DEC Awards $495,000 in Clean Water Actions Grants

The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is pleased to award 13 Alaska Clean Water Actions (ACWA) grants to organizations across the state to protect or improve the quality of local waterways. The federally funded grants pay for water quality protection and restoration efforts.

“These grants will help reduce the harmful effects of runoff pollution and protect human health and the environment,” said Randy Bates, Director of DEC’s Division of Water. “Alaskans and our fish and wildlife can’t fully benefit from our waterways if our waters aren’t healthy enough to support all uses.”

DEC partners with the Departments of Fish & Game and Natural Resources to review the project proposals and select the grant recipients. Some of the ACWA projects help protect at-risk waters through monitoring in order to learn more about their health, while other projects are for restoration of a waterway that is considered polluted or impaired.

ACWA grants supply only part of the funding necessary to complete a project, and grant recipients are required to contribute matching funds. The projects will begin no earlier than March 2021 and must be completed by March 2023.

The next ACWA Request for Proposals cycle begins in fall 2022.