Alyson McCann, coordinator of the Water Quality Program in the Department of Natural Resources Science, has been given the prestigious Environmental Merit Award by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The award was presented May 4 in Boston in recognition of her leadership in fostering private well protection efforts in New England.

In presenting the award to McCann, a URI Research Associate IV, the EPA commended her for “combining the research and extension expertise of the six New England Land Grant Universities with EPA, state agencies and a variety of professional societies to motivate the public to protect and monitor their drinking water.”

The URI Home*A*Syst Private Well Protection Education program, conducted in concert with the state Department of Health provides information and training to private well

owners on proper testing, treatment and maintenance of their drinking water supply.

Through the program, private well owners are given the tools and knowledge to assess and reduce water contamination risks around their homes.

Along with Holly Burdett, also a URI research associate, McCann was a PI in the three-year USDA-funded Healthy Landscapes Program which provided information and education to residents of North Kingstown on ways they can maintain their home landscape and yet protect groundwater supplies.