WASHINGTON — EPA administrator Mike Leavitt on Monday included the Bear River watershed in Utah, Idaho and Wyoming as among 14 nationally that he declared eligible to apply for $15 million available from EPA's Targeted Watersheds Grant Program.

"Through this program, EPA lends a hand to local groups working to protect and restore our nation's watersheds," Leavitt said in a ceremony in Des Moines, Iowa, on the shore of Gray's Lake, part of the Upper Mississippi watershed.

"With these watershed projects, we take a critical step forward in providing clean and safe water for every American," he said.

The competitive grants aim to help watershed organizations that have set clear goals, with special consideration given to those with water quality monitoring, innovation, public education and strong community support.

Special consideration was given to watersheds along the Mississippi River Basin, where market-based water quality trading pilot projects are being implemented to address excessive nutrient run-off along the river. Watersheds now eligible to apply for the grants are: Bear River; Cape Fear, N.C.; Dungeness River, Wash.; Fourche Creek, Ark.; Ipswich River, Mass.; Kalamazoo River, Mich.; Kenai River, Alaska; Upper Mississippi River, Iowa; Lake Tahoe, Nev.; Nashua River, Mass. and N.H.; Passaic River, N.J.; Sangamon River, Ill.; Schuylkill River, Pa.; and Siuslaw River, Ore.