The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has selected 24 projects to receive a combined $24 million to demonstrate innovative approaches for reducing nutrient pollution and improving water quality across the Gulf of America watershed.

The projects were selected through EPA’s Innovative Solutions for Improving Water Quality and Strengthening Local Economies in the Gulf of America Watershed funding opportunity. Awards range from $500,000 to $1 million, with projects planned over three to five years.

The funding supports nutrient-reduction demonstration projects that incorporate innovative technologies. Applicants also were required to identify potential cost savings and economic benefits associated with their approaches.

The awards span EPA Regions 4 through 8 and include projects involving state and local governments, tribes, universities, agricultural stakeholders and community organizations. EPA said the projects are intended to address nutrient runoff upstream while producing water-quality and economic benefits throughout the watershed.

The agency emphasized a watershed-scale approach, noting that nutrients and other pollutants can travel through the Mississippi River system before reaching the Gulf. Projects will test place-based strategies that EPA hopes can be scaled to address water-quality challenges across the basin.

EPA said the initiative also supports its cooperative federalism approach by combining federal funding with state leadership and local expertise.