Deadline: 28-Feb-22
The New Jersey (NJ) Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is pleased to launch a funding call for the 2020-2022 Water Quality Restoration Grant Program.
The focus of the 2020-2022 grant funding opportunities includes specific watershed management area and statewide initiatives. Funding made available through this RFP will support water quality/watershed planning, implementation of water quality improvement measures associated with approved Watershed Plans and total maximum daily loads, implementation of green infrastructure to reduce stormwater input into combined sewer systems, and implementation of measures that provide in light of climate change impacts, such as increased intensity of precipitation and sea-level rise.
Priorities
- Development of Watershed Plans including updates to existing approved plans in the Northeast, Upper and Lower Delaware River Watershed Management Areas.
- Development and implementation of Lake Protection Plans and/or Watershed Plans including updates to existing approved plans statewide to address nutrient inputs which contribute to HABs.
- Development and implementation of a Lake Protection Plan and/or Watershed Plan for Duhernal Lake and subwatersheds that drain to the lake, located in the Raritan Water Region, in support of Departmental TMDL initiatives.
- Implementation of approved Watershed Based Plans addressing current designated use Impairments and TMDL allocations (including Phosphorus impairments related to HABs) within the Northeast, Upper and Lower Delaware River Watershed Management Areas.
- Restoration projects in the Northeast, Upper and Lower Delaware River Water Regions that must be located within targeted watersheds from the list of Hydrologic Unit Codes (HUCs).
- Rancocas Creek Stormwater Management Project, using funding from the Department of Defense Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Program, to help remove or avoid land-use conflicts near installations and addressing regulatory restrictions that inhibit military activities (AEGIS facility in Moorestown, Burlington County).
- Continued implementation and administration of a Statewide Community Water Monitoring Program for an additional three (3) year period. The applicant must have the capacity to oversee the coordination of existing, and creation of new, community -based water quality monitoring programs and initiatives in New Jersey that address both volunteer monitoring and citizen scientist components
- Green Infrastructure (GI) Projects in Environmental Justice Communities these projects include green roofs, blue roofs, rain gardens, porous pavement, and other activities that maintain and restore natural hydrology by infiltration, evapotranspiration, and harvesting of stormwater and that are designed to reduce stormwater runoff.
- Climate change resilience projects including nature-based solutions, such as living shorelines and implementation of green infrastructure projects, that reduce the impact of climate change and promote climate resilience given increasing storm intensity, temperature, and sea-level rise.
- Animal Waste Management Plans (AWMP) development and installation of approved BMPs. Applicants must have the capacity to provide farmers with technical assistance to develop AWMPs, and the ability to engineer and install BMPs identified in those AWMPs.
Funding Information
The Department is issuing this RFP to solicit applications for eligible projects for the 2020-2022 grant funding cycle. Specifically, the Department is making available up to $9.4 million dollars in grant funds utilizing federal Clean Water Act section 319(h) annual allotments from 2020, 2021 and 2022, prior years Section 319(h) funds, the Corporate Business Tax (CBT) funds, and the Department of Defense Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) funds.
Eligibility Criteria
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Applicants eligible to apply for funding under this RFP include:
- State, regional and local government units within New Jersey, including State government agencies, municipal planning departments or boards, health departments; County planning departments or boards, health departments;
- Designated water quality management planning agencies;
- State universities, and colleges;
- Interstate agencies of which New Jersey is a member;
- Watershed and water resource associations and other local nonprofit organizations recognized by the Internal Revenue Service under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code authorized to operate in the State of New Jersey.
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Eligible applicants shall, in their application, demonstrate that they possess the following:
- Sufficient staffing and other resources with the capability, expertise, and environmental experience to perform the proposed project directly or through contracting services.
- The ability to establish and maintain partnerships to ensure project implementation as well as long-term operation and maintenance/management.
- Authority to implement the proposed project(s) and property or other access rights to construct the project. Although a monetary match is not required for projects to be funded, the percentage of monetary contributions and in-kind services will increase a project's scoring, and can increase the proposal's ranking for award selection. This type of support demonstrates a long-term commitment to overall project success.
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In addition to meeting the specifics of the grant opportunities, eligible projects must be:
- Well-designed to achieve the project goal of NPS pollution reduction and presented in the proper sequence of events (goal/objective/task).
- Consistent with existing local, state, and federal requirements and can obtain permits needed to implement the project.
- Viable and readily implementable (shovel ready).
- For proposals that do not include construction (e.g. planning, outreach and education), the proposal must include deliverables such as schedules, reports, training/outreach products, and inventories.
- Able to be completed in a 3-year timeframe.
- Located on public property or on private property with an executed agreement with the property owner sufficient to allow for the project to be completed as proposed, including the required monitoring and evaluation element.
For more information, visit DEP.
For more information, visit https://www.nj.gov/dep/wms/bears/2020-2022grants.htm#/