The National Park Service (NPS) has released $750 million in funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) for a total of 766 projects, including work on buildings, monuments, trails and water and sewer lines, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released $615.8 million in ARRA funding for water and environmental projects in 34 states.
California received the largest allocation from the NPS, amounting to $97.4 million for 97 projects. The District of Columbia followed, with $76.9 million for 11 projects. The state of Washington received $62.2 million in NPS funding for 33 projects, including $54.7 million for six projects associated with the removal of the Elwha Dam and the restoration of the Elwha River Basin in Olympic National Park.
The USDA funding will be allocated to 193 projects that, according to the department, will create or save an estimated 12,385 jobs. These projects include the connection of 1,000 homes in the Yuma, Ariz., area to a municipal water treatment system, and the construction of a wastewater treatment plant serving the municipalities of Ruidoso and Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico.
Source: Environmental Business Journal
