Several WNC environmental nonprofits and government agencies will get to see their water quality projects blossom thanks to grants awarded earlier this year from the Pigeon River Fund of The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina.
The Fund awarded $168,080 to groups working to improve surface water quality, enhance fish and wildlife management habitats, expand public use and access to waterways and increase awareness to help protect resources in Buncombe, Haywood and Madison counties.
The Fund was established through an agreement between Carolina Power & Light (now Duke Energy) and the State of North Carolina. Since 1996, the Pigeon River Fund has distributed more than $5.8 million in grants.
The most recent Pigeon River Fund grant recipients are:
Haywood Waterways Association: $11,000 to assess stormwater run-off issues and design improvements to reduce excess sedimentation in a stream that flows into Lake Junaluska.
Southwestern NC Resource Conservation and Development Council:
- $21,500 to complete engineering and permitting tasks for removal of the Beaverdam Creek dam near the confluence with the Pigeon River in Canton.
- $22,500 to complete design and engineering plans for stream bank improvements on Shingle Cove Branch as part of the renovation of Chestnut Park by the Town of Waynesville.
Maggie Valley Sanitary District: $20,000 toward transactional costs associated with the purchase and conveyance of 710 acres, comprised of two “Queen” tracts, which protect the headwaters of Jonathan and Campbell creeks in Maggie Valley.
The Conservation Fund: $40,000 toward transactional costs associated with the purchase and conveyance of the 172-acre “Gowing” tract and the 783-acre “Williams” tract that protect tributaries of Jonathan Creek in Maggie Valley.
Asheville GreenWorks: $21,380 to continue the Trash Boom Project in Buncombe and Haywood counties and to design and construct a “trash trap” on Hominy Creek to address the litter problem in local creeks and streams.
Madison County: $25,000 to upgrade the Town of Hot Springs’ wastewater infrastructure by installing a dual pump station at the red bridge across the French Broad River.
North Carolina Arboretum Society: $6,700 for native plants and interpretive materials as part of the renovation of the Stream Garden at the Arboretum in Asheville.
The next application deadline for qualifying nonprofits in Buncombe, Haywood and Madison counties is Sept. 15. Applications and instructions are available at www.cfwnc.org. For more information, call senior program officer Tara Scholtz at 828-367-9913.
Source: Citizen Times
