[미국] 환경보호국, 도시용수 재활성화를 위해 보조금 지급

환경보호국이 도시용수의 재생 및 보호, 수질 향상, 지역의 우선 사항과 경제활성화를 지원하기 위해 푸에르토리코와 17개 주의 37개 단체에 210만 달러를 지급할 예정이라고 밝혔다. 기금은 지역사회의 환경과 도시용수를 향상시키기 위한 지원 프로그램인 Urban Waters program의 일환이다. 도시용수는 도시화된 수로, 강, 호수, 습지, 대수층, 만, 하구퇴적지 등을 포함한다.

환경보호국은 도시용수 연방 협력 지역으로 지정된 18개 지역에서 실시되는 프로젝트를 위해서 4만~6만달러의 보조금을 지원한다. 도시용수 연방 협력 지역은 연방기관과 지역 재활성화 노력을 조직화하고 향상함으로써 도시 지역을 재연결하기 위해 13개의 연방 기관으로 구성된다.

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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it will soon award $2.1 million to 37 organizations in 17 states and Puerto Rico to help protect and restore urban waters, improve water quality, and support community revitalization and other local priorities.

The funding is through EPA's Urban Waters program, which supports communities in their efforts to access, improve and benefit from their urban waters and the surrounding land. Urban waters include canals, rivers, lakes, wetlands, aquifers, estuaries, bays, and oceans in urbanized areas.

"People, buildings, and businesses are all concentrated in urban areas, making it even more important to protect waterways from pollution." said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. "These communities will receive grants, allowing them to help turn these waterways into centerpieces of urban renewal, spurring economic development and job creation."

EPA is awarding grants ranging from $40,000 to $60,000 for projects taking place in areas that align with the 18 designated Urban Waters Federal Partnership locations. The Urban Waters Federal Partnership is made up of 13 federal agencies working to reconnect urban communities with their waterways by improving coordination among federal agencies and collaborating with community-led revitalization efforts.

All funded projects work to advance environmental justice in their communities and focus on one of the following three categories:

Community greening and green infrastructure
Communities and water quality data
Integration of water quality and community development in planning
Many urban waterways have been polluted for years by sewage, runoff from city streets and contamination from abandoned industrial facilities. Healthy and accessible urban waters can help grow local businesses and enhance economic, educational, recreational, and social opportunities in nearby communities. By reconnecting communities to their local urban waters, EPA will help communities to actively participate in restoring urban waters while improving their neighborhoods.

[출처 = Water World / 2014년 7월 17일]