Several Morgan County and Eastern Panhandle conservation and environmental groups received grant funding from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection during the most recent round of funding awards.
The governor’s office made the award list public during a press event on December 12.
Among the groups to receive grant funding are the Cacapon Institute, the Warm Springs Watershed Association, the Sleepy Creek Watershed Association and Friends of the Cacapon. The West Virginia Conservation Agency also received a grant for work in Morgan County in the Sleepy Creek area.
WVDEP Grant Awards
Governor Morrisey announced $2,824,962 in grants from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) for Chesapeake Bay cleanup, water quality improvement efforts, watershed restoration, and stream stewardship. 
“We want clean water, and we want to make sure our lands are left in better condition than when we inherited them,” said Governor Morrisey.
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,” the governor’s office said in the award press release.
“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,” Morrisey’s office said.
The Chesapeake Bay Implementation Grant (CBIG) and Chesapeake Bay Regulatory and Accountability Program (CBRAP) awards 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.
The DEP also 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.
Work includes identifying and preventing nonpoint source pollution, which includes 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.
All grant recipients must provide a 40% match.
Section 319 Nonpoint Source (NPS) grant recipients include:
West Virginia Conservation Agency – $104,000
Project summary: The funding supports administration, project management, planning and outreach and agricultural demonstration projects through the Agricultural Enhancement Program.
Service area: Statewide
West Virginia Conservation Agency (Potomac Valley District) – $207,970
Project summary: The funding supports the implementation of agricultural BMPs and septic rehabilitation with the goal of reducing fecal coliform, iron and sediment.
Service area: Hampshire County
West Virginia Conservation Agency (Eastern Panhandle District) – $82,000
Project summary: The funding supports the implementation of septic rehabilitation projects and the revision of the Sleepy Creek Quality Assurance Project Plan.
Service area: Morgan County
The DEP, in partnership with the West Virginia Conservation Agency, Division of Forestry, and Division of Natural Resources, also issued 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.
2026 Stream Partners Program (SPP) grants recipients in our region include:
–Friends of Blackwater, $5,000: Funds restoration and stewardship activities along the North Fork of the Blackwater River, including habitat work, trail and stream monitoring, and education.
–Friends of Mill Creek, $5,000: Develop a formal plan to engage farmers and rural residents in understanding how daily land use practices affect our local water resources. This funding support will set the groundwork for educating landowners about agricultural runoff and septic system impacts and develop practical strategies to reduce pollution to foster long-term stewardship.
–Friends of the Cacapon River, $5,000: Water sampling, Cacapon Riverfest, guided river float, website improvement, liability insurance, and short film festival.
–Sleepy Creek Watershed Association, $5,000: Supports outreach, watershed planning, and local stream restoration actions. Town Run Watershed, $5,000: Water sampling, community programming/outreach, restoration projects, capacity building, and administrative help.
–Warm Springs Watershed Association, $5,000: Funds invasive species treatment, stream health education, and community-driven restoration in the Warm Springs Watershed.
