[ADEQ Media] ADEQ Director Owens Announces $35, 550 Grant to the Gila Watershed Partnership for Education Project in Upper Gila Watershed

[media@lists.azdeq.gov]

ADEQ Director Owens Announces $35,550 Grant to the Gila Watershed
Partnership for Education Project in Upper Gila Watershed

PHOENIX (July 10, 2008) - Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
Director Steve Owens today announced that the department has awarded a
$35,550 Water Quality Improvement Education Grant to the Gila Watershed
Partnership of Safford to help improve water quality in the 7,354-square
mile-watershed of the Upper Gila River.

The grant was awarded to the Gila Watershed Partnership to enhance the
Master Watershed Steward Program, a collaboration between ADEQ and the
University of Arizona Cooperative Extension that offers more than 50
hours of coursework on basic watershed science.  

"We have been working closely with the Gila Watershed Partnership for
some time to develop innovative ways to help protect the Gila Watershed
and educate people about what they can do to preserve our state's
precious water resources," Director Owens said. "This is a great
training program in a critical area of the Gila River."

The class covers general information about what watersheds are and how
they function, and is also targeted specifically to the Upper Gila
Watershed.  The stewards learn about hydrology, geology and soil types,
Arizona's climate, water quality and quantity, water management and
mapping.  

Some of the major pollutants in the watershed are nutrients, sediment,
and E. coli bacteria.  The classes will identify specific steps to clean
up the impaired waters.

The grant is funded with federal dollars provided to ADEQ under the
Clean Water Act. 

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News media interested in additional information on this or any other
topic concerning the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality should
contact the Office of Communications at (602) 771-2215 or via email at
communications@azdeq.gov.

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