HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) awarded over $4.1 million to 13 projects statewide that will help communities restore impaired local watersheds.

Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts received $362,565 to support nonpoint source pollution education by county conservation district offices. This includes training for watershed specialists across the state and educational outreach to citizens on actions they can take to reduce pollution, as well as a small grants program that funds projects to reduce nonpoint source pollution prevention from various sources, including agriculture and stormwater

“Healthy watersheds are like the circulatory system of our environment, providing drinking water, sustaining fish and other aquatic life, supporting habitats, and enabling the recreation opportunities that add to our quality of life and help sustain our economy in Pennsylvania,” said DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell. “Yet around the state, streams and rivers are degraded by increasing nonpoint source pollution. The Section 319 Grants program supports public and private partners working with the goal of reducing this pollution across their local watersheds.”