Nine community projects located throughout the 18-county Muskingum River Watershed region will receive a total of $750,000 in funding this year from the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District’s (MWCD) “Partners in Watershed Management” grant program.
The MWCD Board of Directors recently approved the grants that assist local groups, organizations and communities in implementing water quality projects, flood reduction and mitigation programs, and watershed education efforts throughout the region.
Since the inception of the Partners in Watershed Management program in 2009, the MWCD has awarded a total of 37 grants worth more than $3 million to approved programs and projects. The goal of the Partners in Watershed Management program is to provide a portion of the overall funding needed for approved projects, permitting eligible recipients to access other grants and partnering efforts.
“Over the four years of our projects, we are very pleased on the return on the MWCD investment, which is greater than a four-to-one margin,” said Boris E. Slogar, MWCD chief engineer. “This is exactly as the program was envisioned and developed, so that MWCD funding leverages local dollars to get important projects completed.”
Individual projects approved for 2013 in the Partners in Watershed Management program, the amount funded by the MWCD and the overall project cost are as follows:
City of Massillon, Stark County – modification of levee, $350,000 as part of a $2.048 million project.
Stark Parks, Stark County – water quality educational program, $35,000 as part of a $75,000 project.
Harrison County Commissioners – regional sewer system feasibility study for the Piedmont Lake region, $8,000 as part of a $10,000 project.
Huff Run Watershed, Tuscarawas County – environmental education program, $25,000 as part of a $37,898 project.
Noble County Commissioners – sewer system design in Seneca Lake area residential area, $85,000 as part of a $210,000 project.
Friends of Lower Muskingum River, Morgan County – Muskingum River (Luke Chute) bank stabilization study, $10,000 as part of a $48,000 project.
Village of Malvern, Carroll County – Big Sandy Creek bank stabilization, $115,000 as part of a $153,618 project.
City of Canton, Stark County – Nimishillen Creek restoration, $60,000 as part of a $88,100 project.
Richland County Engineer – Pavonia East Road bridge replacement, $62,000 as part of a $704,000 project.
Projects are funded through proceeds from the assessment of property owners collected by the MWCD to provide for the safe and effective operation of the system of reservoirs and dams in the Muskingum River Watershed for flood reduction and water conservation.
Applications for Partners in Watershed Management projects are accepted by the MWCD with a deadline of Nov. 29, 2013, for projects in 2014. For details and application materials, visit the MWCD’s website at www.mwcd.org.
The MWCD, a political subdivision of the state, was organized in 1933 to develop and implement a plan to reduce flooding and conserve water for beneficial public uses in the Muskingum River Watershed, the largest wholly contained watershed in Ohio. Since their construction, the 16 reservoirs and dams in the MWCD region have been credited for saving more than $10 billion worth of potential property damage from flooding, according to the federal government, as well as providing popular recreational opportunities that bolster the region’s economy. A significant portion of the reservoirs are managed by the MWCD and the dams are managed for flood-risk management by the federal U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).
For more information about the MWCD, visit www.mwcd.org and follow the MWCD on Facebook and Twitter.
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