Press release from The Community Foundation:
CFWNC’s Pigeon River Fund Awards $217,833 in Water Quality Grants
Projects benefit Buncombe, Haywood and Madison countiesThe Pigeon River Fund of The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina (CFWNC) recently awarded eight grants totaling $217,833 to environmental groups working to improve surface water quality, enhance fish and wildlife habitats, expand public use and access to waterways and increase water quality awareness in Buncombe, Haywood and Madison counties. Since 1996, the Pigeon River Fund has distributed more than $7.3 million in grants.
The most recent Pigeon River Fund grant recipients are:
Asheville GreenWorks was awarded $25,000 to expand its successful Trash Boom Project with the installation of three Trash Trout Juniors on local waterways in Asheville: Smith Mill Creek, Sweeten Creek and Gashes Creek.
Haywood Waterways Association was awarded $20,000 to repair failing septic systems for low-income homeowners identified by the Haywood County Environmental Health Department.
Maggie Valley Sanitary District was awarded $30,000 to help protect the 70-acre Mary Campbell property in Haywood County that protects the watershed from Campbell Lick to Campbell Creek.
MountainTrue was awarded $28,400 to expand E. coli monitoring and pollution tracking in Haywood, Madison and Buncombe counties as part of its Swim Guide Program.
Mountain Valleys Resource Conservation & Development Council was awarded $26,433 to support three water quality improvement projects, provide funds for septic tank repair and provide electronics amnesty funding at the landfill.
RiverLink was awarded $28,000 to conduct a study of the River Arts District watershed.
RiverLink was awarded $35,000 to restore 1600 linear feet of Smith Mill Creek, an impaired stream in West Asheville.
Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy was awarded $25,000 to cover transaction costs for the purchase of a 140-acre tract in Haywood County that will protect portions of Beaverdam Creek and its tributaries.
The next application deadline for qualifying nonprofits in Buncombe, Haywood and Madison counties is September 15, 2019. Applications and instructions are available at www.cfwnc.org.
The Pigeon River Fund was established through an agreement between Carolina Power & Light (now Duke Energy) and the State of North Carolina. The grant program is administered by The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina. For information about the Pigeon River Fund, contact Senior Program Officer Tara Scholtz at 828-367-9913.
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