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EPA awards $5,090 to rain garden project

Release Date: 8/4/2005
Contact Information:

CONTACT: Kären Thompson, (312) 353-8547

For Immediate Release
No. 05-OPA142

CHICAGO (Aug. 4, 2005) — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 has awarded a $5,090 environmental education grant to Rock River Coalition, Watertown, Wis., for its rain garden project.

Rock River Coalition will work with youth, adults and community leaders to design and install demonstration rain gardens at three area schools. Rain gardens help reduce water runoff that often overloads city sewer systems. Teachers will educate their students about water issues both in the classroom and at the demonstration sites.

Rock River Coalition is among 16 organizations in the six-state region that received a total of $194,900 in environmental education grant money this year from EPA. More than 130 proposals were received from groups in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin.

EPA grants are awarded yearly under the National Environmental Education Act, which was passed in 1990 to stimulate environmental education through design, demonstration and communications projects conceived by local organizations.