flooding.
Goodman and Seip said state funding was approved for the following projects:
- The Schuylkill County Conservation
District will receive $433,000 to evaluate surface and ground water
interactions and possible consequences of acid mine discharge remediation,
stream restoration and mine pool utilization.
- The Berks County Conservation Association will receive $171,000 to install storm water management techniques on the county agricultural campus to improve water quality and for educational purposes.
"These grants will continue the restoration and protection of areas within Schuylkill County that bring outdoor enthusiasts a great deal of enjoyment,” Goodman said. “Though our history is firmly rooted in anthracite coal, it's important that we continue to restore areas that have been damaged by years of mining for future generations to come."
Seip added, “Years of mining, farming and flooding have diminished the beauty of some of our natural resources. Worse yet, natural and man-made mechanisms designed to protect people from pollution have not always weathered well. No one wants to see our groundwater, streams and rivers contaminated, nor our stream banks eroded, so I think this is an investment everyone can support.”
The grants were awarded in part through the Growing Greener initiative as part of a $22 million investment in more than 120 projects to help restore the state’s polluted streams, provide clean water and help prevent devastating floods in communities across Pennsylvania.
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