Jim Thorpe Borough received a financial boost late last month for ongoing environmental efforts at the Silk Mill Run.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Aug. 29 the borough would get $165,000 in funding through the Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund for its restoration initiative.

Forty-five projects across the Delaware River watershed were funded through the grant, which was issued in partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

The local project focuses on restoring the Silk Mill Run, a direct tributary of the Delaware River. With an aim to enhance the ecological health of the stream and its surrounding areas, the project will reconnect 1.5 miles of stream, restore 1.5 acres of floodplain, and plant 40 trees.

“We have been fortunate to secure a few nice grants for this project. I think this is the third one,” said Borough President Greg Strubinger. “This is roughly a $700,000 to $800,000 project when it is all said and done, and we’re looking to take care of it with grant funds.”

The borough has been working closely with the Wildlands Conservancy since 2021, signing a memorandum of understanding to guide the project.

Wildlands Conservancy officials said the efforts are designed to create better habitats for brook trout and pollinators, which are vital to the region’s biodiversity.

The ponds behind the dam in Silk Mill Run have accumulated sediment over time, they added, which has negatively impacted the habitat for macroinvertebrate organisms. The removal of the dams will allow fish to swim upstream freely, re-establishing conditions suitable for reproduction and growth.

The project is expected to cost approximately $315,000 for construction, with half coming from the NFWF grant and the other half, borough officials are hopeful, from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

“For the DEP grant, a 15% match of approximately $23,000 is required, which Wildlands will cover through their time and previous expenses,” Kristie Fach, Director of Ecological Restoration for the Wildlands Conservancy, said earlier this year.

Borough Secretary Brooke Klotz said during Thursday night’s borough workshop that construction could begin in 2025, pending final approvals and additional funding.