Grant to improve water quality for the Maumee River Basin

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) - A northeastern Indiana county is receiving a $367,000 federal grant to improve the water quality for the Maumee River Basin.

The Northeastern Indiana Regional Coordinating Council says Allen County will use the funds for improvements in Fort Wayne to capture nearly 500,000 gallons of polluted storm water each year and prevent sediment, phosphorus, nitrogen and bacteria from reaching waterways.

The council says the headwaters of the Maumee River are in Fort Wayne and are the largest contributor of pollution to Lake Erie.

The Journal Gazette reports the improvements include stabilizing the banks of the St. Marys River and the construction of a large bioswale to capture storm water runoff. A bioswale is a trench that uses vegetation and organic material to filter pollutants out of runoff.