The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers are encouraging the public to vote for the 2014 Pennsylvania River of the Year.

The five nominees for the honor are the Brodhead Creek in the Poconos, Schuylkill River, West Branch of the Susquehanna River, Ohio River and the Kiskiminetas-Conemaugh rivers in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

Voting for River of the Year is open through Dec. 27 at www.pariveroftheyear.org.

The winning waterway will host a sojourn or paddle in 2014, and the organization that nominated it will receive a $10,000 grant to help support activities focused on the waterway.

Stay Up to Date

View November 2013 Issue WREN Water Policy News

read more>>

November Feature is posted

Hydro Hubs
By Ben Grumbles, President, U.S. Water Alliance

A look at "emerging clusters of innovation and imagination" in the U.S. that Mr. Grumbles calls "Hydro-Hubs" (including one in Pittsburgh) that are helping to boost collective efforts to embrace and protect two most precious resources: water and the talent pool of future water leaders. Read more ......

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>>

View Previous Issues WREN Water Policy News

read more>>

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

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.

Sign up for WREN Water Policy News Learn more Email:

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

Stay Tuned! WREN Grant Round Opening Soon!

The WREN 2014 round of Watershed Education and Source Water Protection Collaborative Grants will be opening soon (December 2013 timeframe) with applications due March 2014. Project activities July 1 2014 - June 30, 2015. Get your partners and project ideas together now to 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 for upcoming Grant Announcement.

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:

View November 2013 Water Policy E-News

View October 2013 Water Policy E-News

Click here for previous 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.

.

About WREN | Features | Products | Grants | Calendar | Local Projects | Resources/Library | Links

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

Copyright © 1997-2011 - League of Women Voters of PA Citizen Education Fund

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