The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is providing technical assistance and funding to Onondaga County in stormwater and wastewater projects planning.
The EPA will fund Onondaga County project with $335,000 in addition to four other communities in Vermont, New Hampshire, California, and Missouri.
EPA will share technical expertise besides financial aid for the project specifically to Onondaga County Department of Water Environment Protection which has chalked out strategy to identify, evaluate, and implement stormwater and wastewater projects.
The aim of the department is to protect and improve the water environment of Onondaga County in a cost-effective manner, according to official website.
The requests for the project were evaluated on the basis of human health and water-quality challenges, innovative approaches, community and national impacts, and commitment to integrated planning.
Integrated planning allows communities to arrange projects to start on highest priority basis. EPA technical assistance will help recipients meet Clean Water Act requirements for water management in a cost-effective and environmentally beneficial way, states the official website.
The Onondaga County Stormwater Management Program is designed to address pollutants of concern (POCs) and reduce the discharge of pollutants from the MS4 to the maximum extent practicable (MEP), protect water quality, satisfy water quality requirements of the NYS Environmental Conservation Law and Federal Clean Water Act.
Since 2007, EPA has released policy memos encouraging green infrastructure to meet regulatory requirements and Strategic Agendas describing the actions of the Agency.
As part of the community commitment, EPA has organized various technical assistance projects aiming clean energy implementation as well as to manage technical, regulatory, and institutional opportunities to build a greener community.
In 2012, EPA selected 17 communities to receive technical assistance in 2012, 5 communities in 2013, and 14 communities in 2014.