DEQ Director David Paylor said the Stormwater Local Assistance Fund matching grants "help communities install effective and efficient pollution control measures, such as stream restorations, constructed wetlands, and methods to filter rainwater before it washes pollution into waterways."
The agencies are soliciting research applications to conduct a multi-site study on the human health effects of exposures to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) through drinking water.
The order was completed to address numerous discharges of wastewater containing manure from the dairy to state waters during the past two years that were documented by the department, and it requires Big Island Dairy's owners to terminate their dairy operations.
"The potential risks to public health and water quality posed by unlined coal ash ponds in the Commonwealth are far too great for us to continue with business as usual," said Gov. Ralph Northam. "This historic, bipartisan effort sets a standard for what we can achieve when we work together, across party lines, in the best interest of all Virginians."
United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed decried what she called the negative consequences of the current "take, make, and dispose" global economic model, citing harmful environmental and health impacts associated with the extraction of metals used in mobile phones, plastic waste flowing into the oceans, and the huge amount of electronic waste generated every year.
The Texas Water Development Board on March 5 approved financial assistance totaling $30,024,161 for water and wastewater system projects located in three counties. Part of the funding, $4,739,161, was approved for rural projects.