The U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service announced this week that Pennsylvania has received $600,000 in emergency funds from the USDA’s Emergency Watershed Protection Program.

The Department of Environmental Protection is also providing an additional $100,000.

These funds will provide urgent disaster assistance to Eastern Pennsylvania residents who face serious threats to life and safety, including homes that were severely damaged by stream bank erosion from recent flooding.

NRCS and other state officials have identified seven extreme emergency conditions in Luzerne, Wyoming, Wayne, Bradford, Susquehanna, and Pike counties that pose serious threats to lives and safety.

The EWP Program provides assistance to help restore natural resources from the devastating effects of severe storms and other natural disasters. NRCS, working with County Conservation Districts and other partners, will provide funding to local project sponsors for work that will include stream bank stabilization and protection measures.

Under EWP, NRCS provides 75 percent of the repair costs, while a local sponsor will pay the remaining 25 percent of the project’s cost. DEP is providing design, contracting, and construction inspection to fulfill this local portion.

Construction of these projects began this week and is expected to be completed in August.

“We are committed to do the work that needs to be done to restore watershed damages and respond to the needs of our Commonwealth,” said Craig Derickson, Pennsylvania State Conservationist with NRCS. “Because of the wide-spread damage, there is still much more work to do. NRCS has requested an additional $4.2 million to restore another 130 sites in 14 counties and is waiting for legislative funding to become available.”

For more information, contact a county NRCS Service Center near you.

7/28/2006