The Environmental Protection Agency announced today the Indiana State Department of Agriculture has been awarded  more than $400,000 for water quality improvements in the Western Lake Erie Basin, which stretches across Indiana, Ohio and Michigan.

The award will be used to combat algal blooms which have been a consistent issue in bodies of water, due to changes in water temperature, as well as heavy rainfall and nutrient runoff. The grant seeks to address this issue through a series of workshops with farmers and certified crop advisors.

The West Lake Erie Basin provides water for an estimated 14 million people, according to the the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

The Lake Erie Western Water Basin stretches through Indiana, Ohio and Michigan, and provides water for about 14 million people, according to the the Natural Resources Conservation Service.