Targeted Watersheds Grant Program

What is the Watershed Initiative?

"Through policies and programs that recognize regional differences and empower individuals to be good stewards of the earth, we can and will meet the environmental challenges of the future."

—President George W. Bush

EPA conducted a national competition to select up to 20 of the nation's most deserving watersheds to receive this funding through Watershed Initiative grants. In August 2002, EPA invited Governors and Tribal Leaders to nominate their most meritorious watersheds. In response, EPA received 176 nominations including projects in every state, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Regional and National experts reviewed and evaluated the nominations from this highly competitive field. The watersheds were chosen based upon the watershed organization's demonstrated ability to achieve on-the-ground environmental results in a short time frame. Each proposal also had to exhibit strong partnerships with support, show innovation in their watershed plans, and demonstrate compatibility with existing governmental programs.

Ultimately, 20 watersheds were chosen. These outstanding watersheds are: the Meduxnekeag River, Narragansett Bay, the Charles River, the Raritan River, the Susquehanna Headwaters, the Christina River, Dunkard Creek, the Upper Tennessee River, the Cumberland River, the Great Miami River, the Greater Blue Earth Watershed, the Manistee River, the Rio Puerco Watershed, the Bayou Bartholomew, Rathbun Lake, the Upper White Watershed, the Clark Fork-Pend Oreille Watershed, the Upper South Platte, Hanalei Bay, and the Lower Columbia River.

The winning watersheds cover more than 90,000 square miles of the nation's lakes, rivers and streams. They represent our country's unique and varied landscape - from the forests of Maine to the tropics of Hawaii. These watersheds reside in urban and rural areas, encompass agricultural land, and are often threatened by suburban sprawl. Funds will go toward restoration and protection projects, such as stream stabilization and habitat enhancement, implementing agricultural best management practices, and working with local governments and homeowners to promote sustainable practices and strategies. Grants will range between $300,000 to $1 million.

Watershed Name	Lead Organization & Contact	Location
The Meduxnekeag River	Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians Brenda Commander: 207-532-4273	ME
Narragansett Bay	Partnership for Narragansett Bay http://www.ci.uri.edu/Projects/PNB/default.html	RI, MA
The Charles River	Charles River Watershed Association http://www.crwa.org/	MA
The Raritan River Basin	Stony Brook - Millstone Watershed Association http://www.thewatershed.org/	NJ
The Susquehanna Headwaters	Upper Susquehanna Coalition James Curatolo: 607-546-2528	NY, PA
The Christina River	Christina Basin Partnership http://www.wr.udel.edu/publicservice/chbasin.html	PA, DE
Dunkard Creek	Greene County Watershed Alliance http://www.greenewatersheds.org	PA, WV
The Upper Tennessee River	Upper Tennessee River Roundtable http://www.uppertnriver.org/	VA, TN, NC
The Cumberland River	Cumberland River Compact http://www.cumberlandrivercompact.org/	TN, KY
The Great Miami River	Miami Conservancy District http://www.miamiconservancy.org/	OH
The Greater Blue Earth	Three Rivers Resource Conservation and Development Council Joe Doherty: 507-345-7418	MN, IA
The Manistee River	Little River Band of Ottawa Indians Paul Ripple: 231-723-1586	MI
The Rio Puerco Watershed	Rio Puerco Management Committee Steve Fischer: 505-761-8993	NM
Bayou Bartholomew	Winrock International http://www.winrock.org	AR
Rathbun Lake	Rathbun Land and Water Alliance http://www.rlwa.org	IA
The Clark Fork-Pend Oreille	Tri-State Water Quality Council http://www.tristatecouncil.org/index.html	MT, ID, WA
The Upper South Platte	Coalition for the Upper South Platte http://www.uppersouthplatte.net/	CO
Hanalei Bay	Hanalei Heritage River Program http://www.hanaleiwatershedhui.org/	HI
The Lower Columbia River	Lower Columbia River and Estuary Partnership http://www.lcrep.org/	OR, WA