The Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) and PPL Corporation today announced the four watershed and nonprofit organizations in Pennsylvania that will receive mini-grants for their streamside cleanup projects through SRBC's Susquehanna River Basin Streamside Cleanup Training Academy and Assistance Program. This round of funding is made possible through a donation from PPL.

The organizations receiving the mini-grants are:

• Codorus Creek Improvement Partnership, York County.

• Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation, Luzerne County.

• Furnace Run/Segloch Run Watershed Alliance, Lancaster County.

• Mahoning Creek Watershed Association, Montour County.

Paul Swartz, SBRC executive director, said, "With nearly 32,000 miles of streams in the Susquehanna basin, keeping our waterways clean is an enormous undertaking. However, through the partnership between SRBC, PPL, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and PA CleanWays, we are able to fund and train local groups to clean up their streams."

SRBC and PPL first partnered in 1999 to start the streamside cleanup assistance program largely to inform and educate upstream residents regarding the impact their litter was having on downstream communities, particularly following high-flow events. Since 1999, PPL has contributed $40,000 to the cleanup program.

"PPL is proud to partner with the Susquehanna River Basin Commission to make this grassroots initiative possible," said Bob Barkanic, PPL's manager of environmental management. "Through our Project Earth program, we are committed to supporting our communities and the environment. The streamside cleanup project accomplishes these goals. Each of these grant recipients should be commended for taking an active role in helping to protect and restore Pennsylvania's waterways."

In the training component of the cleanup program, municipal officials and organizations will have the opportunity to learn the key steps to organizing and conducting a cleanup event. SRBC and PA CleanWays are sponsoring three free workshops in October. The workshops will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. on the following dates:

• Oct. 21 – Radisson Penn Harris Hotel and Convention Center, 1150 Camp Hill Bypass, Camp Hill, Pa.

• Oct. 26 – Earth Conservancy, 101 S. Main St., Ashley, Pa. (Co-sponsored by Earth Conservancy and Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation).

• Oct. 27 – Langone Center, Bucknell University, Seventh Street and Moore Avenue, Lewisburg, Pa. (Co-sponsored by Bucknell University and Union Conservation District).

Workshop agendas and registration information are posted on SRBC's Web site at www.srbc.net/sc-training.htm .

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission is the governing agency established by the federal government and the states of New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland to protect and wisely manage the water resources of the Susquehanna River Basin. The Susquehanna River starts in Cooperstown, N.Y., and flows 444 miles to Havre de Grace, Md., where the river meets the Chesapeake Bay.

PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL), headquartered in Allentown, Pa., controls more than 12,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the United States, sells energy in key U.S. markets and delivers electricity to nearly 5 million customers in Pennsylvania, the United Kingdom and Latin America. PPL Project Earth is an initiative through which PPL educates the public about energy resources and the environment. For more information, visit www.pplprojectearth.com .