Nonpoint Source (NPS) Program - Clean Water Act (CWA) 319(h) Grant

Grants to Texas Nonprofits, Agencies, and IHEs for
Projects to Reduce Water Pollution in Watersheds

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Agency Type:

State

Funding Source:

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Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ)

Deadline Date:

07/16/21 3:00 PM CT Receipt

Description:

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Grants to Texas nonprofit organizations, government agencies, school districts, and IHEs for activities to reduce and prevent water pollution throughout the state. Funding is intended to support projects to develop and implement watershed protection plans. Funds may be used for activities such as data collection, assessment, management practices, and outreach that lead to the decrease of nonpoint source pollution.

TCEQ is seeking projects that assist the state in implementing the State of Texas NPS Management Program. Applications will be evaluated against identified criteria and projects selected. The NPS Management Program includes multiple strategies for addressing NPS pollution; however, the TCEQ is specifically seeking projects that implement measures with a high probability of restoring impaired water bodies or achieving significant pollutant load reductions.

To be eligible for funding, a project must address the objectives, goals and/or priorities identified in the 2017 Texas Nonpoint Source Management Program or NPS elements in the 1998 Texas Coastal Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Program.

Priority is given to the development and implementation of watershed protection plans. Local stakeholder groups guide the development of these plans to restore and protect water quality in specific Texas waterways. This planning process commonly involves gathering and/or assessing water quality data and using models to determine the causes and sources of pollution, followed by strategic selection of management measures to assure the water bodies meet water quality standards. Half of this grant program’s funding must be spent to implement federally accepted watershed plans.

For more information, see https://www.tceq.texas.gov/waterquality/nonpoint-source/mgmt-plan/index.html and its companion updated Priority Waters List found in Supporting Documents below. (These identify waters impaired by NPS pollution that are of particular interest for this grant program.)

Other eligible activities include:

Education and outreach designed to motivate changes in behavior that reduce NPS pollution
Implementation of both technology-based and water quality–based management measures to address NPS pollution - for example, low impact development installations, riparian or shoreline restoration, and repair or replacement of failing septic systems.

GrantWatch ID#:

GrantWatch ID#: 144176

Term of Contract:

TCEQ annually solicits project proposals each summer and awards grants the following year for projects lasting up to three years.

Eligibility:

See RFP and/or Grant Guidelines for full eligibility

Additional Eligibility Criteria:

All nonprofit organizations, and all state agencies or political subdivisions of the State of Texas—including cities, counties, school districts, state universities, and special districts—are eligible. Individuals and for-profit business organizations may participate in projects as partners or contractors but may not apply for direct funding.

Applicants are encouraged to partner with other local, state, and federal authorities to increase the impact of their activities.

Projects that implement stormwater permit requirements are not eligible for funding. However, projects within areas covered by stormwater permits might be eligible for assistance if they are not required or used for permit compliance. For example, low impact development practices and retrofits of storm water control structures on developed properties are outside the scope of most municipal stormwater permits in Texas and thus are usually eligible for NPS funding.

The TCEQ does not fund the following costs:
- The cost of activities required by or demonstrating compliance with federal Clean Water Act requirements, such as wastewater or stormwater permits.
- Projects focused on agricultural or silvicultural pollution sources.
- Costs incurred in the preparation, submission, or revision of the grant application and work plan
- Costs incurred outside the contract period (before final signature or after the contract closes)

Pre-Application Information:

Proposal Due Date: July 16th, 2021 at 3:00 PM (Central Time)

The deadline for questions and clarifications is June 15th, 2021 at 5:00pm (Central Time). Questions must be submitted, in writing, to Christopher Redden.

Selected applicants will be notified (usually in October) to submit a revised project proposal addressing comments. The TCEQ and EPA will review all proposals and may approve, reject, or negotiate revisions of the projects. The TCEQ then develops a contract with each applicant to start, if possible, on September 1 of the following year (about 15 months after the RFGA opened).

All project-related water quality data must be acquired, collected, and analyzed in accordance with an approved Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP). This includes all "environmental data operations" such as water quality sampling and analysis, flow measurement, acquisition or collection of rainfall data or geospatial data, and hydrologic or water quality modeling. (For further information, see https://www.tceq.texas.gov/waterquality/nonpoint-source/nps-qapp.)

Applications for projects that address specific watersheds or other geographic areas need to identify the applicable 12-digit hydrologic unit code(s) (HUC).

The federal NPS program uses the term "best management practices," or BMPs, to refer to any activity that has proven effective in preventing or reducing NPS pollution. Every grant project that implements BMPs must include an estimate of the amount of pollution its activities will prevent or reduce, and an evaluation of the performance of the BMPS implemented.

A separate application form must be submitted for each individual project proposed. Completed applications should be concise, but also provide a sufficient level of detail to facilitate the evaluation of the proposed project.

Grants fund 60% of the cost of the selected projects; applicants provide the other 40% of the cost as match, which may include in-kind services by volunteers or partner organizations.

For related forms and to access the (fillable) application: http://www.txsmartbuy.com/esbddetails/view/582-21-23333. (See ESBD File - Solicitation - Application at the bottom of the page.)

Watershed Protection Plans for NPS Water Pollution: https://www.tceq.texas.gov/waterquality/nonpoint-source/mgmt-plan/watershed-pp.html

For program-related resources and documents, please see the URL for Full Text below.

Contact Information:

Before starting your grant application, please review the funding source's website listed below for updates/changes/addendums/conferences/LOIs.

For questions or technical assistance, please email Andrew Maria at TCEQ: Andrew.Maria@tceq.texas.gov.

Submit written questions to Christopher.Redden@tceq.texas.gov.

For more information, contact the NPS Program by e-mail at nps@tceq.texas.gov, or call 512-239-6682.

Funding or Pin Number:

Solicitation Number: 582-21-2333

URL for Full Text (RFP):

See the full text of this grant

Geographic Focus:

USA: Texas

Categories:

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