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EPA grant to help retrofit storm water system in Worland, Wyoming

Release Date: 06/26/2012
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EPA grant to help retrofit storm water system in Worland, Wyoming

EPA awarding $2.7 million nationwide to revitalize urban waters

Contacts: EPA: Lisa McClain-Vanderpool (303)312-6077; Stacey Eriksen (303)312-6692; Washakie County: Victoria Dietz (307)347-2456x101

(Denver, Colo. – June 26, 2012) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is awarding $60,000 to the Washakie County Conservation District to help assess the City of Worland’s storm drain infrastructure and to develop best practices for retrofitting the system. Currently, stormwater from the City of Worland drains directly to either the Bighorn River or the Lower Hanover Canal contributing pollution the District hopes to eliminate in the future. Today’s announcement is part of $2.7 million EPA is providing for projects across the country to help restore urban waters, support community revitalization and protect Americans’ health.

EPA is awarding grants ranging from $30,280 to $60,000 to 46 organizations in 32 states and Puerto Rico. The projects selected for the funding will promote the restoration of urban waters through community engagement and outreach, water quality monitoring and studies, and environmental education and training. To view a list of the projects that will be funded, visit https://www.epa.gov/urbanwaters/funding

Many urban waterways have been polluted for years by sewage, runoff from city streets and contamination from abandoned industrial facilities. Healthy and accessible urban waters can help grow local businesses and enhance economic, educational, recreational and social opportunities in nearby communities. By reconnecting communities to their local urban waters, EPA will help communities become active participants in restoring urban waters while improving their neighborhoods.

EPA’s Urban Waters program supports the goals and principles of the Urban Waters Federal Partnership, a partnership of 12 federal agencies working to reconnect urban communities with their waterways by improving coordination among federal agencies and collaborating with community‐led revitalization efforts.

The Urban Waters Federal Partnership closely aligns with and advances the work of the White House’s place‐based efforts, including the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, to revitalize communities, create jobs and improve the quality of life in cities and towns across the nation. The Urban Waters Federal Partnership also advances the work of President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors Initiative.

Information on EPA’s Urban Waters program: https://www.epa.gov/urbanwaters/index.html

Information on the Urban Waters Federal Partnership: http://urbanwaters.gov/