The federal government and area farmers could help improve the quality of water flowing through area rivers and streams.
Washtenaw County is seeking grant funding through the Farm Bill to reduce the amount of pollutants that get into waterways.
Water Resources Commissioner Evan Pratt says the grants would be used to pay farmers for agricultural conservation efforts. "Things like no till farming practices or using filter strips between their tilled land and the water courses. So all of those things help reduce the amount of phosphorous and nitrogen," Pratt says.
The county will be particularly targeting farms that have steep slopes close to waterways.
Pratt says the techniques are similar to existing efforts to reduce non-point source pollution. This pollution is partly to blame for algae blooms in Lake Erie.
Like 89.1 WEMU on Facebook and follow us on Twitter— Andrew Cluley is the Ann Arbor beat reporter, and anchor for 89.1 WEMU News. Contact him at 734.487.3363 or email him acluley@emich.edu.
