Indianapolis, In.— The Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) and the State Soil Conservation Board (SSCB) distributed more than $900,000 to Indiana’s 92 Soil and Water Conservation Districts. The funds were awarded through the Clean Water Indiana (CWI) program as part of a matching grant.
“These grants will go a long way to improve water quality across the state,” said Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development, Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch. “It’s important that we provide our conservation districts with the resources they need to be effective on the ground.”
Clean Water Indiana provides financial assistance to landowners and conservation groups that work to reduce non-point sources of water pollution. The program is administered by the SSCB and funded by a portion of the state’s cigarette tax.
Each district received roughly $10,000 to support their conservation efforts, whether that’s providing technical assistance, education, training or cost sharing programs.
“In many cases, conservation districts are the first line of defense when it comes to addressing natural resource concerns at the local level,” said Bruce Kettler, ISDA director. “We awarded these grants to supplement and reinforce those efforts.”
