The Berks County Conservation District has received a $200,000 state grant as part of an effort to clean up rivers and streams in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has awarded a total of $17.7 million to reduce pollution and restore local streams, rivers and lakes in the watershed.
“Pennsylvania’s clean water successes are rooted in collaboration,” said DEP Secretary Jessica Shirley. “The work will continue to evolve, and our focus will remain on setting our collaborative partnerships up for success well beyond 2025. The momentum is real, and you can see it in our improved water quality.”
Nutrient pollution and eroded sediment can enter streams, rivers and lakes from stormwater runoff and other activities on land, such as using too much fertilizer, plowing and tilling farm fields, stripping away trees and vegetation, and expanding concrete and paved surfaces, officials said.
They said countywide teams have implemented a range of projects and initiatives in the watershed since 2021, including stream restorations, streambank tree plantings, rain gardens and livestock crossing installations.
All 34 counties that are in Pennsylvania’s share of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed have developed a plan to reduce pollution in its waterways, and are currently engaged in implementing those plans.