Press Releases

Today, U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright (PA-08) announced an $848,440 grant for the Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority (WVSA) to support stormwater infrastructure improvements to enhance the quality of the Susquehanna River watershed and reduce the burden on our communities to pay for these projects.

“This is a critical investment in keeping pollution out of our area’s waterways, and it will help make our Luzerne County communities healthier,” said Rep. Cartwright. “Our area’s homeowners have been footing the bill for this work for too long, and I am fighting to bring federal funding for it because it can help reduce the burden on them over time. I’ll keep working on the Appropriations Committee to bring more federal dollars home for these important projects.”

“We greatly appreciate Representative Cartwright’s success in obtaining essential funding that will help reduce Green Infrastructure Project costs,” said James B. Tomaine. P.E., executive director, WVSA. “We look forward to future collaborations with Rep. Cartwright that will benefit local communities and our continuing implementation of the Regional Stormwater Management Program (RSMP).” 

“Clean water is essential for healthy communities and healthy residents. Unfortunately, clean water isn’t always a reality for some Pennsylvania residents. The grant being announced today will help change that by providing critical funding for stormwater infrastructure projects,” said Renee Reber, Campaign Manager for Watershed Advocacy for PennFuture. “PennFuture and the Choose Clean Water Coalition applaud the Congressman’s leadership in addressing stormwater management and support for clean water. Since arriving in Washington D.C. the Congressman has solidified himself as a champion of environmental and conservation issues, and he should be applauded for that.”

Background

In 2010, Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia made a commitment to make major reductions in pollution flowing into the Chesapeake Bay watershed. In order to follow through on those commitments, local authorities have been left with the responsibility of undertaking projects to stop excessive amounts of polluting nutrients and sediment from running off into the watershed. The federal government has a critical role to play in providing funding to help local communities clean up polluted rivers and streams, and that’s why Rep. Cartwright has advocated for increased federal funding for these regional cleanup efforts.

In the Fiscal Year 2020 negotiations on the Interior and Environment Appropriations bill, Cartwright was successful in doubling the amount available for stormwater cleanup in Northeastern Pennsylvania. For fiscal year 2021, Rep. Cartwright defended this funding increase and supported a boost in the overall Chesapeake Bay Program funding by $2.5 million, for a total of $87.5 million – rejecting a 90-plus percent cut to the program proposed in the previous administration’s budget.

Rep. Cartwright worked with WVSA to secure this $848,440 grant funded by the Chesapeake Bay Program to allow them to continue work on stormwater infrastructure improvements, protecting the water quality in the Susquehanna River watershed. The grant will also be instrumental in supporting projects, implementing Best Management Practices, and executing Public Outreach and Education initiatives across RSMP municipalities.

The WVSA provides water amenity services for a 400 square mile area in Luzerne County and collaborates with 31 municipalities to improve water quality in the region through its stormwater program.