NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said around $620,000 in federal grant funds is available for Tennessee communities to address stormwater and sewer infrastructure needs.
The money is available through the Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Reuse Municipal Grant program. With the money, the EPA said communities can better manage stormwater to prevent contaminants from polluting waterways and causing health hazards.
With the upgrades, the EPA said towns and cities across the state will be able to handle increasingly intense storms made worse by climate change.
“Our nation’s waterways are vital to healthy communities. They provide sources of drinking water, support farming, power economic opportunity, and give us opportunities to swim and to fish. Keeping our waterways clean and safe is essential, and stormwater runoff is one of the biggest pollution challenges facing our water ecosystems,” said Bruno Pigott in a release, the EPA Acting Assistant Administrator for Water.
Funds through the grant program can be used to design, plan, and build sewer overflows, sanitary sewer overflows and stormwater management projects. Money was also allocated in the program for other U.S. states to improve water infrastructure across the country — totaling around $40.6 million.