NEW PHILADELPHIA –  Members of the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD) Board of Directors approved up to $1.1 million in grants to ten organizations at their meeting held Nov. 18, 2022.

The Partners in Watershed Management Program (PWM), approved by the Board of Directors in June of 2009, provides funds to assist communities, political subdivisions, government agencies, and not-for profit groups in implementing water quality projects, flood reduction and mitigation programs, and watershed education efforts throughout the 18 counties within the MWCD. Since its inception in 2009 this program has provided over $12.2 million in grant funding for 177 projects.

20 applications totaling over $2.5 Million for funding assistance were received in the 2022-2023 grant cycle. All applications were initially reviewed by MWCD staff with many applications going through an independent technical review.

“We again are pleased to invest our resources in these very important projects across the district that match with our growing emphasis on conservation,” said Craig Butler, MWCD Executive Director. “These projects help to prevent costly flooding, minimize soil erosion and nutrient loss from agricultural operations, assist with upgrading essential community services, and preserve and rehabilitate sensitive lands for public use.”

The grant program is highly competitive with a multi-step review process to ensure the best projects receive grant dollars.  All applications are reviewed by MWCD staff and a select group of volunteer industry experts in the fields of dam safety/flood control, floodplain management, green best management practices, and watershed management/water quality, prior to the Chief Engineer and Chief of Conservation recommending applications for approval to the Executive Director, and the Board of Directors.

Applications for the next grant award cycle are due to MWCD by close of business on Sept. 1, 2023. Prospective applicants are encouraged to contact MWCD to discuss their projects at least 30 days prior to the application deadline to learn more about the application process and have their applications preliminarily screened for eligibility.  Please contact Lynn Gilland, Administrative Specialist at 330-556-4817 or by email at lgilland@mwcd.org. Further information about the PWM Program including can be found at MWCD.Org.

Applicant	County			Project Title		Project Cost		Amount Requested		Amount Recommended
Ashland SWCD	Ashland			Cover Crop Crimper Roller		$31,910		$28,910		$28,910
Muskingum County Engineer	Muskingum			Wills Creek Road Culvert Replacement		$300,000		$250,000		$250,000
Nobles Pond Drainage District*	Stark			Nobles Pond Drainage Project		$462,501		$213,341		$213,341
Northern Tuscarawas Land Trust*	Tuscarawas			Dreher Property Acquisition		$374,600		$93,650		$93,650
Ohio State Agricultural Technical Institute	Wayne			Drainage Water Management Tools		$150,430		$73,100		$73,100
Plain Township Board of Trustees*	Stark			Monarch Meadows Preserve		$564,500		$141,125		$141,125
Village of McConnelsville	Morgan			McConnel Run Watershed Flood Control		$131,151		$75,813		$75,813
Washington County Commissioners/MCC	Washington			County Home Creek Restoration Project		$66,000		$60,000		$60,000
Western Reserve Land Conservancy*	Stark			Dorn Forest Preserve		$746,911		$154,000		$154,000
Zoar Community Association	Tuscarawas			Zoar Goose Run Conservation Project		$54,000		$47,000		$47,000
*PWM award recommendation contingent upon successful receipt of other anticipated sources of grant funding.				Subtotal		$2,882,003		$1,136,940		$1,136,940
Applications Under Further Consideration
Ashland Cemetery Association		Ashland	Ashland Cemetery Streambank Stabilization		$263,200		$262,000		N/A
City of Barberton		Summit	South Barberton Flood Mitigation		$345,925		$263,035		N/A
City of Marietta		Washington	City of Marietta- Streambank Stabilization		$110,000		$110,000		N/A
Richland SWCD		Richland	Black Fork Log Jam Removal		$124,132		$120,000		N/A
Stillwater Watershed Partners		Harrison/ Belmont	Stillwater H&H Analysis		$200,000		$100,000		N/A
Tusc. SWCD		Tuscarawas	Village of Baltic Streambank Stabilization		$110,120		$109,080		N/A
Village of McConnelsville		Morgan	Floodplain Property Acquisition		$92,700		$92,700		N/A