The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has announced the 2023 H2Ohio Statewide Wetland Grant Program to fund high-quality natural infrastructure that reduce nutrient runoff and improve water quality.
Donor Name: Ohio Department of Natural Resources
State: Ohio
County: Selected Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 08/25/2023
Size of the Grant: $50,000
Grant Duration: 2 years
Details:
The H2Ohio Statewide Wetland Grant Program is a reimbursement grant program that provides up-to-100 percent project funding for high quality natural-infrastructure projects focused on nutrient reduction and water quality improvement across the State of Ohio.
This competitive grant program was once only open to projects in the Ohio River Basin. Now, the statewide program has been expanded to also include projects in the Central Lake Erie Basin. In 2021, the state announced $5 million in grants for 13 wetland projects in 11 counties. Last year, ODNR announced the selection of nine wetland projects with $3 million in grant funding.
Eligible Projects
Types of Eligible H2Ohio Wetland or Natural-Infrastructure Projects Include:
- Wetland creation
- Hydrologic restoration of wetlands on hydric soils
- Hydrologic enhancement of existing wetlands, floodplains, and riparian corridors
- Stream, conservation channel design and floodplain restoration
- Restoration of forested riparian buffers
- Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) Abatement Projects
- Dam removal and associated restoration
- Property acquisition if associated with water quality restoration project
- Stormwater retention and/or green infrastructure projects.
Funding Information
- Up to $10,000,000 has been allocated to H2Ohio Wetland Grant Program.
- Each individual project should have a minimum request of $50,000 in H2Ohio funding with no maximum funding cap.
- Project will be completed within two years of project execution.
Eligibility Criteria
H2Ohio funding is available to: Cities, villages, counties, townships, special districts such as park districts, joint recreation boards and conservancy districts, jointly sponsored projects between political subdivisions, and non-profit organizations.
Ineligibility
Ineligible H2Ohio Wetland Projects:
- Projects with a useful life of less than 15 years
- Projects located outside the state of Ohio
- Partial projects that cannot be fully funded through the H2Ohio Wetland Grant Program and cannot demonstrate the immediate availability of supplemental funding
- Projects limited to the preservation of existing high-quality resources
- Projects that primarily treat invasive species
- Projects that require maintenance costs for wetlands
- Research and/or technology development projects
- Projects intended to meet a regulatory requirement i.e., wetland mitigation or stormwater requirements
- Projects restricted by federal easements or petition ditches without the written authorization from those entities.
For more information, visit ODNR.
