Tampa Bay Estuary Program funds $625K in environmental projects
By Janelle Irwin
Water and habitat restoration in Tampa Bay are getting a $625,000 boost this year. The Tampa Bay Estuary Program announced nine projects during a press conference at Clam Bayou in St. Petersburg Tuesday. Holly Greening, executive director for the program said despite continuing need for water quality improvements, Tampa Bay is the cleanest and clearest it’s been since the 1950s.
“We’ve got over 18 projects now that we’ve been able to fund over the last two years through the environmental restoration fund and resulting in many more acres of coastal habitat restored, lots of water quality improvements and some very important research projects.”
The environmental restoration fund provided nearly a million dollars in grants last year for things like oyster reefs, seagrass planting and removal of invasive species. The funding also provides research grants this year to reduce nutrient pollution.