Through an Advisory Board of local environmental and community advocates, the PA Department of Environmental Protection has recommended funding to benefit the quality of life of the Beaver County community. Three of the selected projects will directly address the water quality of the Ohio River, Beaver River and Raccoon Creek:
Independence Conservancy Inc. awarded $277,100 to conduct a two-year study of the overall health of Raccoon Creek in Beaver County and to identify potential projects to improve its water quality and biodiversity.
Three Rivers Waterkeeper in partnership with the Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community awarded $135,417.84 to increase waterway monitoring, expand watershed education, conduct monthly on-the-water baseline and location-focused water quality sampling, train community members to identify pollution sources, and enact a crucial expansion of Three Rivers Waterkeeper’s conservation program by establishing an early detection program.
Beaver Falls Community Development Corporation in partnership with Geneva College and the Beaver Falls Municipal Authority (BFMA) awarded $288,010.54 to install water-quality monitoring stations in Beaver River to continuously assess key water metrics and improve response time to water quality issues by improving BFMA’s access to laboratory testing.
In addition the Watersmith Guild in partnership with Outdoor Immersion is awarded $34,290 to provide underserved youth in Beaver County with meaningful outdoor experiences and empower actions that improve health, wellbeing, and the environment. The First Waves Beaver project will consist of three events per year focused on education and conservation serving 15-30 Beaver County 13 to 20-year-olds selected through a partnership with Outdoor Immersion, a Beaver County nonprofit with extensive experience engaging youth in the outdoors. Each workshop will include instruction from leaders and award-winning curriculum, providing hands-on science and conservation projects at no cost to the participants and will take place on local waterways. Participants will also learn to document their experiences to create their own documentary films.
The Environmental Mitigation Community Fund advisory board will hold a community meeting to answer questions and close out the process on Wednesday, May 29, 2024, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at Penn State Beaver’s Student Union Lodge at 100 University Drive, Monaca, PA 15061.
