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EPA Announces $380,000 in Grants for Long Island Sound Research and Pollution Prevention Programs in Connecticut

Release Date: 10/05/2001
Contact Information: Andrew Spejewski, EPA Press Office, (617) 918-1014

NEW LONDON, CT -- Robert W. Varney, regional administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's New England office, today announced $380,000 of grants to the state of Connecticut for Long Island Sound research and pollution prevention programs.

Varney announced the grants -- $300,000 for water monitoring efforts in the Sound and $80,000 for pollution prevention efforts -- in a speech this morning in New London to the Connecticut Business and Industry Association's Environmental Policies Council.

"These grants are all about giving Connecticut residents the information they need to make good environmental choices," said Varney. "Whether it's information about water quality in Long Island Sound, or information about reducing pollution at local businesses, putting this knowledge into the public's hands will help people make choices that are good for them and good for the environment."

"We're delighted that a project with proven success in Connecticut is being extended to the New York side of the Sound," said William J. Muszynski, acting regional administrator for EPA Region 2, which covers New York and New Jersey. "In a major metropolitan area comprised of islands, it's essential that we remember the aquatic ecosystems that surround us and keep close watch on how what we do to our environment affects them."

"Both of these grants are very important to Connecticut's future," said Arthur J. Rocque Jr., commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (CT DEP). " MySound provides a simple, direct window on water quality improvements in Long Island Sound that is accessible to everyone through the miracle of high technology. The pollution prevention grant allows us to continue our pursuit of eliminating environmental problems before they occur. EPA is an important partner in both of these efforts and I'm grateful for their support."

Two grants, including $180,000 from EPA's National Environmental Monitoring for Public Access and Community Tracking (EMPACT) Program and $120,000 from EPA's Long Island Sound Program, were awarded to the University of Connecticut to support its "MySound" water quality monitoring project in the Sound.

MySound is an ongoing project (previously funded by EMPACT) to gather real-time information on water quality in Long Island Sound, and make it instantly available to the public and researchers via a web site and kiosks at the Norwalk Aquarium. Currently, the MySound project includes five monitoring stations on the Connecticut coast and in the Sound.

Today's grants will allow the project to add five more stations to the network, including the north shore of Long Island and New York City Harbor. Partners in the project include the Suffolk County Health Department, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, the Coast Guard Academy, the Norwalk Aquarium, the Bridgeport Regional Aquaculture School, the Sound School in New Haven, the Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor, and Save the Sound. Current data is on-line at http://www.mysound.uconn.edu

Over the past 15 years, EPA has provided more than $15 million to support research and cleanup activities in the Sound through the Long Island Sound Study.

"The additional funding represents a great opportunity for the University of Connecticut and other MySound partners to sustain this project in the years to come," said Peter Tebeau, outreach coordinator for the MySound Project at UConn. "This project is a great example of collaboration among federal agencies, academic institutions and environmental groups to both gather important environmental data and promote an awareness of the various problems and issues facing Long Island Sound."

The third grant is an $80,000 award to the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection for pollution prevention initiatives. DEP will use the grant for the following four projects:

• expanding an ongoing partnership with the Connecticut State Technical Extension Program to help manufacturers develop and improve environmental management systems
  
• working with the state Department of Motor Vehicles to provide pollution prevention advice to the facilities that the agency inspects each year
  
• providing information on environmentally sound ‘green' building techniques to homebuilders and public officials
  
• developing a workbook on environmentally friendly sustainable living for Connecticut residents.