A federal grant of roughly $330,000 has been made available to help communities address stormwater and sewer infrastructure needs in Mississippi.
The Environmental Protection Agency is allocating the funds through the Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Reuse Municipal Grant program. Safely managing stormwater is critical to preventing contaminants, including untreated sewage, from polluting waterways, the federal agency contends.
EPA’s grant funding is available to states to support projects in cities and towns that will strengthen their stormwater collection systems to be more resilient against increasingly intense rain events.
“Our nation’s waterways are vital to healthy communities. They provide sources of drinking water, support farming, power economic opportunity, and give us opportunities to swim and to fish. Keeping our waterways clean and safe is essential, and stormwater runoff is one of the biggest pollution challenges facing our water ecosystems,” EPA Acting Assistant Administrator for Water Bruno Pigott said.
When rain and floodwaters overrun combined sewer and stormwater systems, they bypass treatment and transport pollution and sewage directly into creeks, streams, and rivers. These untreated discharges threaten human health, economic prosperity, and ecological function.
Through changes made by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this grant program will prioritize stormwater infrastructure projects in rural and/or financially distressed communities and prevent cost-share requirements from being passed on to these communities.
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