OSMRE provides $300,000 to restore Iowa watersheds
From Oskaloosa to Beacon in Iowa, OSMRE is investing in abating and remediating abandoned coal mines.
As part of the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to clean up legacy pollution and revitalize the environment and economy of coal communities, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement has awarded $300,000 in cooperative agreements for three watershed restoration projects in Iowa. The funds, part of OSMRE’s Watershed Cooperative Agreement Program, go to non-profit watershed restoration groups and other non-profit organizations for the construction of acid mine drainage treatment facilities that help restore the biological health of local streams.
“Watersheds are essential for communities, supplying water for municipal, industrial, agricultural and recreational uses,” said Acting Regional Director William Joseph. “WCAP funds help local nonprofit groups restore watersheds negatively impacted by abandoned mine lands and support citizen-based conservation in coal communities.”