Source Water Education

About WREN

The Water Resources Education Network (WREN) is a project of the Citizen Education Fund of the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania (LWVPA-CEF). WREN is a nonpartisan informal collaboration of organizations and public officials working for the protection and management of Pennsylvania’s water resources, both surface and ground water, through grass-roots education and informed policy-making. WREN provides training and grants for local coalition building to promote community awareness and development of public policies necessary to protect Pennsylvania water resources. The WREN Project has two clean water initiatives: Watershed Protection Education to prevent nonpoint source pollution, and Source Water Protection Promotion to raise awareness about the importance of protecting public drinking water sources. Since 1992, LWVPA-CEF has awarded almost $2 million in funding through the WREN Project to over 300 community partnerships working to safeguard Pennsylvania water resources.

Through its Water Resources Education Network (WREN) Project, the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania Citizen Education Fund (LWVPA-CEF) will accept proposals and award funding for source water protection education projects sponsored by community based partnerships that educate, build awareness, and promote water-sustaining public policies and/or behavior change. Applicants will commit to complete required Project Activities outlined in the Guidance:

A County Project will concentrate on protection of source waters for community water supplies within a specific county with funding available up to a maximum of $7,000.

A Regional Project will focus on protection of multiple community water supplies within a specific watershed: aquifer wide (groundwater systems) and/or watershed protection efforts (surface water systems), and address cross-jurisdictional issues. Funding is available up to a maximum of $7,000.

County and Regional Source Water Protection Education Projects shall form Source Water Protection Collaboratives and Source Water Environmental Education (SWEET) Teams that will coordinate educational efforts among communities and public water systems for greater efficiency due to limited resources. Projects will seek to build capacity among local municipal officials and local organizations to facilitate delivery of source water education to community residents.

LWVPA-CEF invites partnerships of local or regional organizations, such as watershed associations, civic groups, Counties, community water systems, governmental entities (including municipal authorities), and other public interest organizations to carefully review the WREN Grant Application Guidelines and Application Form and to submit an application to LWVPA CEF

Applications are due by Friday, March 23, 2012. Successful applicants will be notified by May 16, 2012. Grants of up to $7,000 will be awarded for County or regional projects to take place July 1, 2012-June 30, 2013.

(Please download the Grant Application Instructions as well as the Application Forms.)

Applications must be postmarked or dropped off no later than Friday, March 23, 2012.

WREN encourages interested applicants to review Grant Guidance which will address many questions.

Funding for source water protection projects is provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) Source Water Protection Program through Section 1452 (State Revolving Loan Fund for Drinking Water Source Water Protection.) of the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1996.

WREN Grant Funding Available for 2012-2013 Source Water Education Projects

WREN Grant Funding Available for
2012-2013 Source Water Education Projects