Watershed project is awarded $200,932

The third phase of a project that has helped western Warren County landowners with erosion problems has received a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

DEP announced last week that the Brokenstraw Creek Watershed Protection Project Phase III had been awarded $200,932 in Growing Greener Plus funding.

The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy is the lead agency in the project and the grantee.

The Brokenstraw project has included several erosion-control projects as well as workshops intended to help landowners minimize erosion on their property.

It was one of 20 projects in the northwest region that split up $3.7 million in Growing Greener Plus.

"Growing Greener awardees help keep Pennsylvania clean," DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell said. "It is imperative that communities in Pennsylvania receive the necessary funding to reduce pollutants in area waterways."

"Growing Greener has helped to slash the backlog of farmland-preservation projects statewide, protect open space, eliminate the maintenance backlog in state parks, clean up abandoned mines and restore watersheds, provide funds for recreational trails and local parks, help communities address land use, and provide new and upgraded water and sewer systems," according to DEP.