The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) announces the availability of funding to support the implementation of Source Water Protection (SWP) plans.
Donor Name: Minnesota Department of Health (MDH)
State: Minnesota
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 03/31/2023
Size of the Grant: $10,000
Details:
SWP activities are funded by Clean Water Fund appropriations approved by the Legislature. MDH uses these funds, in part, to establish a SWP Implementation Grant program. This program is administered through the Drinking Water Protection Section. This notice applies to SWP plan implementation grants which focus on assisting Public Water Suppliers (PWSs) to implement their SWP plans. Additional grant availability notifications will include the SWP transient and competitive grant categories. These are grants that will help all PWSs implement SWP measures even though they may not have a SWP plan in place.
Goal
The fundamental goal of SWP is to provide long term, sustainable management of drinking water sources. SWP applies to all types of PWSs and is based on requirements in the federal Safe Drinking Water Act and authorities granted to MDH by the state legislature. In Minnesota, SWP is divided into wellhead protection that focuses on 1) groundwater that is used for PWS and 2) intake protection that focuses on surface water that is used for PWS.
Funding Information
The total amount of funding that is available under this notice is $175,000. The minimum amount for any grant is $1,000 and the maximum amount is $10,000. The cap amount will be increased up to a maximum grant amount of $30,000 if three or more PWSs apply jointly. Joint applications must identify which applicant will serve as fiscal agent and include a letter of support from the other PWS(s).
Funding Period
All grant funds awarded under this FY 2023 SWP Plan Implementation Spring Request for Proposals, must be expended by August 30, 2024. Based upon availability of funds, SWP plan implementation grants will be offered annually, during the months of March and September.
Eligible Applicants
A SWP plan implementation grant is intended to support implementation of the drinking water protection measures that are contained in a SWP plan. Applicants shall look at their wellhead protection plan and refer on the application form to the measure(s) in the plan that will be supported by the grant. Only PWSs may apply for a SWP plan implementation grant but may use funding to support the work of other parties relating to the SWP plan. A PWS must meet all of the following conditions in order to qualify for a grant:
- The PWS must have a current SWP plan or extension to the plan;
- The PWS is not subject to administrative penalty action from MDH in regard to the Wellhead Protection Rule;
- The PWS must have an approved Drinking Water Supply Management Area (DWSMA) and work must take place only in DWSMAs that are currently active, unless the work involves public education, exploratory work for new wells, or sealing of old municipal wells;
- For PWSs who were awarded a SWP grant in the past: the public water system has met all of the conditions that were specified in a previous SWP implementation grant and the previous grant is closed. If conditions of a previous grant of the same type have not been met the PWS is penalized by not being allowed to participate in the next grant cycle.
For more information, visit MDH.
