For handling nonpoint source (NPS) pollution, which stems largely from rainfall and snowmelt runoff, Wyoming’s Department of Environmental Quality (WDEQ) has been awarded $849,601 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The funds, distributed through a Nonpoint Source Program Clean Water Act Section 319 grant, will help protect both human health and the environment, EPA officials said in a release. The grant is awarded for efforts to mitigate surface and ground water pollution to maintain pure water quality.
“Wyoming’s waters are a precious natural resource (with) tremendous impact on our local economy and every facet of our way of life,” U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) said in a release. “The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality deserves to be recognized for crafting effective, efficient and actionable watershed plans worthy of this funding that will help to improve the quality of our impaired waters today and for generations to come.”
WDEQ has identified seven projects to benefit from the award, ranging from watershed planning and stormwater sediment issues to stream restoration and educational initiatives. Participation in the EPA’s program, while voluntary, creates incentives through local focus, partnership, measurable improvements and good administration.
Pathogens, sediment, and selenium are the top three nonpoint source impurities responsible for most of Wyoming’s surface water quality issues.
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