Kentucky River Authority Watershed Grants
kentucky river basin grants
Funding to help you improve your watershed.
In 2003, the Kentucky River Authority initiated a Watershed Grant Program to provide financial assistance to local groups interested in engaging in watershed outreach and education, water quality sampling activities, or water improvement activities.
Watershed grants from the Kentucky River Authority have provided much-needed funding assistance for local efforts to improve water quality conditions throughout the Kentucky River Basin. Further, the projects funded by the grants help inspire community interest, education, and enthusiasm for continuing watershed initiatives.
Descriptions of current and recent grant projects are provided below. Applications for the next round of Kentucky River Authority Watershed Grants will be accepted in the fall of 2024.
Approximate grant timeline:
September 15, 2024 - Grant applications due
December 15, 2024 - Grant award notification
January / February - Funding distributed, projects may begin
June 30 of following year - Projects must be complete and final report submitted
2022 projects
Invasive Plant Clearing and Native Re-Planting Project
Recipient: Friends of Parks in Fayette County
Focus Watershed: Brannon RunTributary of South Elkhorn Creek (Fayette County)
Project Description: Invasive plants will be cleared along the stream that flows through Dogwood Park. Volunteers will assist with replanting the riparian stream buffer with native plants, shrubs and trees.
Invasive Plant Clearing
Recipient: Woodford County Parks and Recreation
Focus Watershed: Glenns Creek (Woodford County)
Project Description: As part of a broader effort to improve the Glenns Creek stream in downtown Versailles, non-native invasive shrubs and plants will be removed to prepare for more desirable streamside plantings.
Junior Water Explorer Festivals
Recipient: Bluegrass Greensource
Focus Watershed: Clark and Jessamine County Watersheds
Project Description: A one-day Junior Water Explorer event will be held in each of the focus watersheds. These events will be geared toward K-2nd grades and will include a selection of water and nature-focused hands-on activities.
Red River Cleanup Documentary and Watershed Festivals
Recipient: Kentucky Waterways Alliance
Focus Watershed: Red River (Menifee, Powell and Wolfe Counties)
Project Description: A documentary film will tell the story of the long-running cleanup effort on the Red River and encourage others to engage in cleanups of their own. Additionally, two annual Red River-focused festivals will be held to celebrate the river and provide recreational and educational opportunities.
2021 projects
Low-Head Dam Study
Recipient: Clarks Run Environmental and Educational Corporation (CREEC)
Focus Watershed: Clarks Run (Boyle County)
Project Description: Investigated feasibility to remove two low-head dams and potential for subsequent stream restoration of Danville segment of Clarks Run.
Red River Festivals
Recipient: Kentucky Waterways Alliance
Focus Watershed: Red River (Powell, Wolfe and Menifee Counties)
Project Description: Held festivals in 2021 and 2022 in conjunction with a paddling race on the Red River.
Septic Education and Tank Pumpouts
Recipient: Red Bird Mission
Focus Watershed: Middle Fork, Goose Creek, Red Bird River (Clay, Leslie and Bell Counties)
Project Description: Provided informational workshops about maintaining household septic systems. Participants were eligible to receive a free system pumpout.
Junior Water Explorer Festivals
Recipient: Bluegrass Greensource
Focus Watershed: Hanging Fork and Clarks Run (Boyle and Lincoln Counties)
Project Description: Two one-day Junior Water Explorer events were held in each of the focus watersheds. These events were geared toward K-2nd grades and included "drains to stream" stenciling at storm drain inlets.
Educational Trail and Signage
Recipient: City of Stanford
Focus Watershed: St. Asaph's Creek and Buffalo Springs Creek (Lincoln County)
Project Description: An interpretive trail was installed along the historic Buffalo Springs trail, which will be used by local school groups and community visitors.
Kentucky River School Curriculum & Art Project
Recipient: Kentucky Riverkeeper
Focus Watershed: Kentucky River Basin
Project Description: The Kentucky River keeper developed K-12 curriculum to teach about the river and water topics
2020 projects
Organization Start-Up and Community Event
Recipient: Hickman Creek Conservancy
Focus Watershed: West Hickman Creek (Fayette County)
Project Description: This newly formed organization developed a website and promotional materials and held a stream walk and cleanup event.
Stream Buffer Enhancement and Plantings
Recipient: AdventureServe Ministries
Focus Watershed: Town Creek of Jessamine Creek (Jessamine County)
Project Description: See project video here!
Boat Ramp Construction
Recipient: Kentucky Waterways Alliance
Focus Watershed: Red River (Powell County)
Project Description: KWA worked with several local and state entities to install a new boat and kayak ramp on the Red River.
Raingarden and Water Education Display
Recipient: Raven Run Nature Sanctuary, Lexington Parks Department
Focus Watershed: Raven Run (Fayette County)
Project Description: Raven Run staff created water-related curriculum for youth visitors to the park and installed a rain garden to capture and treat runoff from the park's visitors center.
Kentucky River School Curriculum & Art Project
Recipient: Kentucky Riverkeeper
Focus Watershed: Kentucky River Basin
Project Description: The Kentucky Riverkeeper worked with partners to develop multi-media classroom curriculum about the Kentucky River and water issues in general. An outcome of the project will be related artwork that will contribute to the graphic design for the annual Kentucky River Sweep cleanup t-shirt.