The Department of Ecology will provide over $600,000 in funding for water quality improvement projects across the state.
Officials with DOE announced fifteen locally-sponsored projects across Washington that restore or protect the natural environment will receive up to $50,000 in state grant funding to move forward.
According to a release, the department is awarding nearly $640,000 to fund these projects to improve water quality and the natural environment in multiple watersheds around Washington.
This includes a project in Grays Harbor.
Beginning June 1, the grants will pay for a variety of projects such as river cleanup, tree planting, bank restoration, invasive plant removal, and natural stormwater infrastructure.
Locally, the Grays Harbor Conservation District will receive $50,000 to support ongoing efforts to restore ecological function along the Lower Satsop River by revegetating areas along the right bank of the river with native trees and shrubs.
The grants are funded through the Terry Husseman Account, designed to help local governments, conservation and port districts, tribal governments, fisheries enhancement groups, and other state agencies pay for environmental projects.
The Terry Husseman Account is funded by payments from penalties we issue for violations of the state Water Pollution Control Act. The account is named after long-time Ecology deputy director Terry Husseman who died in 1998 and honors contributions in the field of environmental management.
We evaluated 22 different project proposals worth nearly $962,116. Our grants staff weighed each proposal’s expected environmental benefits, local support and involvement, budget and cost effectiveness, readiness to proceed, and project schedule.
Two new evaluation metrics — environmental justice and climate change — were added to the criteria this year.
Southwest Washington
(includes Clallam, Clark, Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, Pierce, Skamania, Thurston and Wahkiakum counties)
Central Washington
(includes Benton, Chelan, Douglas, Kittitas, Klickitat, Okanogan and Yakima counties)
Eastern Region
(includes Adams, Asotin, Columbia, Ferry, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, Walla Walla and Whitman counties)
Northwest Washington
(includes Island, King, Kitsap, San Juan, Skagit, Snohomish and Whatcom counties)