An array of grants from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) will go towards Chesapeake Bay cleanup, water quality improvement efforts, watershed restoration, and stream stewardship.
More than $1.5 million in 2025 Chesapeake Bay Program grants are being awarded to support water quality improvements, watershed restoration, and land conservation efforts across the Eastern Panhandle.
These awards come as West Virginia continues to stand out nationally as one of only two jurisdictions in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, along with the District of Columbia, to meet or exceed its 2025 pollution-reduction commitments.
According to evaluations by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), recent two-year milestones and modeled data show that West Virginia has already achieved 100% of its nitrogen and sediment reduction goals and is on track to meet its phosphorus goal by 2025. This makes West Virginia a top- performing jurisdiction in the multi-state Chesapeake Bay restoration effort.
West Virginia’s sustained success is attributed to strong partnerships across local, state, and nonprofit organizations; continued upgrades to major wastewater treatment systems; and robust voluntary conservation programs that reduce runoff and protect water quality at the headwaters of the Potomac River.
Among the grants are Chesapeake Bay Implementation Grant (CBIG) and Chesapeake Bay Regulatory and Accountability Program (CBRAP) awards to fund agricultural best management practices, nutrient management planning, stormwater reduction projects, riparian buffer restoration, forestry practices, and regional watershed coordination.
2025 Chesapeake Bay Program Grant Recipients include:
West Virginia Conservation Agency – $435,741: Supports staff who assist farmers and landowners with agricultural best management practices (BMPs), provide training, deliver conservation district incentive programs, and target priority watersheds for water quality and habitat improvements.
West Virginia Department of Agriculture – $343,979: Funds Nutrient Management Specialists who prepare nutrient management plans, process soil samples, and help producers adopt BMPs; also supports tracking and reporting of agricultural BMPs, both cost-share and voluntary, installed across the region.
Cacapon Institute – $464,668: Supports tree planting and stormwater reduction projects with schools, communities, and municipalities; funds a BMP Specialist to verify and report best practices across sectors, with emphasis on voluntary BMPs on developed lands.
West Virginia Division of Forestry – $70,000: Supports foresters who assist private landowners in preparing forest management plans, improving timber harvest practices, and adopting forestry BMPs that protect water quality and reduce sedimentation.
Trout Unlimited – $100,000: Continues streambank, in-stream, and riparian buffer restoration in the Potomac River watershed, reducing sediment and nutrient loads through technical assistance, outreach, and maintenance of riparian buffers.
Region 9 Planning and Development Council – $60,000: Funds a Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP) Coordinator to work with local governments, industry, wastewater systems, and agricultural/forestry sectors in Berkeley, Jefferson, and Morgan counties to meet EPA’s 2017 and 2025 TMDL standards and report progress to WVDEP.
Region 8 Planning and Economic Development Council – $50,000: Supports a Potomac Highlands Environmental Project Coordinator who advises local governments on Chesapeake Bay funding, implementation strategies, and stormwater mitigation best practices.
Governor Morrisey also announced the WVDEP has awarded more than $1.2 million in federal Section 319 Nonpoint Source (NPS) grants to organizations working to reduce pollution, restore streams, and implement watershed-based plans across the state.
The Section 319 Program, established under the federal Clean Water Act, provides funds to states to address nonpoint source pollution, which includes diffuse sources such as agricultural runoff, poorly managed stormwater, sedimentation, failing septic systems, and abandoned mine drainage.
Managed by the WVDEP’s Division of Water & Waste Management, the State’s Section 319 Program awards grants to watershed groups, conservation districts, and local partners to design and implement projects that improve water quality and help delist impaired streams.
Projects funded under the federal fiscal year 2025 awards include watershed planning, abandoned mine drainage treatment, habitat restoration, the implementation of best management practices (BMPs), septic system rehabilitation and statewide technical support for local partners. All grant recipients must provide a 40% match.
Section 319 Nonpoint Source (NPS) grant recipients include:
West Virginia Conservation Agency – $104,000
Friends of the Cheat – $55,950
Friends of the Cheat and West Virginia Rivers Coalition – $137,894
Friends of Deckers Creek – $243,800
Canaan Valley Institute – $147,760
West Virginia Conservation Agency (Potomac Valley District) – $207,970
West Virginia Conservation Agency (Western District) – $135,000
West Virginia Conservation Agency (Greenbrier Valley District) – $86,200
West Virginia Conservation Agency (Eastern Panhandle District) – $82,000
WVDEP, in partnership with the West Virginia Conservation Agency, Division of Forestry, and Division of Natural Resources, will fund more than $100,000 in 2026 Stream Partners Program (SPP) grants to support watershed groups across the state working to protect, restore, and promote West Virginia’s rivers and streams.
The Stream Partners Program, established by the Legislature to empower local, volunteer-driven watershed associations, provides up to $5,000 grants to community groups engaged in hands-on projects such as streambank stabilization, water quality monitoring, habitat restoration, trash cleanups, invasive species control, public education, and long-term planning that strengthens watershed stewardship at the local level.
These annual grants are a core piece of West Virginia’s statewide watershed restoration strategy. They help build the capacity of local groups, strengthen community involvement, and support on-the-ground improvements that complement larger state and federal restoration investments.
2026 Stream Partners Program Grant Recipients will each receive up to $5,000 to support stream restoration, water quality, education, or community-based conservation projects.
2026 Stream Partners Program (SPP) grants recipients include:
Buckhannon River Watershed Association – $5,000
Davis Creek Watershed Association – $3,075
Fourpole Creek Watershed Association – $2,291
Friends of Blackwater – $5,000
Friends of Deckers Creek – $5,000
Friends of Mill Creek – $5,000
Friends of the Cacapon River – $5,000
Friends of the Cheat – $5,000
Friends of the Tug Fork River – $5,000
Greenbrier River Watershed Association – $5,000
Guardians of the West Fork River – $5,000
Paint Creek Watershed Association – $5,000
Piney Creek Watershed Association – $5,000
Plateau Action Network – $5,000
Save the Tygart Watershed Association – $5,000
Sleepy Creek Watershed Association – $5,000
Town Run Watershed – $5,000
Twelvepole Rising – $5,000
Warm Springs Watershed Association – $5,000
Wheeling Creek Watershed Alliance – $5,000
source: West Virginia Office of the Governor
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