The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $2.55 million in Wetland Program Development Grants to nine states and universities across the Mid-Atlantic to support wetland protection, restoration, monitoring and assessment.

The grants will help recipients strengthen wetland management programs through mapping, monitoring tools, restoration planning and outreach. Several projects have direct implications for stormwater and flood resilience by improving the ability to identify, protect and restore wetlands that help manage water and support water quality.

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality will receive $349,675 to update its Wetland Program Plan and advance modeling tools, restoration tracking platforms and spatial datasets to improve regulatory decision-making and restoration targeting. The agency also will use the funding to support long-term wetland resilience in the face of extreme weather.

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control received $370,610 to update technical resources and applied studies and improve outreach focused on understanding and reducing degradation and pollution of Delaware's waters.

Other projects include $240,739 for the Maryland Department of the Environment to enhance tools designed to increase wetland acreage and $367,272 for the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection to expand wetland mapping and refine monitoring methods.

The College of William and Mary will use $153,044 to support wetland monitoring and assessment, wetland reconnection and restoration and nature-based coastal resilience. West Virginia University received $225,296 to develop drone-based methods for wetland assessment, restoration and protection.

EPA said the grants are intended to help states develop or refine long-term wetland protection programs while increasing their capacity to monitor aquatic resources and support community resilience.