News Release

COLUMBUS, OH -- Twelve soil and water conservation districts (SWCDs) across Ohio have been awarded a total of $11,868 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.

"When combined with local matching funds, this round of mini-grants 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 carry sediment, fertilizers, oil and other pollutants into Ohio's waterways.

Since 1997, more than 90 projects totaling more than $62,000 have been funded by mini-grants in 57 Ohio's counties to promote watershed protection.