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

  • USC Launches Major AI Initiative After $200M Gift

    The University of Southern California in Los Angeles, Calif., recently announced that it has launched a “transformational” new AI initiative thanks to a $200M gift, according to a news release. The project will leverage AI toward breakthroughs and innovations in subjects like the health sciences, business, security, and the arts.

  • Rowan University, HPE Partner on New Learning Initiative

    Rowan University in Glassboro, N.J., recently announced that it has expanded its partnership with enterprise technology provider HPE to improve research capabilities and hands-on learning opportunities, according to a news release.

  • From Approval to Opening: Inside Travis Unified School District’s Fast Tracked Campus Expansion

    The Travis Unified School District (TUSD) in northern California includes several elementary and high schools serving over 5,400 students. In 2024, the TUSD Board approved the addition of sixth grade to the Golden West Middle School campus for the 2025–26 school year, setting in motion an accelerated effort to bring new facilities online in less than a year.

  • Surging Demand for Student Housing Fuels Major Campus Investment Opportunities

    University leaders throughout the U.S. are accelerating plans to modernize and expand student housing as enrollment stabilizes and demand for on-campus living rebounds. Recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics indicates that total postsecondary enrollment is projected to grow through the end of the decade, with undergraduate enrollment alone expected to increase by more than 8 percent by 2030.