Legislators Urged to Restore Funding for Conservation Districts.
HARRISBURG – Those who control water pollution in local streams, rivers and lakes are facing funding cuts under the House of Representative’s budget.
The Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts Inc. (PACD) is urging the general assembly to restore $1.1 million in funding to the county conservation districts.
The staff members at local county conservation districts’ offices work directly with community members to prevent pollution and ensure enough clean water for future generations.
“They know the local area and what causes the biggest pollution problems,” states a PACD press release.
“Their goal is to address these problems by working together with community members to make sure drinking water is safe, streams are clean and nature is protected.” However, the House proposed budget for fiscal year 2017-18 significantly cuts conservation district funding from current levels.
The cuts are as follows: House Department of Agriculture Budget Transfer to the Conservation District Fund: $739,000 ($130,000 less than current fiscal year) Transfer to the Nutrient Management Fund: $2,307,000 ($407,000 less than current fiscal year) House Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Budget Transfer to the Conservation District Fund: $2,130,000 ($376,000 less than current fiscal year) Chesapeake Bay Agricultural Source Abatement: $2,423,000 ($222,000 less than current fiscal year) This fund is used to match federal dollars, mostly for DEP staffing.
PACD asks the General Assembly to restore this “pass through funding” to the conservation district line items through the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to the levels in the current 2016-17 budget.
The Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts Inc. (PACD) is a non-profit organization whose guiding values include: Sustainable Resource Conservation; Integrity, Local; Education and Outreach; and Partnerships.
For more information about PACD, visit www.pacd.org.

The importance of investing in water delivery systems.
The need to invest in water delivery systems over the years has only increased and is a more pressing issue.
The problem is not just aging pipes.
The sources of the drinking water are also becoming out-of-date, which include depleted aquifers and inadequate storage.
As water systems age and little investment is made into water delivery systems, the country is paying a costly price.
One important program to help states update their water infrastructure is the Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Fund (DWSRF), which serves as a federal-state financial assistance program in which states receive federal grants and contribute an additional 20 percent in matching funds.
The DWSRF acts as an infrastructure bank to provide low interest loans for drinking water infrastructure projects.
Through 2016, state revolving loan funds have provided more than $30 billion for water infrastructure projects.
President Trump recognizes the importance of this program for infrastructure projects, and his budget proposal calls for increasing federal funds for this program.
More funding for this program will greatly benefit states like Missouri to help update its water delivery systems.

NRCS Alabama Announces Drought Funding.
WASHINGTON, June 27, 2017 – USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) State Conservationist for Alabama Ben Malone announced that the agency is providing funding to assist landowners impacted by last year’s extreme drought.
Agricultural producers statewide suffered losses from months with low rainfall.
Funding will be provided through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and will address fencing, water troughs, pasture, hay land re-establishment, wells, and prescribed grazing.
Measures such as planting drought affected cool season grasses such as fescue and installing water tanks and fencing will make lands more sustainable.
“Landowners across the state have weathered the drought for months and these funds will assist them in replenishing losses and doing what they can to help their grazing lands recover,” said State Conservationist Ben Malone.
During the worst of the drought, USDA reported more than $30 million in disaster funds were distributed nationally for livestock feed programs and non-insured disaster support.
In addition, because livestock feed was in short supply, cattle sales were 19% ahead of 2015.
This impacted the value of livestock that was sold.
Alabama landowners who are interested in applying for drought funding should contact their local USDA service center to learn more.

Funding for clean water.
In spite of considerable progress in recent years, many people still lack access to essential services including safe water supply and sanitation.
To improve matters, governments need funding.
Women across Asia, Africa and Latin America share their fate.
Many countries, however, lack funding for improving their water infrastructure.
Typically, WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) programmes are co-funded by various partners, including national governments, service providers, non-governmental organisations, international donor institutions and private households.
It includes data from 75 countries and 25 international agencies.
In some countries (Pakistan and Peru for example), the national budget contributes the largest share to WASH expenditure.
In 2015, 319 million people in sub-Saharan Africa lacked access to improved drinking-water sources.
In spite of this, “aid commitments to the region have declined”, the GLAAS report points out.

Waterwise: Additional funding needed for drought relief.
Laurel Firestone, co-executive director of Community Water Center, and Tom Collishaw, Self-Help Enterprise CEO, said Central Valley residents are in need of clean water.
According to the State Water Resource Control Board, there are California communities not able to finance long-overdue drinking water solutions.
In some communities, according to the resource board, water has high levels of arsenic for more than 10 years.
“California has been a leader in drinking water, but we have to commit sustained funding if we want to solve the crisis this year,” Firestone said.
Collishaw said the need for clean water must be addressed.
Arsenic, nitrate and disinfectant byproducts are the most common contaminants.
The CWC said 300 communities and one million California residents are still lacking access to clean water.
Earlier this year, state administrators recognized there are communities in need of finding a water solution.
“The Administration is committed to working with the Legislature and stakeholders to address this issue,” according to Brown’s budget.

Omnibus spending bill funds clean water sector.
NACWA finds that several of the investment priorities of its membership — which includes public clean water utilities throughout the U.S., representing millions of consumers — are supported through maintained funding levels (from the previous year’s budget), and on some priorities, investment has even increased.
"Considering the significant FY18 cuts which had been proposed for EPA by the Trump Administration and supported by some in Congress, the near-level support for EPA through the second half of FY17 is a positive sign for clean water funding as legislators and water stakeholders move toward FY18 negotiations" says Adam Krantz, CEO of NACWA.
"We need to build on this agreement as a model for the FY18 budget to ensure that critical municipal clean water priorities are funded for next year as well."
Specifically, the Omnibus bill provides: $1.394 B for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (equal to FY16) $171 M for nonpoint source control grants (increase of $6 M) $231 M for state clean water grants (equal).
$34.4 M for Title XVI Water Reclamation & Reuse Program (significant increase) The Omnibus also funds EPA geographic programs at or above FY16 levels: $300 M for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (equal to FY16) $73 M for the Chesapeake Bay Program (equal) $8 M for Long Island Sound Programs (nearly doubled) $8 M for Gulf of Mexico Programs (nearly doubled) Other Issues The Omnibus bill also strongly supports integrated planning efforts and urges EPA to work with communities to develop integrated plans.
Additionally, it includes a directive to EPA related to the Great Lakes CSO notification requirement that originally arose in the FY16 bill.
The Omnibus includes language reminding EPA that the CSO notification language was to be specifically limited to the Great Lakes for purposes of public notice requirements, and did not require immediate notice.
The bill recommends EPA give utilities flexibility, to ensure that ratepayers are not severely impacted by the cost of implementing the CSO public notice requirement.

State providing funds for coastal projects.
SALEM, Mass.
(WWLP) – The state is awarding $2.6-million through two grant programs for coastal projects that promote climate change resilience or improve coastal water quality.
Municipalities and eligible non-profit organizations can apply for grants awarded through the Coastal Resiliency Grant Program and Coastal Pollutant Remediation Grant Program, both administered by the Office of Coastal Zone Management.
The Coastal Resilience Grant Program provides funding to 78 coastal communities to help reduce risks associated with coastal storms, flooding, erosion and sea level rise.
Coastal Pollutant Remediation (CPR) Grant Program allocates money to municipalities within the Massachusetts Coastal Watersheds, which includes 220 cities and towns in eastern Massachusetts.
Learn more about the Coastal Resilience Grant Program.
Learn more about the Coastal Pollutant Remediation Grant Program.
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