News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 3, 2000

ODNR AWARDS 11 MINI-GRANTS FOR WATERSHED EDUCATION PROJECTS

COLUMBUS, OH -- Eleven soil and water conservation districts (SWCDs) across Ohio have been awarded a total of $16,780 in state mini-grants to spur awareness of how nonpoint source pollution impacts local watersheds.

Administered by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), mini-grants are awarded for as much as $1,000 for individual SWCD applications and up to $5,000 for joint SWCD applications. The awards are issued twice a year, in May and December.

"This round of mini-grants, when combined with local matching funds, will generate more than $50,000 for education programs to protect Ohio’s lakes, rivers and streams," said Larry Vance, chief of the ODNR Division of Soil and Water Conservation.

Funded projects include stream monitoring programs, teacher and student nonpoint source pollution workshops and educational brochures promoting best management practices.

According to Vance, nonpoint source pollution is the state’s largest contributor of water contamination, as water run-off from roadways, parking lots, farm fields, construction sites and suburban lawns carries sediment, fertilizers, oil and other pollutants into Ohio's waterways.

Since 1997, more than 100 local projects totaling more than $80,000 have been funded by ODNR mini-grants in 63 Ohio counties to promote watershed protection.

For Further Information Contact:
Jeanne Russell, ODNR Division of Soil and Water Conservation
(614) 265-6682
-or-
Andy Ware, ODNR Media Relations
(614) 265-6882