County Executive Pittman, Mayor Buckley Department of Public Works Announce Environmental Grant Awards
Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman and the Department of Public Works announced a pair of significant grant awards from the State for exceeding permit requirements at County Water Reclamation Facilities and for reducing the amount of pollutants released to the Chesapeake Bay under the Bay Restoration Fund Act. The two awards total nearly $20 million.The State of Maryland awarded the County $17,680,025 in grant funding for exceeding the permit requirements for the discharge of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment at County Water Reclamation Facilities. The competitive grant, through the Clean Water Commerce Act, greatly reduces the operational cost of the County’s wastewater treatment plants. The grant will offset the operational costs at the Annapolis and Broadneck Water Reclamation Facilities through 2024 and the Cox Creek and Patuxent Water Reclamation Facilities through 2027.
EPA Announce Over $3.6 Million in Grants to Restore Maryland Portion of Chesapeake Bay Watershed
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the federal-state Chesapeake Bay Program today announced over $3.6 million in grants for projects that will protect and restore Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The 18 grants announced today will generate $4,334,707 in matching contributions for a total conservation impact of more than $8 million.
These grants, along with the other 31 awarded today, will support on-the-ground projects to improve waterways, restore habitat and strengthen iconic wildlife species. Collectively, the grants will implement water quality improvement practices on more than 45,000 acres, restore more than 45 miles of streamside forest habitat and prevent more than 6,300 tons of pollutants annually from entering the rivers and streams that feed the Chesapeake Bay.
Some of this year’s Chesapeake Stewardship Fund grant recipients in Maryland include:
- Future Harvest, Inc. ($302,750): The project will work with 12 grain farms on Maryland’s Eastern Shore to demonstrate the agronomic and environmental benefits of cover crop planning.
- Greater Grace World Outreach, Inc. ($200,785): Funding will implement components of the organization’s green infrastructure plan, including the planting of 100 community trees, two micro-retention areas and one bioretention system.
- Shorerivers, Inc. ($79,886): Engagement of three underserved communities across the Choptank watershed to prioritize community restoration projects will activate a diverse network of stewards.
The grants were awarded through the Small Watershed Grants (SWG) program, a core program under NFWF’s Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund (CBSF). CBSF is a partnership between NFWF and the EPA to provide grant funding, technical assistance and networking and information sharing in support of local, on-the-ground conservation efforts to restore the bay and its tributary rivers and streams.
