Thirteen years ago the General Assembly created the N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund (CWMTF) with a mandate to develop a grant program to clean up impaired waters and to protect remaining pristine waters of the state. Since that time, CWMTF has awarded 1,380 grants, totaling more than $946 million, to hundreds of state agencies, local governments and nonprofit organizations all across North Carolina.
Our efforts to improve the surface water quality in North Carolina include infrastructure projects which reduce polluted discharge and runoff to aid in the clean-up of degraded waters and the strategic acquisition of riparian land to protect water quality along our lakes, streams, rivers and estuaries in perpetuity. Our projects also support the economy by providing critical construction jobs as well as helping to improve and sustain our tourism, agriculture, and fisheries industries and are critical in protecting military bases from encroachment by development. Experience has proved that it is cheaper to prevent degradation of our waters than to clean them up later.
With continued support from the governor and the General Assembly, the N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund and its conservation partners are looking forward to continuing to play a major role in helping North Carolina meet the challenges ahead.
Sincerely,
Richard E. Rogers
Executive Director, Clean Water Management Trust Fund