What Happened?
The Belle Fourche River watershed between Wyoming and South Dakota will undergo a water quality improvement effort after receiving a $500,000 federal grant to remove dangerous bacteria and silt levels. The money will be used by local watershed groups to improve the river drainage for recreation and agriculture for long-term safety.
The Goal
In Belle Fourche, South Dakota, the Redwater River tested high levels of E. coli and coliform bacteria that make it too dangerous for residents to go swimming. Along with the high levels of bacteria in the river, the watershed partnership is looking to make improvements in the entire watershed through a series of grants it has collected dating back to 2007. The most recent funding was from the federal clean water nonpoint 319 grant for overall improvements to the river.
The development projects are designed to help farmers, ranchers and local recreation. The high bacteria and silt levels in the river cannot be traced to a single source of pollution, but are rather naturally occurring effects that negatively impact water safety levels. So far, about $25 million from federal funds and local participants has been allocated to watershed improvements to combat bacteria and silt, while boosting economic growth around the river.
The watershed group in charge of the river improvements is working collaboratively to conserve local water sources for irrigation and recreation while improving water quality to keep residents safe. Several efforts have been enacted to proactively protect the water source such as implementing pivot irrigation to reduce silt and cropland runoff into the river. Similar efforts not only improve water quality but reduce water waste.
With climate change and pollution issues, fresh water sources are becoming a highly sought after commodity in western states. The watershed partnership is protecting and optimizing the resource to support local residents and businesses through sustainable innovations for agriculture and recreation.
Nonpoint Source Program 319
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Water Act Section 319 provides states and local nonprofits with grants to support technical assistance, financial assistance, education, training, technology transfer, demonstration projects and monitoring of clean water measures. The 319 grant program helps state and local groups maintain beneficial uses of waters by:
- Focusing on projects to reach and maintain water quality standards throughout states
- Developing strategies to achieve goals each year efficiently
- Utilizing resources to deliver measurable water quality results with appropriate planning, staffing and implementation
- Aligning planning and resource allocation with other local programs for optimal results
- Tracking and reporting all results to enable changes and identify best practices
Under the guidelines for 319 grants, 50 percent of each state’s funding allocation must be set aside for watershed projects while the other 50 percent should be distributed to nonpoint source efforts. This will create better balance between watershed-specific efforts and more broad nonpoint source projects. While the federal government assists states and local organizations in clean water projects, the long-term success of the programs depends o public and private sector partnerships working together to prevent pollution and improve water quality standards.
Grants For Improvements
Gov1 has reported on how federal grants are being used to reduce traffic congestion and optimize efficiency across several departments to improve social and economic activity.