With funding from EPA’s Urban Waters Program—and in cooperation with the National Park Service Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program—Groundwork USA and River Network coordinate the Urban Waters Learning Network (UWLN). The UWLN is a nationwide peer-to-peer network of people and organizations working to conserve, restore, and revitalize America’s urban waterways. We deliver tools, training, mentoring, and financial assistance to support the work of UWLN members as they collaborate, develop solutions, and elevate community priorities. Together, we foster solutions that advance water equity and environmental justice, build healthy ecosystems and resilient communities, and address the disparate impacts of environmental degradation and climate change. Meet the Network here.
Our Partners
Groundwork USA
Every vacant lot, polluted waterway and abandoned park in cities and towns across the country is evidence that our communities are in desperate need of renewal.
Dedicated to changing places and changing lives, Groundwork USA is a national organization with local roots, engaging local businesses, residents and government officials to revitalize neighborhoods and transform community liabilities into community assets.
River Network
River Network grows and strengthens a transformational national network of water, justice, and river advocates. We envision a powerful and inclusive movement that ensures abundant clean water for all people and nature to thrive. We believe that joy and hope for our planet flows through our rivers.
Since 1988, River Network has been at the forefront of expanding national interest in protecting the waters of our country, encouraging diversity in the environmental movement, and helping engaged citizens take a stand for their waters. We accomplish our mission by investing in local protection and restoration efforts and helping advance these efforts at different levels (system, state, regional, national).
NPS Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program
The National Park Service – Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance program (NPS-RTCA) supports locally-led conservation and outdoor recreation projects across the United States. NPS-RTCA assists communities and public land managers in developing or restoring parks, conservation areas, rivers, and wildlife habitats, as well as creating outdoor recreation opportunities and programs that engage future generations in the outdoors.
Across the country, NPS-RTCA staff pair their professional planning, design and technical expertise with knowledge experts from the community. NPS-RTCA is not a grant-funding program; however, they assist organizations in identifying potential funding sources for projects.
U.S. EPA Office of Water
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Water (OW) ensures drinking water is safe, and restores and maintains oceans, watersheds, and their aquatic ecosystems to protect human health, support economic and recreational activities, and provide healthy habitat for fish, plants and wildlife.
OW is responsible for implementing the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act, and portions of the Coastal Zone Act Reauthorization Amendments of 1990, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Ocean Dumping Ban Act, Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act, Shore Protection Act, Marine Plastics Pollution Research and Control Act, London Dumping Convention, the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships and several other statutes.
U.S. EPA launched the Urban Waters initiative in 2010 recognizing that local waterways and community renewal and health are intrinsically related and that investments in both yield many more outcomes than focusing on one or the other. U.S. EPA has supported the Learning Network from its inception as a key to sharing successful strategies across the country.
The Urban Waters Federal Partnership was an initiative launched in 2011. Its purpose is to reconnect urban communities, particularly those that are overburdened or economically distressed, with their waterways by improving coordination among federal agencies and collaborating with community-led revitalization efforts to improve our Nation’s water systems and promote their economic, environmental and social benefits. There are 20 locations around the country with Federal Partnerships.