Sanchez and Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership secure $175K grant
Rep. Ben Sanchez January 9, 2023 | 4:34 PM
ABINGTON, Jan. 9 – State Rep. Ben Sanchez, D-Montgomery, today announced that the local conservation group Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership has been awarded $175,000 in state funding.
This award will benefit the ongoing and comprehensive Alverthorpe Park stream restoration project, in cooperation with Abington Township.
The grant comes from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and will go toward installing stormwater management measures. This grant will help by intercepting an existing stormwater pipe which directly discharges 21 acres of uncontrolled stormwater runoff to Alverthorpe Lake. The funding will be used to retrofit a parking lot, installing and directing stormwater runoff into a subsurface infiltration basin. The project will manage and clean runoff before slowly releasing it to the lake, reducing runoff volume and velocity and resulting in cooler water temperatures.
“Managing stormwater runoff has been a long-time endeavor at Alverthorpe Park, and it’s largely made possible thanks to grants like this,” Sanchez said. “Updating stormwater management means that the park will have a long-reaching impact, as it also protects the park’s sports fields, nearby roadways and local biodiversity. I’m happy to help bring this funding home to keep the Alverthorpe Park project moving and benefit Abington residents.”
"This support is critical to our efforts to address runoff pollution that impacts the health of our creeks, green spaces, and communities. We can't get this work done without the partnership of our watershed residents and municipalities, state and private partners, and local elected leaders like Representative Sanchez," said Julie Slavet, TTF executive director.
TTF is a local non-profit dedicated to improving impaired waterways through hands-on education, stewardship, restoration and advocacy.
For more information, contact Sanchez’s office at (215) 517-6800.