Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

EPA Awards $4.8 Million to Six Universities to Research Water Quality Benefits

  • 09/20/16

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced funding to six universities to work with local communities to better understand the economic value of water quality.

“Clean water is a cornerstone of a healthy community. Many communities face challenging decisions about investing in the protection of water resources,” says Thomas Burke, EPA science advisory and deputy assistant administrator of EPA’s Office of Research and Development. “These grants will help measure the costs and benefits of improving water quality, an important step toward protecting the environment and human health.”

Chemical and microbial contaminants continue to reduce the quality of our water – and often at a rate that outpaces water quality improvements from regulatory actions. The research grants announced today will help communities and experts conduct benefit-cost analyses for actions that protect our waterways.

This research will also provide a critical link between water quality science and the monetary value of the services that healthy waterways provide, including recreational uses.

The grants are being awarded to the following institutions:

  • Clark University, Worcester, MA, will estimate water quality benefits throughout river systems in the Northeast.
  • Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, will create a framework for linking the health of small streams to water quality indicators and ecosystem services that people recognize and fundamentally value.
  • University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, will quantify the value of changes in water quality, both in terms of the value to the environment and their value to the economy.
  • North Carolina State University at Raleigh will develop and demonstrate methods for valuing the benefits of water quality in wadeable streams in Southeast watersheds where the surrounding area is undergoing increased urban development.
  • Michigan State University, East Lansing, will estimate value caused by changes in nutrients to the freshwater systems in Michigan.
  • Iowa State University, Ames, will quantify the value water quality improvements in Midwestern ecosystems.

More information about these grants: cfpub.epa.gov
More information about water research grants: www.epa.gov

Featured

  • St. Lucie County, Fla., Breaks Ground on New K–8 School

    St. Lucie Public Schools in St. Lucie County, Fla., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new K–8 school, according to a news release. The district partnered with Spiezle Architectural Group, Inc., for the design of the upcoming Ft. Pierce K–8 School, which comprises six buildings covering 215,000 square feet.

  • California District Opens New Continuation High School

    The Fort Bragg Unified School District (FBUSD) in Fort Bragg, Calif., recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Noyo High School, a continuation high school that provides alternative education options for students in grades 6–12, according to a news release. The district partnered with Quattrochi Kwok Architects for design and FRC Inc. for construction, and the project’s funding came from Local Bond Measure B.

  • Texas A&M Opens First Building at Fort Worth Campus, Breaks Ground on Research Facility

    The Texas A&M University System marked a major milestone in the development of its Fort Worth campus by opening its first completed academic building and breaking ground on a second facility designed to expand research and industry collaboration.