The Biden administration awarded $206 million in grants Wednesday to improve water quality and reduce pollution flowing into the Chesapeake Bay.
Funded in part by the infrastructure law, EPA officials described the money as the largest investment in local assistance ever for the bay. Projects funded will include community-based efforts to manage urban and suburban runoff and programs for farmers to implement new conservation measures, among others.
At a ceremony in Arlington, Virginia, Democratic lawmakers from the Old Dominion State said the funding was critical for the bay, which has suffered from high levels of nitrogen, phosphorous and sediment pollution. With a watershed spanning five states and the District of Columbia, it is the largest estuary in North America.
“We’ve done a really good job and spent a lot of money on agricultural runoff and wastewater treatment. We’ve got to catch up on suburban stormwater runoff,” said Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.). “That is a huge contributor, and we haven’t spent as much time looking at that. Today we’re doing it.”
