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LOCAL WATERSHED PROJECT TO GET $810,000 GRANT TO IMPROVE WATER QUALITY

Release Date: 11/10/2005
Contact Information:

Environmental News
Martin Kessler
(913) 551-7236
kessler.martin@epa.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 10, 2005

LOCAL WATERSHED PROJECT TO GET $810,000 GRANT TO IMPROVE WATER QUALITY

A watershed project that will address water quality issues in southeast Nebraska and northeast Kansas was selected to receive an $810,000 grant from EPA, one of 12 award recipients of the national 2005 Targeted Watershed Grants program announced today.

The Tuttle Creek Lake Watershed Partners’ project is a collaborative effort between 16 organizations in Nebraska and Kansas to use partnerships and market-based incentives to reduce herbicides, sediment, nutrients, and bacteria in a large agricultural watershed.

The watershed covers about 9,600 square miles with three-fourths of the drainage area in Nebraska and one-fourth in Kansas. (See map below.) The Big Blue River, Little Blue River, and Black Vermillion River are the primary tributaries to Tuttle Creek Lake.

The lake, north of Manhattan, Kan., was originally built in 1962 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The lake is a major source of water for the Kansas River, which supplies drinking water for Topeka, Lawrence, and Kansas City. The lake is also on the Kansas impaired waters list.

The project will improve water quality by using best management practices (BMPs) in critical sub-watersheds. The EPA grant will be used to implement existing watershed management plans, install no-till systems, establish riparian “buffer strips” and other conservation measures, and enhance educational efforts. Market-based incentives will be used to encourage and support landowner adoption of BMPs.

This project joins 34 others selected over the past two years to share nearly $39 million in EPA grants. This year’s grants total $9 million, targeting watersheds from northern Maine to the California coast.

The 2005 grantees were recognized for setting clear goals and comprehensive watershed plans. Projects across the nation include stream stabilization, culvert replacement, storm water management, and habitat enhancement. Many projects will benefit spawning fish species and natural fisheries.

The Targeted Watershed Grants program fosters community-based initiatives to help protect, preserve, and restore local or regional watersheds. The goal of the program is to build on the successes of partners who have completed all of the watershed assessments and are ready to carry out their plans. Visit https://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/initiative for more information about the program.

Nebraska	Kansas
Natural Resource Conservation Service	Kansas Cooperative Council
Natural Resource Districts	Kansas Corn Growers Association
Nebraska Department of Agriculture	Kansas Farm Bureau
Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality	Kansas Grain Sorghum Producers Assoc.
Nebraska Department of Natural Resources	Kansas Natural Resources Sub-cabinet
Nebraska Game & Parks Commission	Kansas State University
Nebraska Grain Sorghum Board	Kansas Water Office
The Groundwater Foundation
University of Nebraska-Lincoln