To help watershed property owners and to protect the public water supply, the Boothbay Region Water District (BRWD) is offering grants to address runoff and erosion problems within the Adams Pond and Knickerbocker Lake watersheds.

Last year, BRWD was awarded a $10,000 state grant to fund lake-friendly consultations and grants for watershed property owners. The Water District Board of Trustees also voted to dedicate watershed program funds to the project. In 2015, BRWD provided $8,051 to watershed property owners to help with the costs of fixing erosion and runoff problems and installing new septic systems in the shoreland zone of Knickerbocker Lake.

The BRWD lake-friendly grant program will continue this year and any interested property owner is encouraged to contact the water district for more information.

Grants are limited to $1,000 per property and will be provided from the water district directly to the property owner to fund projects to reduce erosion and runoff. These projects may include rain gutters, rain barrels, runoff diverters, native plant buffers or erosion control mulching for bare soils.

BRWD will also help grant applicants design a project to fit their needs, budget and interest. The grants will be offered on a 50/50 basis with the water district funding up to $1,000 for half of the cost and the homeowners funding the other half. The homeowners’ portion of the funding can include materials, contractor’s fees or their own labor.

The first step for anyone interested in the grant program is to contact Sue Mello at 207-633-4723, ext. 111. A site visit will then be scheduled to walk your property with you and to develop recommendations to address runoff and erosion. There is no charge for the visit or recommendations and no obligation to do any work recommended.