FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 21, 2000

COLUMBUS, OH – Seventeen soil and water conservation districts (SWCDs) across Ohio have been awarded a total of $39,849 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.

"This round of mini-grants, when combined with local matching funds, will generate more than $140,000 for education programs to protect Ohio’s lakes, rivers and streams," said Larry Vance, chief of the ODNR Division of Soil & Water Conservation.

Funded projects include educator workshops, student field days and water festivals, watershed awareness initiatives and programs targeting landowners and the general public.

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 carry sediment, fertilizers, oil and other pollutants into Ohio’s waterways.

Since 1997, more than 120 projects totaling more than $118,000 have been funded by mini-grants in 64 of Ohio’s counties to promote watershed protection.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: ATTACHED IS
A LIST OF MINI-GRANT RECIPIENTS.

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