A group in Westport gathered Sunday to speak about the importance of taking care of the Long Island Sound.

Sen. Chris Murphy visited Earthplace to discuss new federal funding that will help protect and clean up the Sound.

The Long Island Sound 'Geographic Program' will receive $12 million from the latest federal budget bill.  That’s an increase of $4 million from last year.

Earthplace received a $65,000 grant last year from the Long Island Sound Futures Fund, a federal and state partnership that monitors water quality in Fairfield County rivers to identify sources of pollution.