Saving Puget Sound > Federal Grants

Federal Puget Sound Grant Program

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) receives federal funding to support efforts to protect and restore Puget Sound. Most of the funds are used for financial assistance to state, local and Tribal governments for their efforts to implement the Puget Sound Action Agenda.

EPA selected Ecology to receive two recent grants, one for “Toxics and Nutrients Prevention, Reduction, and Control” and one for “Watershed Protection and Restoration”. Each grant is approximately $3 million. Ecology will pass through most of the money as sub awards to other entities such as local governments.

Toxics and Nutrient Grant

The goal of the National Estuary Program (NEP) toxics and nutrients grant is to improve both human and environmental health in the Puget Sound ecosystem by preventing, reducing and controlling toxics and nutrients from entering Puget Sound fresh and marine waters.

Thousands of toxic chemicals are in use today. They are in the air, water, soil, animals, fish, and our bodies. Some toxic chemicals impair development, some affect reproduction, some disrupt body chemistry, and some cause cancer. Some chemicals have limited impacts on humans but can be devastating to fish or other species.

> See more about the Toxics and Nutrient Grant.

Watershed Protection and Restoration Grant
(assisted by Department of Commerce)

Ecology and Commerce are managing funds received from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to coordinate a six-year strategy to protect and restore watersheds that drain to Puget Sound. This strategy is based on working in partnership with local and tribal governments and other regional entities to implement practical solutions that advance the priorities of the Puget Sound Action Agenda toward achieving the ecosystem recovery targets set by Puget Sound Partnership. Commerce and Ecology will implement programs across four activity areas:

• Watershed characterization
• Land use and working lands
• Strategies to manage stormwater
• Strategies for protecting and restoring watersheds