New fund helps clean up Anderson’s waterways - January 12th 2023

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The Anderson County Watershed Protection Council announced that they are awarding grants from $30,000 to $90,000 to the Rocky River Conservancy and the Anderson Soil and Water Conservation District. The recipients are launching projects that will improve water quality and education in the county.

The water council and new grant program are part of Upstate Forever and Savannah Riverkeeper's efforts to spend legal settlement dollars from past polluters on long-term, community-driven projects that will safeguard Anderson’s water quality.

“It is exciting to jumpstart water-focused projects in communities that have experienced heavy pollution in the past,” says Megan Chase-Muller, Upstate Forever State Policy Director. “The goal is to connect children, teachers, residents and leaders to the waterways through recreation, restoration, and education. The two projects we selected are perfect examples of what is possible.”

The Rocky River Conservancy project will engage the community in restoration efforts and water quality testing in the Rocky River Nature Park, a 148-acre public preserve in the Broadway Creek watershed. TreesUpstate is partnering with them to plant buffers while engaging the nearby community.

Also, in the Broadway Creek watershed, Anderson Soil and Water Conservation’s project will provide teachers, students and experts with Adopt-a-Stream kits and link them to the KnowYourRiver.com database to monitor local water conditions. The project will engage more than 1,000 participants in water-quality activities in the first year.  

“Growth, development, and leaking pipelines have contributed to serious impairment of Anderson County’s once pristine waterways. We can no longer take clean water for granted. These grant-funded proposals are expected to provide education, lasting clean up, and restoration to return these streams to good health,” says M. Cindy Wilson, Anderson County Council District 7. “Thank you, Upstate Forever, Savannah Riverkeeper, and Southern Environmental Law Center, for setting us on a better course.”

The next funding opportunity will be in the summer of 2023. Entities seeking more information about the process can visit andersonwatercouncil.com or email info@andersonwatercouncil.com.

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The mission of the Anderson County Watershed Protection Council is to assist in identifying, prioritizing, and funding projects that empower citizens to take action on existing and emerging threats to water resources and to restore water quality in the Savannah River watershed's impacted areas.