WASHINGTON – Several Maine organizations will receive more than $550,000 in funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, according to U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins.

EPA awarded the grants to a variety of state and local agencies, including:

. Maine Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources, Augusta, $361,925 under the EPA’s Performance Partnership Grants. Money will be used to fund the state’s pesticide control programs, as well as the Enforcement Performance Partnership Agreement.

. Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Augusta, $85,000 to address the problem of sewer overflows. Funding will help the Maine DEP in identifying, enforcing, and improving sewer infrastructure so local communities may comply with the 1994 Combined Sewer Overflow control policy, which is aimed at preventing sewer discharge into rivers, lakes and streams.

. Brunswick Area Citizens for a Safe Environment, Brunswick, $50,000 under the Superfund program to assist in cleanup of a hazardous waste site located at the Brunswick Naval Air Station.

. University of Southern Maine, Portland, $36,000 under the EPA’s Consolidated Research Grant program to support the university’s Coastal 2000 initiative. Using grant funding, the university is working to establish a comprehensive and integrated program to monitor the state’s coastal resources.

. Maine State Planning Office, Augusta, $25,000 under the Clean Water Act to assist in a continuing analysis of the growth of the state’s municipalities. The study is designed to assist in integrating smart growth, resource protection, and storm water management into local plans.