Contact: Cathy Rofshus, 507-206-2608
St. Paul, Minn. — Protecting healthy waters will take priority when the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) awards funding for water quality projects through the Clean Water Partnership program.
The agency expects to award $1.1 million in grants and $5 million in loans to local entities to better control nonpoint-source pollution, which is runoff carrying nutrients, sediment and other contaminants into water bodies.
The MPCA will accept applications until March 8, 2013. Eligible applicants include watershed districts, tribal authorities, cities, counties, joint powers organizations, and watershed management organizations. Due to changes in state law, soil and water conservation districts are now eligible to directly sponsor a Clean Water Partnership proposal.
This year, the MPCA will offer funds for two types of projects:
- Resource investigation to monitor, assess and develop a diagnostic study for water bodies, along with a plan to implement activities that address the needs of the water bodies. These projects are only eligible for grant funding.
- Implementation of activities already identified by a comprehensive assessment and planning process in the watershed or area around the water body of concern. These projects are eligible for both grant and loan funding.
There is a $300,000 limit on each grant funding request. There is no limit for a loan request.
New this year is the process for submitting proposals. All information, questions and proposal submittal will be done electronically through Minnesota’s SWIFT e-submittal system. To access further information, including the SWIFT Web address, visit the MPCA’s Financial Assistance for Nonpoint Source Pollution Projects webpage. Under the SWIFT system, applicants need to register as a vendor to respond to the Clean Water Partnership request for proposals.
The MPCA will administer the Clean Water Partnership grants through a standard three-year grant agreement. Proposers who are awarded funds will be able to begin project work as early as this spring.
The Clean Water Partnership program was created in 1987 by the Minnesota Legislature to address surface and groundwater pollution from agricultural and urban sources. Through the program, the MPCA supports the efforts of local partners by providing financial and technical assistance to diagnose problems and threats to water resources; develop solutions for addressing these problems; and implement these solutions to fix the problems that negatively impact lakes, streams and groundwater, as well as to protect waters in good condition.
