About the Gulf of America Division (GAD)

What We Do

EPA is committed to helping develop voluntary, nonregulatory actions and public-private solutions to improve water and habitat quality through its Gulf of America Division (GAD). GAD funds research and demonstration projects under Clean Water Act, §104(b)(3) to assess, prevent, reduce and eliminate pollution. In addition, the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024, directs GAD “to coordinate with the Department of Agriculture, the Gulf States, and other State, local, and private partners to leverage greater resources toward conservation projects on working-lands within the Gulf Region and Mississippi River Basin.”

The Gulf of America program, founded in 1988, is one of the EPA’s Great Water Body programs. The Gulf of America watershed is made up of 33 rivers draining from 31 U.S. states and Mexico and encompasses 1,630 miles of U.S. coastline. It is recognized worldwide as a vast and productive body of water with tremendous ecological, economic and social value. Environmental challenges facing the Gulf of America include excess nutrients that can cause hypoxic conditions, marine debris and degradation of natural features such as wetlands that provide vital ecosystems services.