Maryland's Howard County has been awarded a nearly $2 million grant to help protect a section of the Chesapeake Bay's vast watershed.
County executive Calvin Ball says the $1.8 million will be dispersed over years through the state's Clean Water Commerce Act grant. The money will be used to develop strategies to slash nutrient pollutants from treated wastewater entering the watershed.
The county's public works department has requested budget authority for $750,000 for the grant's first year.
Ball says the funding can help "ensure that we can all live healthier lives and better protect a treasured natural resource.''
The Chesapeake Bay is the nation's largest estuary and has a roughly 64,000-square-mile watershed.
Copyright The Associated Press