Grant to help state water programs

The office of Oklahoma’s secretary of energy and environment has been awarded a $855,000 grant from the EPA to support management of nonpoint-source water pollution, the agency announced this week.

Nonpoint-source pollution is caused by rainfall or snowmelt moving over the ground. It picks up natural and man-made pollutants as it flows, depositing the material into lakes, rivers and groundwater, EPA said. It’s a difficult pollution to manage since it can’t be traced to a single source.

“Improving the nation’s water is one of EPA’s highest priorities under the Trump administration,” EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said in a statement. “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 non-pointsource pollution management projects such as controlling animal wastes, sediment, pesticides and fertilizers; watershed planning and monitoring; and education and outreach programs.

“Oklahoma has shown great success in improving water quality by working directly with landowners to reduce non-point source pollution,” said Michael 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.”