EPA adds 11 new locations to Urban Waters Federal Partnership

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) along with other federal agencies has added 11 new locations to its Urban Waters Federal Partnership programme.

The federal agencies include the White House Council on Environmental Quality, the US Department of Agriculture, the US Department of the Interior, and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Launched in 2011, the Urban Waters Federal Partnership is aimed at working to restore and revitalise waterways and their environments surrounding communities and overlooked assets, to boost recreation, help local economy, create jobs and protect health.

Urban waterways are used as a source of drinking water and for numerous other activities, including boating, fishing and swimming.

The Council on Environmental Quality chair Nancy Sutley said the waterways are assets that should be able to be accessed by communities.

"Through this innovative initiative, Federal agencies are working together with local partners to focus their resources and expertise on revitalising urban waterways and promoting the health and economies of surrounding communities," Sutley added.

The US Department of Education and the US Department of Energy will join 11 existing federal agencies of the partnership to further aid the programme by their respective expertise and resources.

The 11 new project locations added to the Urban Waters Federal Partnership are Big River and Meramec River watersheds near St. Louis in Missouri, Delaware River Basin that covers Philadelphia, Camden, New Jersey, Chester, Pennsylvania, and Wilmington, Delaware, and Grand River in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

It also includes Green-Duwamish River in Seattle, Mystic River watershed in Greater Boston, Martin Pena Canal in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Middle Blue River in Kansas City, Missuori, Middle Rio Grande in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The list also includes Passaic River in Newark, New Jersey, Proctor Creek watershed in Atlanta, and Western Lake Erie Basin near Toledo, Ohio.

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Image: The Meramec River is one of the 11 new waterways added to the Urban Waters Federal Partnership programme to revitalise water bodies in the US. Photo: Courtesy of Kbh3rd.