Erie County Municipal Infrastructure GAP Funding Program ($5,000,000)
To support, empower, and advance Erie County municipalities, the County is providing funds to create a Municipal Infrastructure GAP Funding Program. Funds may be used to invest in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure, making necessary investments to improve access to clean drinking water, support vital wastewater and stormwater infrastructure, and to expand access to broadband internet. These funds are being administered by the Erie County Department of Planning and Community Development, whose responsibilities include, but are not limited to, developing program guidelines, application and review processes, all necessary contracts and reporting forms, and a communication strategy to promote the grant program and remitting to the County reporting documentation.
Site Readiness for Rural Development ($5,000,000)
Erie County Council approved $5M in county CLFRF monies to the Erie County Redevelopment Authority for the acquisition and development/redevelopment of rural sites in Union City Borough, Fairview Township, Harborcreek Township, and North East Township. This includes the build-out of infrastructure necessary to make the sites development ready.
Erie County Agricultural Conservation Assistance Program ($1,000,000)
The Erie County Agricultural Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP) is in partnership with the Pennsylvania ACAP, which was created as a part of the FY 2022-23 General Fund State Budget through legislation called the Pennsylvania Clean Streams Fund. The purpose of the ACAP is to assist farmers and landowners in the design and installation of agricultural conservation Best Management Practices (BMPs) that will reduce or prevent nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) and sediment losses from their farms and improve water quality and soil health across Erie County, which includes the Lake Erie and French Creek Watersheds. Implementation and construction of these water quality BMPs are the cornerstones of the program, which is where a majority of the grant funds will be directed. The program will be administered by the Erie County Conservation District. The overall project outcome is to reduce the amount of nutrients and sediments entering our local waterways, enhancing water quality and improving soil heath throughout Erie County.
Project NePTWNE ($1,500,000)
Project NePTWNE (Nano & Polymer Technology for Water and Neural networks in Erie) is a water sustainability initiative that takes an inclusive and holistic approach to addressing water quality, climate change, economic development, and quality of life. Measuring, monitoring, and removing these pollutants, along with developing new solutions to prevent the pollutants from ever entering the water must be a priority for our region, and Gannon University is committed to this initiative. Project NePTWNE will be implemented in six phases designed to measure, monitor, mitigate and manufacture solutions that lead to improved water quality.