Brittany Patterson Published

Friends of Deckers Creek Awarded EPA Grant

deckers_creek.jpg
Listen

Watershed restoration group Friends of Deckers Creek has been awarded a $120,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to monitor water quality.

The Morgantown-based nonprofit received the grant to help improve the health and water quality of the nearly 25-mile-long tributary of the Monongahela River, according to a press release by EPA.

The agency said the grant will be used to monitor fecal coliform and E. coli levels in the watershed. The group will also hold public forums on contamination issues and develop stormwater best management practices.

Friends of Deckers Creek has for decades worked to clean up Deckers Creek and its watershed. The creek has long been degraded by acid mine drainage, sewage overflows, trash and more, according to the group’s website.

The group was one of 10 awarded funding through EPA’s Environmental Justice collaborative Problem-Solving program. The grant is set to run for two years.