The American Water Charitable Foundation has awarded $108,277 in grants to seven organizations that are working to improve, restore or protect watersheds, surface water and groundwater supplies in New Jersey.
“The environmental projects supported through this year’s grants will help preserve our state’s natural resources and protect our water supplies for years to come,” Mark McDonough, president, New Jersey American Water, said in a statement.
The groups include The Watershed Institute, which was given $33,500 to expand StreamWatch Schools, a water quality monitoring program that works to protect streams and rivers in central New Jersey. Grant funding will support the expansion to more students across the state to teach the importance of preserving water quality.
The National Wildlife Federation was awarded $30,523 to create an online community resource hub for nonprofits and communities. It will teach utility users about where their water comes from and how it’s treated. The goal of the hub is to provide tools and information to residents about how utilities work.
The Raritan Baykeeper was given $20,000 to engage students and community members in water quality monitoring at waterfront access sites in Red Bank, Keyport and Hazlet, supporting the organization’s efforts to protect and preserve the health of the NY/NJ Bay watershed.
The grant will support efforts to identify and train more volunteers to conduct assessments of key public waterfront locations. Funds will also go towards attracting more students to participate in organized educational visits to these sites to foster a sense of stewardship.
Other recipients were the Raritan Headwaters Association to report surface water quality of the Upper Raritan watershed; Whale Pond Brook-Takanasee Lake Watershed Association for projects to restore eroded banks and water quality in the Whale Pond Brook watershed; Zoological Society of New Jersey to support their Zoo Team Go volunteer conservation fieldwork program; Agraj Seva Kendra to support environmental protection and education initiatives.
“Funding for Water and Environment grants is allocated towards projects focused on clean water, conservation, environmental education, climate variability, and water-based recreation,” Carrie Williams, President, American Water Charitable Foundation said. “The American Water Charitable Foundation is delighted to partner with eligible nonprofit organizations across New Jersey.”
The charitable foundation is a nonprofit part of New Jersey American Water, which touts itself as the largest regulated water utility in the state, providing services to approximately 2.9 million people.
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Bill Duhart may be reached at bduhart@njadvancemedia.com.
