The U.S. Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency today are expected to announce a “major” new funding effort to help revitalize the Anacostia waterfront in the District and suburban Maryland.
Officials from both agencies were tight-lipped about the announcement, scheduled for 11 a.m. at the Earth Conservation Corps Center in Southeast.
Sources, however, told The Examiner that the federal agencies are partnering for the first time to offer three grants for a combined total of up to $1 million to help revitalize the blighted waterfront.
The competitive grants will be available to the Districtand Prince George’s and Montgomery counties, sources said. The Anacostia River watershed covers about 176 square miles.
Officials said the funding opportunities are not related to grant applications submitted to the EPA by the District-chartered Anacostia Waterfront Corporation for cleanup efforts on Reservation 13, the former site of D.C. General Hospital, or on Kingman Island and Heritage Island, the planned site of a new environmental education center.
Earlier this year, the EPA announced a $1.1 million grant to Prince George’s County to help clean up the Anacostia and Potomac watersheds. The county is using the funds for low-impact development projects to control storm water runoff, officials said.
