EPA awards Oklahoma with $855,000 grant to protect water quality.
The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $855,000 to the Oklahoma Office of the Secretary of Energy to support management of nonpoint-source water pollution, officials said in a news release.
Nonpoint-source pollution is caused by rainfall or snowmelt moving over the ground, and runoff picks up natural and man-made pollutant as it flows.
The pollution can be hard to manage because it cannot be traced to an official source, officials said.
“Improving the Nation’s water is one of EPA’s highest priorities under the Trump administration,” said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, who was Oklahoma’s attorney general before taking a position in President Donald Trump’s administration.
“This grant funds state-led programs that are working for communities throughout my home state of Oklahoma."
The EPA’s grant will help Oklahoma fund nonpoint source pollution management projects, including controlling animal wastes, sediment, pesticides and fertilizers, officials said.
“Oklahoma has shown great success in improving water quality by working directly with landowners to reduce nonpoint-source pollution,” said Michael J. Teague, Oklahoma‘s secretary of Energy and Environment.
“This award will continue to assist the Oklahoma Conservation Commission and partners to improve our state’s waters.”