The Urban Waters Federal Partnership, made up of 11 federal agencies, announced a program in seven cities to accelerate and coordinate on-the-ground projects to improve water quality and public health, restore forest resources and foster community stewardship in urban watersheds. Sponsored by EPA and the Departments of Agriculture and the Interior, the program will work with state and local governments, non-governmental organizations and other local partners “to help urban and metropolitan areas, particularly those that are underserved or economically distressed, connect with their waterways and work to improve them.”
The first Urban Waters Ambassador was selected for the Los Angeles River watershed. Later this year, the Council for Watershed Health, a local non-profit partner, will host a staffer from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development who will focus on coordinating the pilot project. Urban Waters Ambassadors will help local partners identify federal tools and resources available for local pilot projects.
Additional ambassadors will follow for the Anacostia River watershed (Washington, D.C. and Maryland), the Patapsco River watershed (Baltimore), the Bronx and Harlem River watersheds (New York City), the South Platte River (Denver), Lake Pontchartrain (New Orleans) and Northwest Indiana. Each pilot location was selected due to strong local and community leadership spearheading restoration efforts. EPA anticipates that lessons learned from these pilot locations will benefit communities across the country.
For more information on the seven projects, visit www.urbanwaters.gov/projects.html. For more information on the Urban Waters Federal Partnership, visit http://urbanwaters.gov.