EPA: $2.1M for California Wetlands and Streams

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded more than $2.1 million in grants to protect and restore wetlands and streams across California.

“Healthy wetlands and streams are key to the vitality of California communities and its economy,” said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. “These projects help to better understand and protect these important resources.”

Napa County will receive $822,000 for restoration work along the Napa River through EPA’s San Francisco Bay Water Quality Improvement Fund. The grant will also assist with development of restoration designs for an additional 36 acres of riparian forest, 8 acres of freshwater wetlands, and 6,800 linear feet of streambank.

This project is part of Napa County’s broader effort to restore 14 miles of the Napa River and improve flood protection and steelhead trout habitat.

EPA also awarded wetland program development grants for the following projects:

• Southern California Coastal Water Research Project received a combined $670,403 for two projects;
• Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy received $300,000 for an evaluation of wetlands in the Delta and Suisun Marsh;
• California State Coastal Conservancy received $275,000 to assess salt marsh vulnerability to sea-level rise and the impacts of marsh retreat on carbon sequestration (long-term storage) in Humboldt Bay. This information will be used to manage water quality and wetlands in the estuary, and to support development of a long-term program for the beneficial reuse of dredging sediments;
• Sonoma County received $91,601 to develop mapping methods to more accurately identify the location of streams and adjacent conservation areas.