LLG developed and implemented a new Center for Water Quality Excellence (CWQE), a PENNVEST funded initiative. The Center provided technical assistance and guidance on the optimal use of available funding for the implementation of agricultural and urban stormwater best management practices. It addressed a need to “unsilo” the maze of public and private funding and technical assistance programs that prove to be confusing and overwhelming to many in need of their funds — farmers, municipalities, and landowners with large parcels of property that face more stringent stormwater requirements.
The CWQE offered no cost services via 1) a virtual Support Hub, 2) a storefront location in Columbia Borough, Lancaster County, and 3) a mobile education center. Coaches provided one-on-one guidance and helped customers make sense of the grant, loan and public partnership programs that support stormwater infrastructure in Pennsylvania.
A pilot program in York and Lancaster counties, the CWQE opened in August 2021 and ran through December of 2023. As part of the project, LLG conducted outreach activities, connected customers to supporting organizations and entities, and held multiple educational workshops at the storefront.
