The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) awarded Coastal Zone Grants totaling more than $168,000 to four projects in the state’s Northwest region. The grants will fund projects that will help protect and restore the Lake Erie Coastal Zone.
“The Lake Erie Coastal Zone is the treasure of the Erie community and provides extraordinary environmental, economic, and community resource that is under pressure from threats such as development, pollution, and climate change,” said DEP Secretary Jessica Shirley. “DEP remains committed to supporting coastal communities and the grantees whose work will improve public access, preserve habitats, measure pollution impacts, and educate the public about the benefits of these coastal zones.”
A coastal zone is an area where land meets the coast and includes both coastal waters and adjacent shorelands. Coastal Zone Grants are awarded to projects related to fisheries, wetlands, recreation, public education, coastal hazards such as bluff recession, and other areas. Grants may also be awarded to other projects in the watershed that have an impact on coastal waters.
The 77-mile Lake Erie Coastal Zone is in Erie County and includes the Lake Erie shoreline and several major tributaries. The coastal zone also extends to the middle of the lake, to the international boundary with Canada, and inland an average of 1.4 miles.
Approved projects include:
- Erie County Department of Planning and Community Development: $49,000 for coordination and technical assistance with Lake Erie Coastal Zone grantees, municipalities, and residents, and to assist Lake Erie coastal communities in administering the Bluff Recession and Setback Act of 1980 to prevent coastal erosion.
- Regional Science Consortium: $60,000 to support monitoring, water sampling and data analysis of the Harmful Algal Blooms in the waters of Lake Erie and Presque Isle Bay.
- Bayfront East Side Taskforce: $15,000 to implement the Same Day Work and Pay Program, a neighborhood-wide program to remove litter, alleviate some barriers to employment, and foster pride in the community.
- Erie Bird Observatory: $44,337 for songbird migration research and visitor engagement at Presque Isle State Park.
DEP also awarded over $580,000 through its 2025 Coastal Zone Grant program to 11 projects in the Philadelphia Region aimed at protecting and restoring the Delaware Estuary Coastal Zone.
“The Delaware Estuary Coastal Zone is a vital resource that supplies communities with drinking water, recreational activities, economic benefits, wildlife habitat, and provides a natural barrier to reduce flooding,” said DEP Secretary Jessica Shirley. “DEP remains committed to supporting coastal communities and the grantees whose work will improve public access, preserve habitats, measure pollution impacts, and educate the public about the benefits of these coastal zones.”
The 112-mile Delaware Estuary Coastal Zone is in Bucks, Delaware, and Philadelphia counties and encompasses islands, marshes, and other areas in the Delaware Estuary watershed. It is one of the largest freshwater ports in the world.
A coastal zone is an area where land meets the coast and includes both coastal waters and adjacent shorelands. Coastal Zone Grants are awarded to projects related to fisheries, wetlands, recreation, public education, coastal hazards such as bluff recession, and other areas. Grants may also be awarded to other projects in the watershed that have an impact on coastal waters.
Approved projects include:
- Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission: $50,000 to implement the Coastal Management Program in the Delaware Estuary Coastal Zone.
- Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission: $50,000 to for resiliency planning in the Delaware Estuary Coastal Zone.
- John Bartram Association: $50,000 to support river program staff who lead recreational activities, support on-water education, and ensure riverfront safety as well as program supplies like safety materials and printing along with contracted annual training and safety certifications for river program staff.
- Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, Inc.: $74,653 to support staff in data collection and analysis, community engagement support, partner coordination, and a shoreline resilience plan development on Philadelphia’s North riverfront.
- Delaware Riverkeeper Network: $9,635 to organize and execute of two free, learn-to-paddle guided trips in the Delaware Estuary.
- Bristol Township, Bucks County: $75,000 to hire a professional engineering firm that specializes in trail engineering to develop final design documents for the River Road Trail.
- Schuylkill River Development Corporation: $75,000 to hire a consultant to create engineering and design drawings and documentation needed to improve an existing boat dock and create a new Americans with Disabilities Act accessible non-motorized boat launch area.
- Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, Inc.: $74,638 to conduct Delaware Riverfest 2026 events to educate the public about coastal recreation, historic sites, and public access.
- Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful: $25,000 to conduct cleanups in the spring and fall.
- Marcus Hook Borough, Delaware County: $75,000 for the preparation of plans, specifications and bidding documents for the removal and reconstruction of the Market Square Memorial Park pier.
- Delaware River Waterfront Corporation: $28,500 to create a signage system for thirty acres of existing tidal habitat within the Delaware estuary to highlight the site’s cultural history, the value of the wetland habitats, and other aspects of the Delaware River ecology.
