East Marlborough partners with agency to enhancewater quality

EASTMARLBOROUGH » At a meeting earlier thismonth, East Marlborough Township supervisors unanimously approved a program that will expand upstream investment in the surrounding rural watershed to achieve water quality compliance mandates from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

“The Revolving Water Fund introduces the use of natural infrastructure solutions on agricultural lands to deliver a cost-effective solution to water quality compliance,” said Robert McKinstry, Chairman of the Township’s Board of Supervisors. “This is a forwardlooking alternative compliance solution that aligns with our agricultural ecosystem and way of life in East Marlborough Township. It also aligns well with the goals of the Space and Recreation Plan that we are currently developing with the enthusiastic help of our residents.”

The partnership with the Revolving Water Fund comes at a time of increasing challenge for rural communities in Pennsylvania and across the country to meet municipal water quality mandates. Pioneered by i2 Capital and the Nature Conservancy, the Revolving Water Fund aligns the interests of municipalities, farmers, regulators, conservation organizations and private funders to reduce risk and increase project development capacity for natural infrastructure solutions. Payments received from municipalities will be recycled to further address water quality impairments in the Brandywine-Christina watershed. The public/private partnership requires the approval of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

Cuyler Walker, Member of the Township’s Planning Commission and its Environmental Advisory Council added, “In rural economies, the quality of our water depends in significant part on how we manage our productive lands. The Revolving Water Fund allows the Township to cost-effectively incorporate green infrastructure solutions such as agricultural buffers and terraces, alongside engineered solutions such as stormwater basins, to better address the full spectrum of water quality issues in our community.”

Developed under a 2017 Conservation Innovation Grant from theNatural Resources Conservation Service along with significant funding from the William Penn Foundation and ongoing project support from i2 Capital, The Revolving Water Fund invests in the installation, quantification, compliance and operations and maintenance facets of natural infrastructure solutions, providing “full service delivery” of pollution

reductions to its municipal partners. The Board of Supervisors expects the programto significantly reduce costs related to water quality compliance.

“The Revolving Water Fund reflects an exciting evolution of conservation approach in the state of Pennsylvania,” said Ashley Allen, Founder and CEO of i2 Capital. “We are proud to partner with leaders in East Marlborough Township and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to establish this alternative compliance solution in Pennsylvania. I especially want to thank Stroud Water Research Center and our farsighted agricultural and farm management partners in East Marlborough Township who have helped us learn how we can work together to enhance water quality.”

East Marlborough Township expects to include the Revolving Water Fund projects in its upcoming permit submission to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Payments under the contract are contingent upon receipt of regulatory approval.