$162,508 grant
State Rep. Keith McCall said the Carbon County Conservation District will receive a $162,508 grant to help pay for the stabilization of the Nesquehoning Creek.
The grant is from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's Environmental Stewardship and Watershed Protection grant program, better known as Growing Greener."Storms in recent years have resulted in tons of sediment building up where First Hollow Run and the Nesquehoning Creek come together, and right now homes and businesses are at severe risk of flooding in the event of another storm, to say nothing of the possible public safety and health issues that could arise if water remains in the area," McCall said. "The Carbon County Conservation District has done tremendous work to solve the problem, and this funding will help give them the tools they need to shore up the stream bank and prevent a worse-case scenario of a future storm causing a collapse. I was proud to advocate for this funding in Harrisburg.""Stabilizing the banks of the Nesquehoning Creek is about a lot more than just the creek itself, or even what it means going downstream to the Lehigh River," Carbon County Conservation District manager Jim Clauser said. "We're protecting private property and guaranteeing the safety of drinking water for a lot of people who live near the creek, and this grant is going to be a huge help as we get the project started. I want to thank Rep. McCall for his ongoing support for this project and everything we do to protect the environment in Carbon County."The grant is one of 64 totaling more than $12.6 million aimed at cleaning up rivers, streams and watersheds statewide.To find out more about DEP's grant programs, visit the department online at
www.depweb.state.pa.us. To find out more about the Carbon County Conservation District visit it online at