2025-2027 KWA Watershed Seed Grants Recipient's Announced

​KWA is excited to announce the recipients of our 2025-2027 Watershed Seed Grants! After a successful start to our pilot Watershed Seed Grant projects over the last year, KWA’s seed grant program is in its second year and is providing grant funding assistance in five of Kentucky’s seven major river basins to organizations that are undertaking projects addressing nonpoint source pollution to protect and restore their watersheds. We are grateful for these amazing on-the-ground statewide partners who are doing this valuable water quality work.
Don’t forget to keep an eye out for the 2026-2028 KWA Watershed Seed Grant opportunity! Your organization/group could be the next recipient of a grant award for a project in your watershed.

Basin: Licking River Basin
Organization: Pendleton County Extension Foundation 
Project: Boo Singleton River Sweep: Community Clean Up and
Restoration of the Licking River in Pendleton County 
This project supports community driven initiatives aimed at restoring the Licking River and its surrounding areas in Pendleton County following the April 2025 floods. The project includes river cleanup and access improvements, community education and outreach, data collection for future riparian improvements for bank stabilization and litter removal. Plus there is ample community support for the Boo Singleton memorial construction and event to recognize Boo, who sadly died during the April flooding, for his volunteer commitment to his community and environment. Project partners are
Pendleton County Extension Foundation, Butler Lion’s Club, Pendleton Tourism, and more with diverse funding sources!

Basin: Kentucky River Basin
Organization: Cowan Community Action Group
Project: Green Infrastructure Demonstration at Cowan Community
Center, Letcher County
This project supports Green Infrastructure Construction/Demonstration as part of the Cowan Grounds Revitalization implementation project based on watershed plan best management practice recommendations. It involves the plantings for riparian buffer improvements and stormwater reduction. The project also includes community outreach and education including a demonstration model for public and private properties seeking to improve stream buffers, sedimentation, and water quality. There are many community partners, contractor partners, and funding partners involved in this project.

Basin: Green River Basin
Organization: Friends of Barren River Lake and Park
Project:  Clean Up Support and Education
This project supports the expansion of their annual Lakeshore Clean Up Day to offer consistent cleanups throughout the year by increasing improved cleanup equipment. The project also focuses on community outreach, education, and action plus attendance to KWA’s Annual KY Watershed Network Summit (2025’s Summit is a special joint summit – Ohio River Basin Confluence Summit) to learn,
connect, and collaborate with other watershed leaders. Project partners include Barren River State Park, US Army Corps of Engineers, and other community partners.

Basin: Salt River Basin
Organization: Holy Cross High School
Project: Youth Action for Mill Creek: Environmental Justice Through
Education & Restoration 
This project will improve watershed conditions through nonpoint source pollution education and outreach for and by students for community related to stream sampling, litter removal, fertilizer and sedimentation runoff reduction. The project is a continuation of school-based educational programs centered at Mill Creek. The project promotes students taking ownership of their watershed and working collaboratively with other organizations in the Louisville area towards sustainability. Students will also attend KWA’s Kentucky Watershed Network Summit (2025’s Summit is a special joint summit –Ohio River Basin Confluence Summit) to share their successes, lessons learned, and to learn from watershed leaders statewide.

Basin: Big Sandy & Tygarts River Basin
Organization: Pike County Clean Community Board
Project: Pikeville River Tire Clean Up
This project supports the continuation and expansion of a tire removal project that began in 2022 to address the removal of an estimated 5000 waste tires that have been dumped in Levisa Fork and Big Sandy River in Pikeville over the years. When tires deteriorate, they release harmful chemicals, microplastics, and heavy metal into water. Removal of this unnatural stream substrate will allow the stream
bed to return to its natural gravel and stone riverbed, which will positively impact the ecosystem of aquatic animals and the natural diversity of plant life. The project includes community engagement efforts, educating local residents and stakeholders about the importance of preventing nonpoint source pollution and the role they can play in safeguarding the river and health. This outreach will help ensure continued stewardship of the watershed and promote sustainable land-use practices that support water quality protection. Lastly, the project supports attendance to KWA’s Annual KY Watershed Network Summit (2025’s Summit is a special joint summit –Ohio River Basin Confluence Summit) to learn, connect, and collaborate with other watershed leaders.