Ten Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) employees received Governor’s Awards for Excellence for their work advancing flood resilience, water quality and habitat restoration through two Lancaster County watershed projects.

The DEP team supported the Blue Green Connector and Cocalico Creek Watershed projects using the agency’s Watershed Scale Restoration Permit and streamlined funding programs. The approach helped accelerate permit reviews and project implementation while addressing stormwater management and floodplain restoration.

For the Blue Green Connector, DEP staff coordinated permit reviews and project funding while incorporating floodplain restoration into post-construction stormwater management. An individual NPDES construction stormwater permit for a portion of the trail was issued in 40 business days, 77 days ahead of the state’s 117-business-day target.

DEP staff later applied lessons from the Blue Green Connector to the Cocalico Creek Watershed project, which will restore streams and floodplains to improve local water quality and contribute to Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts.

The agency said the projects demonstrate how coordinated permitting, flexible funding and watershed-scale planning can accelerate restoration projects while improving flood resilience and community and recreational benefits.