Bronx & Harlem River Watersheds (NY) — The Bronx and Harlem Rivers Urban Waters Partnership 2023/2024 workplan revision meetings will be held virtually in February and in-person in March. The Partnership is in the process of collecting input from all partners.

Caño Martín Peña (PR) —The San Juan Bay National Estuary Partnership hosted an educational day at the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve on January 14, 2023. Visitors experienced identifying vegetation at the Reserve and a treasure hunt.

Green-Duwamish Watershed (WA) — The Green-Duwamish Urban Waters Partnership finished 2022 hosting two major urban forestry gatherings in Seattle. In November, the Green-Duwamish Urban Waters Partnership and its partners served as the local host committee for the national Partners in Community Forestry Conference. The Partnership helped build tours and experiences for the over 700 attendees. The Green-Duwamish Ambassador led more than 60 national urban forestry professionals on a sold-out tour of the Duwamish River that connected with partners and local tribal members. Additionally, the Partnership and the City of Seattle co-hosted the annual gathering of the Forest in Cities network, a national partnership of over a dozen cities organized by the Natural Areas Conservancy. The event, held at the Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center, included presentations by professionals from across the country and tribal members and organizations shared Indigenous ecological restoration knowledge. The Green-Duwamish Urban Waters Partnership contributed to discussions about a national study on urban heat islands and forests.

Grand River/Grand Rapids (MI) — The Lower Grand River Organization of Watersheds (LGROW) a partner in the Grand River/Grand Rapids Urban Waters Partnership, partnered with the EPA’s Equitable Resilience Builder Tool to conduct a series of community workshops. The workshops provided residents of subwatersheds an opportunity to discuss hazards and risks, as well as actions to develop resilience for climate change in their communities. Four workshops were held in 2022 in different subwatersheds. In late December, LGROW hosted a holiday social to celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Clean Water Act. Local partners in attendance were presented with different opportunities to engage in watershed programming.

Greater Philadelphia Area/Delaware River Watershed (PA, NJ, DE) — The Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed is celebrating $11.5 million in federal funding from the 2023 omnibus spending plan signed by President Biden in December. This funding will support the Delaware River Basin Restoration Program, which invests funding to advance local projects that mitigate flooding, preserve ecologically sensitive areas and improve outdoor access across the watershed.

Middle Rio Grande/Albuquerque (NM) — The Middle Rio Grande/Albuquerque (MRG/ABQ) Partnership held a quarterly partnership meeting on December 13, 2022. At the meeting, partners presented on the Backyard Refuge Program and urban heat mapping and mitigation efforts. The MRG/ABQ Partnership location is also pleased to welcome our new steering committee member Denise Gonzalez (City of Albuquerque Sustainability Office). To learn more about the Backyard Refuge Program and urban heat mapping and mitigation efforts, click here and here.

Mystic River Watershed (MA) — The Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) and collaborators are celebrating securing $12.9 million in federal community project grants as part of the FY2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act for nine climate resilience projects for communities in the watershed. This federal funding will support many projects including the Mystic River Path Project and the Cooling Urban Heath Islands through Enhancing Urban Forests. In November, EPA awarded MyRWA $499,979 from a grant, which will be used to monitor air quality at community-identified locations in four cities in the watershed.

Northwest Indiana Area (IN) — The Northwest Indiana (NWI) Urban Waters Partnership met on January 19, 2023. During the meeting, partners discussed the 2023 NWI Urban Waters Work Plan.

Passaic River/Newark (NJ) — In December, the EPA and the U.S. Department of Justice announced a proposed consent decree with 85 potentially responsible parties for the releases of hazardous substances into the Lower Passaic River. The Parties agree to pay $150 million toward the clean-up of the Lower Passaic River. The consent decree is subject to a 45-day public comment. To view the consent decree, click here.

South Platte Watershed (CO) — The South Platte River Urban Waters Partnership (SPRUWP) held a funding workshop on January 19, 2023. The purpose of the SPRUWP Funding Workshop was to foster collaboration among partners and identify opportunities for joint funding applications. During the meeting, attendees learned about upcoming grant opportunities, identified joint needs and barriers and brainstormed project ideas.