EPA Selects 24 Gulf Watershed Projects for Water Quality and Local Economies
EPA Selects 24 Gulf Watershed Projects for Water Quality and Local Economies
Contact: EPA Region 4 Press Office - (404) 562-8400, region4press@epa.gov
GULFPORT, Mississippi (August 26, 2026) – Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Gulf of America Division (GAD) announced 24 projects selected from the Innovative Solutions for Improving Water Quality and Strengthening Local Economies in the Gulf of America Watershed Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). The NOFO encompassed EPA Regions 4 through 8 and the awards ranged from $500,000 to $ 1,000,000 with a 3-to-5-year project period.
The full list of award recipients and project summaries can be found here.
“EPA is proud to invest in these innovative projects, which span across various EPA regions,” said EPA Region 4 Administrator Kevin McOmber. “By deploying advanced technologies to curb nutrient runoff upstream, we are not just fixing localized water issues—we are directly safeguarding the ecological health and the vital economy of our shared Gulf of America coastline.”
“Researchers are stepping up with forward‑looking solutions to protect our waters and strengthen local economies. EPA is proud to support projects that pair nutrient‑reduction strategies with cutting‑edge technologies,” said EPA Region 5 Administrator Anne Vogel. “These grants empower farmers and local partners to test scalable innovations that improve water quality, reduce harmful algal blooms, and deliver long-term economic benefits.”
“With a vast basin, the Mississippi River empties into the Gulf of America from Louisiana carrying water, sediment and pollution accumulated from nearly every Midwestern and Eastern state. That’s why a holistic approach to water quality is so important to restoring and maintaining the health of the Gulf,” said EPA Region 6 Administrator Scott Mason. “The project winners from Louisiana, Texas and Oklahoma universities show the diverse way we can protect coastal communities and the natural, economic and recreational resources of the Gulf.”
“Every dollar we invest upstream pays dividends for water quality and local economies,” said EPA Region 7 Administrator Jim Macy. “This funding advances gold-standard science that supports farmers and rural communities, with benefits realized across the watershed and at the Gulf of America.”
“Clean, healthy water systems in upstream states shape water quality, ecosystem vitality and economic resiliency of the entire watershed,” said EPA Region 8 Administrator Cyrus Western. “These EPA grants support the ingenuity of local and state partners that know their region’s natural resources best, which will help protect and even strengthen human, environmental and economic health for all Americans.”
This funding opportunity sought applications that improve water quality through nutrient reduction demonstration projects that are enhanced by innovative technology. All applicants identified how their nutrient reduction project and use of innovative technology could lead to cost savings and economic benefits in the future.
This announcement also reflects EPA’s strong commitment to cooperative federalism. By partnering with state, local, tribal, academic, agricultural, and community stakeholders, EPA is supporting place-based solutions that leverage the expertise of those closest to the water and the land. This shared approach recognizes that the most durable progress on water quality is achieved when federal resources, state leadership, and local knowledge work together to advance common goals for the benefit of entire watersheds.
About the Gulf of America Division
The Gulf of America Division (GAD) is one of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Great Water Body programs, founded to facilitate collaborative actions that protect, maintain, and restore the health and productivity of the Gulf of America in ways consistent with the economic well-being of the region. The division maintains and expands partnerships with state and federal agencies, federally recognized tribes, local governments and authorities, academia, regional businesses and industry, agricultural and environmental organizations, and individual citizens and communities.
For more information, visit: https://www.epa.gov/gulfofamerica
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