EPA announces South Platte River as one of seven Urban Waters Federal Partnership locations (CO)
Federal agencies join to support local efforts to revitalize urban waterways
(Denver, Colo. – June 24, 2011) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today, along with partners representing 11 federal agencies, announced the South Platte River as one of seven national Urban Waters Federal Partnership Pilot projects. This project will help protect one of Denver’s primary sources of drinking water, while supporting ongoing technical, education and research projects, and facilitating a growing population’s connection to its urban waterways. The federal partner agencies will work with the City and County of Denver, The Greenway Foundation, Groundwork Denver, the Trust for Public Land, the State of Colorado, Denver Water, local organizations, and businesses.
Today’s announcement is part of a new
federal partnership that aims to stimulate regional and local
economies, create local jobs, improve quality of life, and protect
Americans’ health by revitalizing urban waterways in
under-served communities across the country. The Urban Waters
Federal Partnership (UWFP), an innovative federal union comprised
of 11 agencies, will focus its initial efforts on seven pilot
locations: the Patapsco Watershed (Maryland), the Anacostia
Watershed (Washington DC/Maryland), the Bronx & Harlem River
Watersheds (New York), the South Platte River in Denver (Colorado),
the Los Angeles River Watershed (California), the Lake
Pontchartrain Area (New Orleans, LA), and the Northwest Indiana
Area. Each of the pilot locations already has a strong restoration
effort underway, spearheaded by local governments and community
organizations. Lessons learned from these pilot locations will be
transferred to other cities in the country.
Led by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of the
Interior and the U.S. Department of Agriculture and coordinated by
the White House Domestic Policy Council, the Urban Waters Federal
Partnership closely aligns with and advances the work of the other
White House place-based efforts such as the Partnership for
Sustainable Communities by revitalizing communities, creating jobs
and improving the qualities of life in cities and towns across the
nation. The partnership also supports President Obama’s
America’s Great Outdoors Initiative aimed at making the
Federal Government a better partner with communities that are
working to provide safe, healthy and accessible outdoor spaces.
Like these other efforts, the UWFP represents another example of
how the Obama Administration is promoting more efficient and
effective use of federal resources through better coordination and
targeting of federal investments.
U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, U.S. Secretary of the
Interior Ken Salazar, White House Domestic Policy Council Director
Melody Barnes, Council for Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley
and representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the
Department of Housing and Urban Development announced the
partnership along the Patapsco River in Baltimore today where they
participated in environmental education activities with Baltimore
students. Americans use urban waterways like the Patapsco River as
sources of drinking water and for a variety of activities including
boating, fishing and swimming. Cleaning up and restoring these
water resources is essential to protecting Americans’ health
and improving their overall quality of life. Revitalizing these
urban waterways will also reconnect citizens to open spaces, and
will have a positive economic impact on local businesses, tourism
and property values, as well as spur private investment and job
creation in these communities.
“There is a range of health and environmental challenges facing our urban waters today -- but each challenge is matched by an incredible opportunity to transform distressed urban waterfronts into centerpieces for community revitalization,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “Urban waters have the potential to support healthy environments, growing business and educational and recreational activities. By bringing together the experience and expertise of multiple federal partners, we have a chance to reconnect local residents, young people and community groups with the environmental resources all around them.”
“Water is the lifeblood of our
communities and we must care for our watersheds and urban waterways
around the nation,” said Secretary of the Interior Ken
Salazar. ”Through this partnership and President
Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors initiative, Interior
is committed to increasing public access to river resources,
helping restore and protect habitat and wildlife, educating and
employing our youth, and assessing and helping safeguard water
quality.”
“Conserving our natural heritage is an objective shared by
all Americans,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
“The Urban Waters partnership will not only give thousands of
urban Americans access to the great outdoors in a way they
haven’t had before, it also creates partnerships between the
federal government and American communities on conservation issues.
At USDA, the Forest Service and Natural Resources Conservation
Service are working in thousands of communities across the country
to conserve and revitalize forests and watersheds, many impacting
urban areas. At the same time, we’re connecting people with
our land and resources by promoting outdoor activities and
healthier lifestyles.”
“This important partnership is yet another example of the way
that the Obama Administration is changing the way that government
does business,” said DPC Director Melody Barnes. “At a
time when every dollar the federal government invests in
jumpstarting the economy is critical, we are finding ways to create
unprecedented collaboration among the federal agencies, invest
American’s tax dollars more wisely and efficiently, and act
as better partners with local communities.”
“Too often, pollution, lack of access, and other barriers don’t allow urban residents to reap the health and economic benefits of rivers and other nearby waterways,” said Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. “As called for by President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors Initiative, the Urban Waters Federal Partnership increases Federal coordination with local communities to support their work towards cleaner, healthier rivers and waters.”
“The Urban Waters Federal Partnership marks a significant step towards revitalizing an often overlooked resource in our urban communities,” said HUD Deputy Secretary Ron Sims. “Urban waterways have the potential to significantly improve urban communities, so I am pleased that HUD has a role in providing these pilot cities with the necessary tools to spur the creation of local jobs, economic development and protect Americans’ health.”
“The partnership offers an opportunity to realize urban waterway and watershed revitalization goals that are larger than, and beyond the resources of any individual community, agency, or mission. We can deliver solutions to help urban communities enjoy and prosper from healthy waters through collaboration with other agencies and the communities we collectively serve, said Ms. Jo-Ellen Darcy, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, one of the initiative’s 11 federal partners, “The Department of the Army for Civil Works is committed to the vision, mission, and principles of this partnership. We are ready to assist in securing more vibrant and sustainable urban waters.”
For more information, visit www.urbanwaters.gov
For a fact sheet on the South Platte River pilot project, visit: https://www.urbanwaters.gov//pdf/denver.pdf
11 Agencies of the Urban Waters
Federal Partnership
Environmental Protection
Agency
· Use statutory authority to protect and preserve water quality and provide assistance in assessing and addressing legacy contamination.
Department of Interior
· Assist in building trails; increase public access to river resources; help restore and protect habitat and wildlife; educate and employ urban youth; and assess and help safeguard water quality.
United States Department of Agriculture
· Help communities to plan, manage, and sustain farm and forest landscapes on public and private ownership along a complex rural to urban gradient to promote watershed health and protect water resources, from the source to the faucet.
Corporation for National and Community Service
· Recruiting, organizing and maximizing the impact of community volunteers.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
· CDC/ATSDR will serve to offer guidance and technical assistance to local health officials and community members in conducting community-based environmental health assessments and creating an accurate and verifiable profile of communities’ environmental health status.
Department of Commerce/Economic Development Administration
· Foster the creation of high-skill jobs and the generation of private capital investment in distressed communities.
Department of Commerce/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
· Provide unique scientific products and services designed to boost economic vitality, restore habitat, and mitigate hazards and contamination in coastal, Great Lakes, and other locations.
Army Corps of Engineers
· Offer engineering services, research and technical support to stakeholders during the planning, design, construction and operation of water resources and associated environmental infrastructure.
Department of Transportation
· Help the community in designing improved transportation corridors, bikeways, walkways
Housing and Urban Development
· Help the community improve access to affordable housing.
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
· Assist with health studies related to community environmental conditions.