A field without cover crop. Photo courtesy of Morehouse Soil and Water Conservation District.
$1.4 million in funding will help area farmers reduce runoff
— Acting Region 4 EPA Administrator Jeaneanne M. Gettle
LOUISIANA, UNITED STATES, March 19, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ — The Gulf of Mexico Alliance recently received a grant for more than $1.4 million from the Gulf of Mexico Division of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that will be used to improve water quality in northeast Louisiana.
As part of the project, farmers will learn how to adopt innovative farming practices that can decrease nutrient runoff while also enhancing the farmers’ cash crop. When excessive runoff from farms enters into local waterways, it can negatively impact wildlife, human usage (such as fishing and swimming) and water quality down to the Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone. Using rice as a cover crop also has the added benefit of creating habitat for waterfowl.
This project will take place in the Bayou Lafourche watershed, along Upper Bayou Galion and Bayou Coulee, and will continue through 2026.
In addition to local farmers, the Alliance is working with state agency partners to implement the project, including the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry/Office of Soil and Water Conservation, and Morehouse Soil and Water Conservation District.
The project will also include educational components as well as research into how to prevent runoff from contributing to the Gulf of Mexico hypoxia zone.
“This funding will bring critical health protections and economic opportunities to the communities in the Gulf who have been overburdened by pollution,” said Acting Region 4 EPA Administrator Jeaneanne M. Gettle. “We look forward to seeing transformative projects that will work to advance protection and restoration of this vital watershed.”
“A multi-faceted project like this touches on several of our priority issues, from improving water quality in and around the Gulf to supporting underserved communities and creating habitat for wildlife,” said Laura Bowie, executive director for the Gulf of Mexico Alliance. “Thank you to EPA and to our partners for supporting important projects like this.”
Amanda Nalley
Gulf of Mexico Alliance
+1 850-345-7597
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Originally published at https://www.einpresswire.com/article/697150579/gulf-of-mexico-alliance-receives-epa-funding-for-water-quality-improvement-in-louisiana
