Nebraska Gains $202,500 in Economic Recovery Funds to Enhance Water Quality, Create Jobs

(Kansas City, Kan., May 19, 2009) - In an effort to enhance water quality and create jobs, the E.P.A. (EPA) has awarded $202,500 to the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. A total of $39 million will be awarded nationally to states for Water Quality Management Planning (WQMP) grants.

"The funds will keep and create jobs in Nebraska to help prevent water pollution and protect human health and the environment," said William Rice, Acting Regional Administrator. "Clean water is essential to both healthy communities and healthy local economies."

Planning is an important step in EPA’s goal to enhance water quality in America’s lakes, rivers and streams. WQMP grants support a broad range of activities, such as setting standards, monitoring water quality, developing projects to restore polluted waters, and identifying ways to protect healthy waters from becoming polluted. States are also encouraged to use these funds for more innovative planning activities like developing projects to adapt to climate change, analyzing trends in water availability and use, and creating low-impact development programs. Grants are awarded to state agencies and some of the funds can be awarded to regional and interstate planning organizations.

President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 on February 17, 2009, and has directed that the Recovery Act be implemented with unprecedented transparency and accountability. To that end, the American people can see how every dollar is being invested at http://www.recovery.gov.

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