EPA, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Southern Company celebrate community urban water conservation efforts

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Southern Company recognized the efforts of the 2014 Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Program awardees from Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Mississippi this week.

“EPA’s Five Star Restoration Grant Program promotes the revitalization and protection of our watersheds, lakes and streams,” EPA Regional Administrator Heather McTeer Toney said. “Funds provided for these community-based projects improve environmental awareness and sustainability where residents work and play.”

The grant program funds projects across the country that address water quality issues affecting their community’s natural resources, especially within coastal wetland and riparian ecosystems. Through these measures, the program has helped communities become stewards of their wetland habitats and their associated species and promote conservation and education.

“Southern Company’s support of the Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Program reflects our longstanding commitment to protecting and preserving our natural resources,” Ron Shipman, VP for the Central Region for Georgia Power, a Southern Company subsidiary, said. “We are proud to join our partners and recognize the progress made in these ecosystems for the benefit of local wildlife and the communities we serve.”