Source: EPA | June 22, 2020

Recently, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded the Oklahoma Office of the Secretary of Energy & Environment a grant of $287,700 in disaster relief funding for water quality programs. One focus of the funding will be assessing effects of wildfires on streams in Western Oklahoma.

“Protecting water quality requires a variety of approaches, including being prepared for and responding to natural disasters,” said Regional Administrator Ken McQueen. “EPA is pleased to continue supporting programs in Oklahoma to improve and maintain water resources.”

The funding will support programs to protect and improve water quality of rivers, lakes, groundwater, and other waterbodies and to reduce the number of impaired, or polluted, waterbodies. Planned uses of the grant include assessing effects of wildfires on stream ecosystems in Western Oklahoma and providing technical assistance for wastewater systems to develop emergency response and operation manuals.

The grant was funded through supplemental appropriations for disaster relief and awarded under a cooperative agreement between the state of Oklahoma and EPA.

To read more about EPA’s work in Oklahoma, visit https://www.epa.gov/ok.