• Company awards more than $100,000 to 20 community improvement projects
VOORHEES, NJ, August 2, 2007 -- American Water, the largest provider of water services in North America, announced today recipients of the company's 2007 Environmental Grant Program awards. A total of 20 projects will be supported by grants totaling more than $100,000.
The recipients are located throughout American Water's service area and include:
Dry Creek Conservancy Signage Project (Calif.) was awarded $7,505 for its project to place signs at 33 stream crossings along the Dry Creek Watershed within the city of Roseville in the hope of inspiring citizens to take a more active role in protecting creeks in wildlife habitat areas.
South Fork American River Cleanup (Calif.) will use its $5,000 in grant money to fund the collection of litter and hazardous waste from the banks, trails and waterways in the South Fork American River Watershed, along with education about the importance of watershed protection and the dangers of water pollution.
The city of Davenport's Parks and Recreation Department (Iowa) received $4,000 for a Sustainable Green Gardens Project to build a public green roof and rain garden for community education about sustainable environmental practices.
The city of Ogden Dunes' Environmental Advisory Board (Ind.) received a grant for $10,000 for restoration of the Long Lake Marsh Watershed, considered a "swale" wetland.
Shelby County Soil and Water Conservation District (Ind.) will use its $6,000 award to place monitoring devices in the Little Blue River as part of a watershed protection project to provide continuous monitoring of temperature, pH, specific conductivity and oxygen levels.
Friends of the Arboretum -- Kentucky Children's Garden (Ky.) received $10,000 to develop an erosion demonstration area and water quality wetland features within the "Land Stewardship Circle" of the Kentucky Children's Garden at the arboretum, Kentucky's official botanical garden.
Friends of Wolf Run -- Wolf Run Creek (Ky.) will use its $5,000 to work with community organizations in identifying and reducing sources of bacteria in Wolf Run Creek and coordinate community education about the group's efforts.
University of Kentucky/Central Bluegrass Watershed Summit (Ky.) received a grant of $3,225 for a facilitated watershed summit to connect successful watershed councils with individuals interested in establishing a local watershed monitoring group. The summit will also focus on the science, politics, logistics, finances and future issues of watershed management.
The Open Space Council for the St. Louis Region (Mo.) was awarded $5,000 for the Operation Wild Lands project, which assists community-based volunteer stewards in proactively managing open public spaces to improve water quality, wildlife habitat and nature-related recreation.
Berks County Conservation District (Pa.) received a $10,000 grant that will be used toward creating a Stormwater Best Management Practice (BMP) Interpretive Trail, which will showcase traditional and innovative stormwater BMPs and demonstrate successful infiltration, reduction of peak volume, quality of stormwater reduction and elimination of stormwater run-off.
Clean Up Our American Lands and Streams (COALS) Program (Pa.) was awarded $9,000 to address illegal dumping. The grant will help fund four to eight cleanups in Luzerne and Lackawanna counties this fall.
Hallstead Park/Bank Stabilization Project (Pa.) received a $2,240 grant that will be used to create a creek bank buffer of native wildflowers and plants, plus mature trees and shrubs, along the bank and onto the property of Hallstead Park, which is being restored after a June 2006 flood.
South Park Township (Pa.) was awarded $375 to help supply tools to Piney Fork Creek and Peters Creek during the township's biannual cleanups of community creek beds and banks.
Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (Pa.) will use its $10,000 grant to support the Riparian Restoration and Protection Initiative. The project will construct four miles of stream bank fencing and build four stabilized stream crossings in the Neshannock Creek and Big Run watersheds. Both projects are designed to improve drinking water by preventing livestock access to streams and bank areas.
The Tennessee Aquarium (Tenn.) was awarded an environmental grant of $10,000 to support the Auditorium Education Programs. These programs include a 185-seat facility to educate young students on the world's many ecosystems, various aspects of conservation and protection of their drinking water source. All programs are aligned to local, state and federal science standards and serve as excellent tools to enrich their curriculum.
Friends of Lower Appomattox River (Va.) was awarded $2,500 to support the development of infrastructure and walking trails along the river and a regional education center in Prince George County.
Friends of the Occoquan (Va.) received $5,000 to support its preservation and maintenance efforts alongthe Occoquan River and other Virginia watersheds.
Hopewell Foundation Inc. (Va.) was awarded $2,500 for a landscaping project that will reduce sediment and erosion at the historic Weston Manor property.
Prince William County Watershed Management Branch (Va.) received $3,000 to fund plantings for a demonstration rain garden, as well as an accompanying educational brochure to describe its functions and benefits.
The city of Alexandria (Va.) was awarded a $5,000 grant to assist with its annual Earth Day Celebration. The grant helped fund the annual event, which featured exhibitors and entertainment that focused on the importance of environmental citizenship.
Fayette County Education Fund (W.Va.) received $8,500 for a pilot program designed for 126 fifth-grade students to address the gap in citizenry knowledge of their counties' water and wastewater resources and infrastructure.
"American Water is committed to protecting and preserving the environment," said Dr. Mark LeChevallier, Director of Innovation & Environmental Stewardship. "We began the Environmental Grant Program in 2005 as a pilot and each year we received increasingly sophisticated grant applications. We are so pleased to offer this modest assistance to our community partners, while leveraging local resources and capabilities to make a positive impact on the environment. Working together, we can make a difference and we are."
American Water launched its first Environmental Grant Program in January of 2005, with a pilot project in Pennsylvania resulting in three grant awards. Due to its overwhelming success, American Water expanded the program to 20 states where the company owns water and wastewater utilities. Applicants were asked to address a source water protection need in the local community or a project that improves, restores or protects one or more watersheds.
With headquarters in Voorhees, N.J., American Water employs approximately 7,000 dedicated professionals who provide high-quality water, wastewater and other related services to about 17 million people in 29 states and Canada.
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Also see: "RWE receives all regulatory approvals for divestiture of American Water"
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