EPA awards $30,000 to Mill Creek Alliance for increased Water Quality Monitoring and Blue Team intern program
Award part of $1.5 million in competitive grants nationwide
For Immediate Release No. 19-OPA112
CINCINNATI (Nov. 6, 2019) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that Cincinnati, Ohio-based Mill Creek Alliance (MCA) will receive a $30,000 grant to be used towards the expansion of water quality monitoring and youth workforce development programs. In total, EPA is awarding $1.5 million in competitive grants to 50 organizations working to address environmental justice issues in their communities.
Fifty percent of the grantees selected will support communities with census tracts designated as federal Opportunity Zones – an economically-distressed community where new investments, under certain conditions, may be eligible for preferential tax treatment.
“Rural and disadvantaged communities are often disproportionately affected by environmental health risks, and at EPA we are working to reverse this trend,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “These grants support the President’s initiatives to invest in and revitalize distressed communities. By supporting often overlooked, local organizations that understand the unique challenges that their communities face, we’re better able to put in place long-term solutions to improve the environment and health of underserved areas of the country.”
“EPA’s grant to Mill Creek Alliance underscores our commitment to ensuring that everyone – regardless of where they live, learn and work, deserves equal protection from environmental risks and potential health hazards,” said EPA Regional Administrator Cathy Stepp.”
EPA’s grant will help expand existing Mill Creek Water Quality Monitoring and Blue Team youth workforce development programs, which sample water sites and allows for engagement with communities that have environmental justice watershed concerns. Local youth are paired with existing sampling teams, giving them first hand sampling experience as well as environmental career education.
“The grant will enable MCA to expand our existing Water Quality Monitoring and Blue Team intern programs to have a greater impact in a number of environmental justice communities in the lower Mill Creek watershed of southwestern Ohio,” said David J. Schmitt, Executive Director, Mill Creek Alliance. The training and experience gained by Blue Team interns will equip them for greater job opportunities.”
EPA's Environmental Justice Small Grants program provides critical support to organizations that otherwise lack the funding and resources to address environmental challenges in underserved and overburdened communities. The funding will help organizations in 27 states and Puerto Rico carry out projects that will:
- Educate residents about environmental issues that may impact their health.
- Collect data about local environmental conditions.
- Conduct demonstrations and trainings to shed light on those conditions.
- Work collaboratively to address environmental justice challenges in their communities.
For descriptions of each of the 2019 Environmental Justice Small Grant awardees’ projects, visit https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/environmental-justice-small-grants-program-project-descriptions-2019.
The grants will enable these organizations to conduct research, provide education and training, and develop community-driven solutions to local health and environmental issues in minority, low-income, tribal, and rural communities. Sixteen of this year’s environmental justice grant projects are in communities that are especially vulnerable to disasters.
Specific grant projects include: reducing exposure to lead and other water pollutants; developing green infrastructure and sustainable agriculture projects; implementing basic energy efficiency measures in low-income households; and increasing overall community resiliency.
For the second year in a row, EPA’s Urban Waters program provided $300,000 in funding toward some of the grant awards. Ten of the grantees selected are communities focused on improving water quality.
This year EPA received 208 applications, which is the highest number since 2013. The grant awards provide approximately $30,000 per project for a one-year project period.
For more information on the Environmental Justice Small Grants Program, including descriptions of previously funded grants: https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/environmental-justice-small-grants-program
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