 The company will award grants of up to $10,000. The program is
designed to support diverse types of activities, such as watershed
cleanups, reforestation efforts, biodiversity projects, streamside
buffer restoration projects, wellhead protection initiatives and
hazardous waste collection efforts.
"Illinois American Water is committed to protecting our water
supplies through outreach and education. This program is another way
we can help communities play an active role in this important
effort," said Karla Olson Teasley, Illinois American Water
president.
To qualify, proposed projects must be located in an Illinois
American Water service area and:
-
Address a source
water or watershed protection need in the community.
-
Be completed
between May 1 and Nov. 29.
-
Be a new or
innovative program for the community, or serve as a significant
expansion to an existing program.
-
Be carried out by
a formal or informal partnership between two or more
organizations.
-
Provide evidence
of sustainability (continue existence after the Illinois
American Water grant money is used).
In 2012, Illinois American Water awarded
six grants totaling more than $25,000. A panel of judges selected
the winners from more than 20 grant applications and awarded grants
as follows:
-
Living Lands and
Waters received its requested $1,500 grant in full for the Great
Mississippi River Clean Up. Mississippi River cleanup efforts
took place on Sept. 15, 2012, from the Grafton boat launch. The
goal of the project was to engage volunteers to help with the
removal of approximately 4 tons of debris from the river.
-
The Morton
Arboretum, in the Chicago Metro District, received a $6,075
grant for its Wetland Restoration Stewardship Program, which
engaged and educated audiences through volunteer workdays.
Workday activities included native plantings, removal of
invasive plants, trash removal and educational programs.
-
The National Great
Rivers Research and Education Center received a $3,071 grant for
its Mississippi River Workshops, which provided educators with
activities, curriculum guide and tools for participating in the
Mississippi River XChange program, known as MRX. The MRX program
is a platform for high school students along the Mississippi
River to share information abut their watershed and source water
protection.
[to top of second column] |
-
The city of
Waterloo received its requested $4,120 grant in full for the
restoration of a historic freshwater spring at the site of the
Monroe County History Museum. This site is also home to the
first Illinois settlement. The project included debris removal,
erosion prevention and the installation of a walking bridge.
-
The city of Peoria
received a $6,000 grant for the Peoria Rain Garden and Native
Landscaping Program, which incorporated a pilot rain garden,
native seeds and print materials to educate residents about the
importance of rain gardens for stormwater management.
-
Bradley University
in Peoria received a $5,000 grant for Phase 2 of the River
Action League, which engages community volunteers to collect
Illinois River samples for research and watershed improvement.
The project incorporated additional testing protocols, data
publication and a partnership with the Peoria Riverfront Museum.
Grant information and application forms are available at
www.illinoisamwater.com.
Applications must be postmarked by March 11 and mailed to Karen
Cotton at
Illinois American Water, 7500 N. Harker Drive, Peoria, IL 61615;
or emailed to karen.cotton@amwater.com.
___
Illinois American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE:
AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state,
providing water or wastewater services to more than 1.2 million
people. American Water also operates a customer service center in
Alton and a quality control and research laboratory in Belleville.
Founded in 1886, American Water is the largest publicly traded
U.S. water and wastewater utility company. With headquarters in
Voorhees, N.J., the company has more than 7,000 employees who
provide drinking water, wastewater and other related services to
approximately 15 million people in more than 30 states, as well as
parts of Canada. More information on the company is available at
www.amwater.com.
[Text from file received from
Illinois American Water] |
