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$60,000 Grant to Kansas State University

Release Date: 07/11/2012
Contact Information: Kris Lancaster, (913) 551-7557, lancaster.kris@epa.gov (news media only)

Environmental News

NEWS MEDIA ADVISORY

(Kansas City, Kan., July 11, 2012) - Josh Svaty, EPA Region 7 senior advisor; Barbara Goode, Kansas State University pollution prevention specialist; Martha Tasker, City of Salina, Kan., director of utilities; Troy Vancil, Friends of the River past president, and others will hold a news conference Friday, July 13, to announce a $60,000 urban waters grant from EPA to Kansas State University (KSU).

KSU and partners, including the City of Salina and Friends of the River, will establish a water quality monitoring program to teach residents of Salina about ways to reduce pollutants in the Old Smoky Hill River Channel in Salina. The river channel receives stormwater runoff from approximately five square miles. The educational program will focus on prevention of stream bank erosion and adoption of green infrastructure practices.

The funding is part of EPA’s Urban Waters Program, which supports communities in their efforts to access, improve and benefit from urban waters and surrounding land.

Many urban waterways have been polluted for years by runoff from city streets and contamination from abandoned industrial facilities. Healthy and accessible urban waters can help grow local businesses and enhance educational, economic, recreational, employment and social opportunities in nearby communities. By promoting public access to urban waterways, EPA will help communities become active participants in restoring urban waters while improving and protecting their neighborhoods.

EPA’s Urban Waters Program supports the goals and principles of the Urban Waters Federal Partnership, a partnership of 12 federal agencies working to reconnect urban communities with their waterways by improving coordination among federal agencies and collaborating with community-led revitalization efforts.

WHAT: Announcement of $60,000 urban waters grant

WHEN: 12:30 p.m., Friday, July 13, 2012

WHERE: Old Smoky Hill River Channel (Oakdale Park at the intersection of Fourth and South Streets, Salina, Kan. 67401)

WHO: Josh Svaty, EPA Region 7 senior advisor; Barbara Goode, Kansas State University pollution prevention specialist; Martha Tasker, City of Salina, Kan., director of utilities; and Troy Vancil, Friends of the River past president