Watershed grant fund application opens

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The Anderson County Watershed Protection Council is seeking grant applications for projects that will protect or restore water quality in Anderson County, as well as nearby portions of the Savannah River watershed. 

Individual grant awards will be between $10,000 to $50,000 for citizen empowerment and education projects and up to $100,000 for water restoration and land conservation projects, according to a news release. 

Working to steward settlement funds sourced from the nearby 2014 Kinder Morgan gasoline pipeline spill, the advisory council is composed of volunteers from Anderson County Council; county boards of education; Soil and Water Conservation District; Upstate Forever; Savannah Riverkeeper; Clemson Public Service Agriculture and the local community. 

“We have designed this grant program to serve as a catalyst for local land use, outreach and education projects that will reinvigorate and protect this critical watershed historically impacted by water pollution,” Megan Chase, Upstate Forever’s state policy director, said in the news release. 

Entities eligible for grant funds include not-for-profit charitable corporations or trusts; South Carolina and Georgia state agencies; municipalities in the impacted area and any agency, commission or instrumentality of such a municipality; and educators focused on water quality in the impacted watershed. 

“We are excited to launch this grant program in Anderson County,” Tonya Bonitatibus, executive director of Savannah Riverkeeper, said in the release. “It’s a new opportunity to engage local communities in water quality issues — a surefire way to safeguard the health and vitality of our waterways.” 

Proposals must be complete and submitted no later than 5 p.m. on Aug. 29. Interested parties can visit the website at www.andersonwatercouncil.com or email [email protected].