For Immediate Release: May 2, 2016
(HARRISBURG, PA) The Pennsylvania Growing Greener Coalition, the largest coalition of conservation, recreation and preservation organizations in the Commonwealth, thanked members of the House for designating the month of May as Clean Water Counts Month.
“We are grateful to House members for highlighting the importance of clean water and the need to protect water quality,” said Andrew Health, executive director of the Pennsylvania Growing Greener Coalition. “The state’s Growing Greener program funds important investments in keeping our drinking water clean, and we look forward to working with lawmakers to renew funding for Growing Greener to ensure these investments continue for future generations.”
Heath thanked Rep. Stan Saylor (R-York) for sponsoring the Clean Water Counts Month resolution, which passed unanimously.
“As stated in the Pennsylvania Constitution, the people have a basic right to clean water,” Saylor said. “I am happy to support the Clean Water Counts campaign to raise awareness about improving water quality in the Commonwealth.”
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation launched the statewide Clean Water Counts campaign in 2014 calling on the Commonwealth to prioritize funding and increase investments for clean water.
“Healthy families, strong communities, and a thriving Pennsylvania economy depend on clean water,” said Harry Campbell, Pennsylvania Executive Director for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, a member of the Growing Greener Coalition. “We applaud and thank the House for publicly voicing their support for clean water in the Keystone State.”
Pennsylvania has over 19,000 miles of rivers and streams that do not meet basic water quality standards. In other words, nearly one quarter of the creeks, rivers, and lakes that Pennsylvanians rely on for recreation, and for drinking and household uses, are polluted.
Sixteen Pennsylvania counties have adopted resolutions supporting the Clean Water Counts campaign and calling on state officials to make clean water a priority for the Commonwealth. Those 16 counties are: Berks, Cumberland, Erie, Fayette, Greene, Jefferson, Luzerne, Northumberland, Philadelphia, Schuylkill, Somerset, Venango, Washington, Westmoreland, Wyoming, and York.
The Pennsylvania Growing Greener Coalition has urged the General Assembly and the Wolf Administration to pass legislation to fund a Growing Greener III program to keep drinking water clean, protect parks and open spaces, and preserve family farms.
