Loudoun County Granted $200,000 in U.S. Funding for Chesapeake Bay Restoration

Federal officials awarded the Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) $200,000 in a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant Tuesday to help home owner associations pay for several stormwater improvement projects in Loudoun County.

The Federal Government announced $9.8 million in grants to 45 organizations across Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland to better manage stormwater. Runoff flowing into the Bay from farms and urban communities has depleted the bay’s oxygen levels, harming marine life where little life already exists in the bay’s “dead zone.”

EPA regional administrator Shawn M. Garvin said the projects “will return lasting benefits to communities throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed, helping them become healthier, stronger and more resilient, especially to the impacts of a changing climate.”

Loudoun County is partnering on the projects with the PEC, the Town of Lovettsville, Virginia Cooperative Extension-Master Gardeners, and the New Town Meadows, Sugarland Run and Broadlands Home Owners Associations. Projects funded by the grant include stormwater infrastructure improvements, tree plantings and nutrient management planning, according to Loudoun County officials.

The grant will also assist Loudoun County in meeting its Phase II Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP) pollution reduction goals. More information on Phase II WIP is online at www.loudoun.gov/wip.

The county encourages other groups interested in protecting and improving water quality to contact Alan Brewer, Strategic Policy and Programs Administrator, at (571) 258-3444 or alan.brewer@loudoun.gov.

Image: USDA