The City of Pensacola has been awarded a $940,000 Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) Program grant by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The funds will be used to restore and stabilize areas along Carpenter’s Creek and Baywoods Gulley that were damaged during the unprecedented flooding event in April 2014.
“From the moment the floodwaters receded, my staff and I have been working hard to make our city whole,†said Mayor Hayward in a press release. “This recovery has required us to find creative solutions and work closely with the County, state, and federal governments. We aggressively pursued these grant dollars and I am excited to announce that we are going to move forward with these projects.â€
The Emergency Watershed Protection program is designed to help people and conserve natural resources by relieving imminent hazards to life and property caused by floods, fires, windÂstorms, and other natural occurrences. The grant is unique in that it can be used to make repairs to private property. Because both Carpenter’s Creek and Baywoods Gulley are owned privately rather than publicly and are not FEMA-eligible, it has been challenging for the City to find dollars to make the necessary repairs.
Hayward credited the new city charter for giving him the power to pursue grants for the city. He said, “One of the biggest benefits of the strong mayor system is that I’ve been able to build relationships on the state and federal level and work to pursue our share of the dollars we send to Tallahassee and Washington.”
The City must contribute a 25% match and the project must be completed within 220 days from the date that NRCS receives the funds. The press release did not state how the city will contribute its match, $236,000.