What's New?

2014 WREN GRANT ROUND IS NOW OPEN!

Click on Grants Tab for information. Two Program Tracks available: Watershed Education and Source Water Protection Collaboratives.

Proposals due Friday March 21, 2014

WREN Projects help communities protect and improve our most precious natural resource, clean water.

Stay Up to Date!

View February 2014 Issue WREN Water Policy News

View January 2014 Issue WREN Water Policy News

View December 2013 Issue WREN Water Policy News

View November 2013 Issue WREN Water Policy News

NEW WEBSITE COMING SOON

WREN is transitioning to a new website!

Check it out at www.waterwisepa.org

For Drinking Water Information, please see our site at www.sourcewaterpa.org

Video: Is Your Drinking Water Protected?

Residents across Pennsylvania care about clean drinking water. So WREN developed a 3 minute video animation to help raise awareness about why it is important to take action now to protect the sources of drinking water, known as "source water protection."

Source Water Protection is voluntary in Pennsylvania and each community can customize protection measures to match their risks. Residents, community leaders and water systems all have a role to play to ensure safe and sustainable local drinking water sources. Suitable for all audiences, please watch and share the three minute video now.

Is your community's drinking water protected? Check the regional maps at "Your Status" to see if your water supplier has a DEP- approved Source Water Protection Plan in place. A listing of water systems with DEP-approved plans is available at WREN's www.sourcewaterpa.org website.

Click here for more information

Video: Clean Water: A Long Journey from the Source to Our Tap

The number one source of water quality problems today is polluted runoff. View an alternate version of the Video by GreenTreks Network Inc. that raises awareness about polluted runoff, click here>>

See what current grantees are doing with their funding:

2013 WREN Grants Awarded:

The Water Resources Education Network (WREN) Project, a project of the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania Citizen Education Fund, has awarded $68,400 in funding for the 2013 round to fifteen community partnerships across the state. Projects will carry out grass-roots community water resource education projects between July 1, 2013 and June 30, 2014. View Press Release

WREN Rain Garden/Rain Barrel Resources Webpage

Rain Gardens for the Bays

Website of the Mid-Atlantic Campaign to protect streams and bays.

SPOTLIGHT

Act 13 of 2012 Oil and Gas Act Amendments

In 2012, Pennsylvania enacted Act 13, which made substantial changes to the Oil and Gas Act of 1984. The new statute includes new well impact fees on unconventional wells, made major changes to environmental protections, and placed severe restrictions on the authority of local governments for oil and gas wells and associated operations.

The law essentially established a one-size-fits-all ordinance that supersedes all existing local ordinances and prevents municipalities from adopting any zoning provisions that are stricter than the state mandated standards. Act 13 requires that all types of oil and gas "operations" including gas wells, pipelines, impoundments, etc. (except for natural gas processing plants) be allowed in all zoning districts, even in residential neighborhoods, near schools, parks, hospitals, and sensitive natural and cultural resource protection areas. Some of the provisions are under appeal and are before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

Legislation & Regulation

View ACT 13 (pdf)

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection ACT 13 information

Click here>> for League's Straight Scoop on Shale Project - resources, Shale Study guides and more

Click here>> to view a 3/15/13 Powerpoint by the PUC, "Overview of Impact Fee Act 13 of 2012" by
Krystle J. Sacavage, Law Bureau
Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission

Click here>> for a listing of Impact Fees to local governments

Click here >> for a summary of the major environmental provisions gathered from several sources.

WREN Events calendar

Notable

Visit www.sourcewaterpa.org for WREN's Source Water Protection info

Download Groundwater: A Primer for Pennsylvanians
and the
Groundwater Protection Guide

Welcome! WREN makes connections between Pennsylvania citizens and water resources information.



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WREN Projects educate communities about protecting clean water for future generations and nature protection in Pennsylvania.

WREN 2014 Grant Round is now Open! Proposals Due March 21, 2014

The WREN 2014 round of Watershed Education and Source Water Protection Collaborative Grants is now open. Applications are due March 21, 2014. Project activities July 1 2014 - June 30, 2015. Get your partners and project ideas together and make 2014 the year you take action in your community. Successful projects engage one or more municipal partners that will play a strong active role in the project. Sign up for WREN's free newsletter in the box above to see examples of WREN projects and stay up to date on the latest water news.

Here are some examples from our 2012-2013 projects. For hundreds of ideas, click the Local Projects tab above.

WREN Grantee Garrett Hill Coalition & Boy Scout Troop #19 installing a rain garden last October in Radnor Township (Delaware County)

WREN Grantee Longswamp Township Environmental Advisory Council (Berks County) created an interpretive rain garden sign to go with a new demonstration rain garden they installed at a municipal park.

WREN Grantee Rush Township (Centre County) helped organize a Source Water Protection Coalition with partners in Clearfield and Centre Counties to protect drinking water. The partners conducted a first ever Clean Water Days that educated 575 fifth grade students at 6 water stations in Black Moshannon State Park in April. Photo: students learning about polluted runoff 4/18/13.

You Can Make A Difference for Clean Water in Your Community!

Get your Partners together now and design an innovative Watershed Education or Source Water Protection Education Collaborative Grant project and apply for a WREN Grant in 2014!

For ideas, see what others have done with their funding on the "Local Projects" Tab. 2014 Grant round will be opening this winter for Projects that begin July 1, 2014 - June 30, 2015. Grant materials expected to be posted December 2013.

What's New .... in our
Resources/library page.

- an on-line library of pubs available for immediate download; some reference websites we think will be helpful in preparing a WREN grant application and a list of our free videos, publications, newsletters and water graphics.

What's News... View WREN's latest E-Newsletters:

Click here for issues of Water Policy News

Events Calendar - Check out our Calendar for workshops, conferences, and special events of relevance to interested residents, water resource activists and educators.

What's New .... from WREN

Local Projects

WREN 2013 Grantee, Etna Borough, conducted a Rain Garden Design & Management Technical Workshop on Sept 7th 2013. Download the Workshop Flyer for more information

New Tool for Stormwater Management: Green Guide for Property Management Developed by the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary local project

Read our features
We post Features providing useful information for water resource educators and activists.

Learn about community projects funded by WREN
In our Local Projects area, listed by county, you can see which organizations in your area have received grant funding from WREN. You can also describe your local project and read about others. See, and download, what Products WREN Local Projects have produced

Connect up with other environmental organizations
Find local watershed organizations active in your area.
Our Links area lists many other useful sites.

Share photos of your favorite "watering holes"
We want to highlight favorite Pennsylvania lakes, streams and other watering holes. Contribute a favorite watering hole photo to our site.



Sign up for Water Policy News and WREN E-News Learn more Email:

Need to contact us or want to share your feedback?
Send an email to: info@palwv.org

You can also visit the Source Water PA site and the
League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania site.