DALLAS -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently awarded the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality $176,000 to improve impaired waters and protect unimpaired waters across the state. The program is designed for watershed management planning agencies and departments to develop and implement water quality management plans.
“Protecting our nation’s water bodies and providing access to clean and safe drinking water is a top priority for the Trump Administration and EPA,” said EPA Regional Administrator Ken McQueen. “Together the EPA and the state of Louisiana are successfully working to improve water quality in the state. This grant will assist Louisiana in its important efforts to protect and restore the lakes, rivers, and streams that provide natural habitats for wildlife and act as a source for community drinking water systems.”
The funds will support Louisiana’s Water Quality Planning programs while increasing public awareness and engagement on the need for water quality protection and improvement. The funds will be used to assess water quality, identify and protect sensitive, impaired or threatened water bodies and will help ensure better storm water management practices in the future. EPA awarded the grant through the Fiscal Year 2020 Clean Water Act Section 604(b) program.
Water bodies serve as drinking water supplies, provide flood control to protect life and property, and support recreation, tourism and agriculture. These waterbodies also provide habitat for aquatic plant and animal life. When the water in our rivers, lakes and oceans become polluted, it can endanger wildlife, make our drinking water unsafe and threaten the waters in which we swim and fish. EPA supports these efforts under the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act.
