Jan. 31, 2022
HARRISBURG – Nearly $700,000 in Growing Greener grants have been awarded to restore creeks in York County, Reps. Seth Grove (R-Dover) and Kate Klunk (R-Hanover) announced today.
The funding, administered through the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), will be used for Oil Creek floodplain restoration and West Branch Codorus Creek stream restoration. Both creeks are located in the western portion of York County.
The Oil Creek, which runs through Penn, Heidelberg, Jackson townships and Spring Grove, funding, awarded to the York County Rail Trail Authority, is for $135,000 and the West Branch Codorus creek project, which is being overseen by the York County Conservation District, received $563,365 in funding.
“These bodies of water flow through valued farmland in our area, serving as a vital water supply for food production,” Grove and Klunk said. “We thank DEP for recognizing the importance of properly maintaining Oil Creek and the west branch of the Codorus Creek.”
The West Branch Codorus Creek project, located in Manheim and Codorus Townships, will significantly reduce sediment loading into Codorus Creek through streambank grading, creation of wetlands and installation of grade control structures. It will also improve trout habitat through the installation of habitat structures and improvement of benthic habitat.
Growing Greener grants are awarded for projects in three categories: watershed restoration and protection; abandoned mine reclamation; and abandoned oil and gas well plugging projects.
Representative Seth Grove
Representative Kate Klunk
Pennsylvania House of Representatives