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U.S. EPA GIVES ARIZONA TECHNOLOGY FUNDS

Release Date: 5/12/1995
Contact Information: Arnold Robbins, U.S. EPA, (415) 744-1486

 (San Francisco)--The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(U.S. EPA) today announced an environmental technology funds
totaling $300,000 to the Bureau of Reclamation, Phoenix, Arizona.
The U.S. EPA funds come from a $68 million Congressional
appropriation for President Clinton's Environmental Technology
Initiative (ETI) which seeks to accelerate environmental
protection, strengthen America's industrial base, and increase
exports of U.S. technologies and expertise.    

     EPA Administrator Carol M. Browner said, "These efforts will
protect health and the environment and create jobs at the same
time.  They will prevent and control pollution and reduce health
and environmental risks--cleaner, cheaper, smarter."

     Environmental technologies prevent pollution, control and
treat air and water pollution, clean-up contaminated soil and
groundwater, assess and monitor exposure levels and manage
environmental information.

     "We are really pleased to present these environmental
technology funds" said John Wise, U.S. EPA's deputy regional
administrator.  "These funds will encourage the development of
better technological solutions to environmental problems."

     In Arizona, the grant will be used to assist a project that
is already ongoing.  Wastewater effluent from the City of
Phoenix's 91st Avenue Wastewater Treatment Plant is the primary
flow of water into the Salt River.  In September 1994, the City
of Phoenix and the Bureau of Reclamation entered into a
cooperative agreement to construct, operate and perform research
on a constructed wetlands demonstration project.  The purpose of
the demonstration project is to determine the capability of
wetlands to remove contaminants from the wastewater effluent and
to improve the ecosystem and enhance wildlife habitat in the Salt
River.

     Today's grant gives the project additional funds to help
determine how the project, and others like it, would need to be
operated to comply with current environmental regulations and
what regulatory changes would be needed to encourage other
innovative technologies.

     Co-sponsors of the project include U.S. EPA Region 9, the
Bureau of Reclamation, the City of Phoenix and the Multi-City
Subregional Operating Group, Arizona Department of Environmental
Quality, and several other agencies and environmental
organizations.

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