This agreement provides funding under the infrastructure investment and jobs act (IIJA) (PL 117-58) to ohio river valley water sanitation commission

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded a $400,000 Project Grant under the Non-State Member Support for the Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan program (CFDA 66.487) to the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO), also known as Orsanco. The purpose of this 4-year grant is to support and advance the Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan through the implementation of ORSANCO's work plan. Key activities include:

• Collecting monthly water quality samples at 11 locations identified by the Hypoxia Task Force Monitoring Workgroup to improve nutrient load estimates from the Ohio River basin and its tributaries. This will result in 212 total water quality samples over the project period.
• Entering the water quality data into EPA's Water Quality Exchange (WQX) on a quarterly basis and submitting an annual report.
• Facilitating 4 annual meetings of the Ohio River Sub-Basin Committee and additional basin states to coordinate strategies for reducing nutrient pollution.

The intended beneficiaries of this project include Hypoxia Task Force members, states, tribes, and other partners working to address the Gulf of Mexico's hypoxic zone. No sub-awards are included in this assistance agreement.

Specifically, the purpose of this agreement is to support and advance the gulf hypoxia action plan through implementation of ohio river valley water sanitation commission's workplan. The monitoring workgroup of the hypoxia task force has identified critical sampling locations to allow for annual nutrient load estimates. Many of these locations do not have sufficient samples over the year to allow for load estimates. This project will collect monthly samples at 11 locations identified by the monitoring workgroup and in consultation with the states to allow for improved load estimates from the ohio river basin and its tributaries. In addition this project will allow for 4 annual meetings of the ohio river sub-basin committee and additional basin states that are not members of the task force. Activities:the activities include the following: - samples will be collected monthly except for the final three months of the grant period. This will allow the final samples to be analyzed within the grant period and a final report written. - data will be entered into WQX on a quarterly basis and an annual report will be submitted to usepa's grants tracking and reporting system. - the annual meeting of the ohio river sub basin committee will be scheduled for may of each year. Assuming a project start date of january 1, 2024, this will be in the second quarter of each project year. - results of the annual meeting will be reported to the orsanco commission at the june commission meeting. The results of the sampling and annual meeting will be reported to the HTF at the annual task force meeting (typically december of each year. Subrecipient:no subawards are included in this assistance agreement.outcomes:the anticipated deliverables include 1) 53 water quality samples at each location, totaling 212 samples for the entire project, 2) water quality data on nitrate/nitrite, total kjeldahl nitrogen, total phosphorus, and ortho phosphate, and 3) annual meetings with ohio river basin states. The expected outcomes include 1) sufficient data at three ohio river locations and nine tributaries to improve nutrient load estimates from the ohio river basin, and 2) engagement of disadvantaged communities as well as states outside of the hypoxia task force (west virginia and pennsylvania). The intended beneficiaries include hypoxia task force members, states, tribes, and partners.