KANSAS CITY, Kan. - The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded Kansas State University $60,000 to help ease pollution in the Old Smoky River channel. The EPA announced the Urban Waters grant to Kansas State's Salina campus on Tuesday. Forty-six organizations nationwide received Urban Waters grants, which are intended to fund research and training to help restore urban waterways.
     The Kansas State-Salina grant will be used for developing a program to teach the public about ways to reduce pollutants in the Old Smoky River channel. The EPA says the program will include workshops on such topics as water quality sampling, storm water runoff and stream bank stabilization.