Two Berks County projects will receive a combined $190,876 through the 2026 Schuylkill River Restoration Fund to reduce agricultural runoff, restore streamside habitat and improve water quality.
Schuylkill River Greenways announced Wednesday that $653,402 will be distributed among eight projects throughout the Schuylkill River Watershed. The Berks County funding will support improvements at a Perry Township beef farm and seven stream restoration projects across several local watersheds.
Berks Nature was awarded $99,800 for improvements at MIL JOY Farm, 324 Virginville Road in Perry Township. The beef farm is located within the Lake Ontelaunee source-water area.
The project will add covered manure storage and livestock areas along with additional stormwater controls. The improvements are intended to prevent sediment and nutrients from reaching Maiden Creek and waterways downstream.
Berks Nature will receive another $91,076 for seven riparian restoration projects throughout Berks County.
Those projects will restore nearly 6,000 feet of streamside habitat within the Hay, Maiden, Willow, Saucony and Tulpehocken creek watersheds. Plans call for more than 1,700 native trees and shrubs to be planted across nearly 10 acres.
The plantings and other restoration work are intended to reduce runoff, stabilize streambanks and improve water quality.
The Berks County projects are among eight receiving funding this year in communities throughout the Schuylkill River Watershed. Other grants will support projects in Chester, Lebanon, Montgomery and Schuylkill counties and Philadelphia.
“These grants put resources on the ground where they can make a measurable difference,” said Tim Fenchel, deputy director of Schuylkill River Greenways. “A healthier Schuylkill River starts with healthier streams, farms, and landscapes throughout the watershed.”
Fenchel said the fund works with local organizations to address specific water-quality problems, ranging from agricultural runoff and eroded streambanks to the need for additional streamside buffers.
“What makes this fund so valuable is that we work with local partners who know these places and help them solve real water-quality problems, whether that means keeping runoff out of a stream, restoring an eroded streambank, or planting a buffer that will protect the water for decades,” Fenchel said.
The Schuylkill River Restoration Fund was created in 2006 through a public-private partnership and provides money for projects designed to improve water quality throughout the watershed.
Since its creation, the fund has distributed more than $6 million for 127 projects and helped leverage another $15 million in investments to protect and restore the Schuylkill River and its tributaries.
The program takes a watershed-wide approach, with restoration work on smaller tributaries contributing to improvements farther downstream. Projects supported by the fund include streambank restoration, agricultural improvements, streamside buffers and stormwater management.
The Schuylkill River and its tributaries provide drinking water for millions of people in southeastern Pennsylvania while also supporting agriculture, wildlife, recreation and local economies.
Schuylkill River Greenways administers the restoration fund in partnership with public agencies, utilities and environmental organizations.