For Immediate Release:
Thursday, December 1, 2022
Contact:
Nazneen Ahmed (919) 716-0060
(RALEIGH) Attorney General Josh Stein today announced $246,500 in grants to preserve natural resources and ensure clean air and drinking water in the Charlotte area through the Environmental Enhancement Grant (EEG) program. In 2022, Attorney General Stein is awarding $2.5 million in EEG grants to 23 recipients.
Grant recipients in the Charlotte area are:
Burke County Public Schools
Burke County Public Schools (BCPS) will receive $36,000 to create a wetlands area along three BCPS properties that will slow down erosion and the speed of water flow as well as provide environmental educational opportunities for the schools and community.
“I’m pleased to see school systems like Burke County Public Schools focus on educating our students about the environment and innovative approaches to protecting our natural resources,” said Attorney General Josh Stein. “I hope this grant helps improve water quality and educate our children for years to come.”
“We are so very grateful for this Environmental Enhancement Grant through the North Carolina Department of Justice to help us continue our quest to help develop the Enola Wetlands and Trail project,” said Burke County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Mike Swain. “It has been exciting to watch the project develop over the years and for our students and staff to be involved in it and see it through. We look forward to the opportunity this will provide the community. Not only will Patton be able to reap the benefits and be able to use the area as an outdoor classroom, middle and elementary school students also will be able to learn and use the space. The catch water system that filters water runoff from the Patton football field to ponds and eventually back through to the creek is one example of how this innovative approach to problem solving teaches all of us to be more environmentally responsible. This opportunity is made possible, in part, through grants such as this one.”
Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation
The Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation will receive $21,000 to study the impacts of poultry pollution on water quality.
“Every community should have access to clean drinking water,” said Attorney General Josh Stein. “This research will help us to evaluate and enhance water quality.”
“Catawba Riverkeeper’s mission is to ensure clean water for all,” said Grant Buckner, the watershed manager for the Northern Basin. “This EEG grant will fund new water quality monitoring downstream of poultry waste spreading. We appreciate the opportunity to further study the impacts of CAFOs in our watershed.”
Town of Dallas
The town of Dallas will receive $49,500 to stabilize the streambank along Dallas Creek to prevent erosion and keep the creek’s water clean.
“Helping restore the streambank will reduce runoff and give the communities around Dallas Creek cleaner water,” said Attorney General Josh Stein. “I hope that this project is beneficial for the people of Dallas.”
“The receipt of this grant enables the Town of Dallas to address water quality in Dallas Creek while, at the same time, eliminate the threat of structural collapse of a residential home adjacent to the creek at the project site and the potential failure of utility lines in the same area,” said Dallas Mayor Rick Coleman. “The Town is grateful for the award, as without the assistance of the grant, Dallas would not have been able to complete the project.”
Davidson Lands Conservancy
The Davidson Lands Conservancy will receive $140,000 to conserve 113 acres of Chester Farm, a nearly 100-year-old family farm in Cabarrus County.
“Family farms are the backbone of North Carolina’s agricultural economy,” said Attorney General Josh Stein. “I’m pleased that this grant will help conserve the Chester Farm and create opportunities for young people to learn about science and agriculture.”
About the Environmental Enhancement Grant Program
The North Carolina Department of Justice’s Environmental Enhancement Grant program began after a 2000 agreement between the Attorney General’s Office and Smithfield Foods. Under that agreement, Smithfield provides $2 million to the state every year to be distributed among environmental projects across North Carolina. Including the 2022 grants, the Attorney General Office’s has awarded more than $41 million to more than 210 projects in the state.
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