Restoration Team Ready to Assist with OEPA’s 319 Grant Proposal Submittals

The Ohio EPA has announced a Request for Proposals for the 2017 Section 319 grant program.  The program has been split up into 2 phases. There are significant changes to the program this year that the EnviroScience team would be happy to assist potential partners with. Below are some requirements for the RFP:

1.   In order to be eligible for a grant you must have an approved 9-Element Watershed Action Plan in place. Only portions of the Upper Maumee River Watershed currently meet this requirement! Ohio EPA is giving out grants up to $25,000 so that organizations can develop approvable 9-Element Watershed Action Plans from existing watershed action plans and TMDL’s.  These $25,000 grants require a 40% matching funds commitment.  Grants for the Section 319 watershed planning initiative are due August 28^th.

2.  Areas with an approved or pending 9-Element Watershed Action Plan are eligible to submit nonpoint source pollution abatement projects for consideration. Eligible projects include highly targeted nutrient and sediment reduction initiatives, stream and riparian restoration, wetland restoration, inland lake management and restoration on public lakes, and acid mine drainage abatement.  Grant awards are typically less than $400,000 with a 40% matching funds requirement and these grants are due September 30, 2017.

Call Neal Hess in the EnviroScience Restoration Group at (330) 688-0111 (or at nhess@enviroscienceinc.com) to discuss how we may be able to assist you with assessing your eligibility and competitiveness for a watershed planning grant, provide grant writing assistance, provide Watershed Action Plan development assistance, and how we may also be able to help you achieve a portion of the 40% local matching funding requirement for a watershed planning grant.  Mr. Hess would also be happy to discuss any potential restoration projects that you may have.