Iowa State University wins EPA grant to study value of water quality investments

Iowa State University will use an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant of $800,000 to study water quality improvements in its surrounding ecosystems and quantify their economic values, giving communities more information about the benefits of water quality investments.
 
The Iowa State University grant is one of six recently awarded, totaling $4.8 million, which will assist communities throughout the country.
 
“Clean water is a cornerstone of a healthy community. Many communities face challenging decisions about investing in the protection of water resources,” EPA Science Advisor Thomas Burke, who is also the deputy assistant administrator of the EPA Office of Research and Development, said. “These grants will help measure the costs and benefits of improving water quality, an important step toward protecting the environment and human health.”
 
Watersheds across the country are threatened by greater levels of chemical and microbial contaminants, and reductions in water quality are not always countered by the improvements yielded from regulatory actions. The six grants recently awarded by the EPA are intended to garner more information on the value of good water quality, allowing communities and experts to factor economic considerations into their investment decisions. The research will also consider the value of services available on healthy waterways, including recreational uses like fishing and boating.