Lake Tahoe Erosion Control Grant Program (10.690)

Program

10.690 Lake Tahoe Erosion Control Grant Program

Federal Agency

Agency: Department of Agriculture
Office: Forest Service

Authorization

Lake Tahoe Restoration Act, Public Law 106-506, as amended by Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2004, Public Law 108-108.

Program Number

10.690

Last Known Status

Active

Objectives

Make annual payments to the governing bodies of each of the political subdivisions (including public utilities) located in the Lake Tahoe Basin to be used primarily for erosion control and water quality projects. The goal of the program is to provide federal assistance to address urban stormwater runoff pollution, the primary source of pollutants (fine sediment and nutrients) affecting the clarity of Lake Tahoe. This program addresses urban runoff from public roads and right of ways.

Types of Assistance

Project Grants

Uses and Use Restrictions

Only after water quality and soil conservation thresholds have been achieved, funds may be used to address other environmental threshold categories. Payments shall be used only to carry out a project or proposed project that is part of the environmental improvement program adopted by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency in 1998. Funds require a 1:1 match by the states of California and Nevada. 100%.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicant Eligibility

Eligible applicants: Local (inluces State-designated Indian Tribes, excludes institutions of higher education and hospitals).

Beneficiary Eligibility

Beneficiary Eligibility: Governing bodies of each of the political subdivisions (including public utilities) located in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Credentials/Documentation

No Credentials or documentation are required. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-87.

Application and Award Process

Preapplication Coordination

Submittal of an annual list of priority projects, along with written proposals for each of the identified priority projects. The USFS has chosen to adopt the State guidelines for these proposals, since they meet all the needs for project narratives for federal grant considerations, with one additional requirement. That additional requirement is clear identification of sources and amounts of proposed match funding. Implementation of construction projects under awarded grants are not allowed until a signed project decision under NEPA has been made, allowing the use of federal grant funds for implementation. Local Office monitors grant awards to assure compliance of this restriction. Planning, design, and monitoring grants do not require an environmental impact assessment. An environmental impact assessment is required for this program. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.

Application Procedure

OMB Circular No. A-102 applies to this program. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-110. Project narratives submitted through the pre-application process are reviewed by an interagency technical advisory committee convened by the Federal grants program managers. Projects are then identified for selection for award, along with instructions for any needed revisions to the project narratives. At that time, eligible applicants submit revised narratives along with standard application forms and assurances to the Local Office, as furnished by the Federal agency.

Award Procedure

Award letter sent to grantee, with identification of grant requirements, in letter from Local Office.

Deadlines

Contact the headquarters or regional office, as appropriate, for application deadlines.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time

From 90 to 120 days.

Appeals

Not Applicable.

Renewals

From 60 to 90 days. Extensions can be made for individual grants as long as end dates do not exceed five years post award date.

Assistance Considerations

Formula and Matching Requirements

Statutory formulas are not applicable to this program.

Matching Requirements: Percent: 50.%. Matching requirements are specified in PL 106-506, as amended, PL 108-108, Section 337. Match must be provided on a 1:1 basis from the states of California and Nevada.

MOE requirements are not applicable to this program.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance

Grants are awarded for a period not to exceed 5 years. Invoices may be submitted no more frequently than monthly. See the following for information on how assistance is awarded/released: As per award terms.

Post Assistance Requirements

Reports

Bi-annual accomplishment reports are required by Local Office. No cash reports are required. No progress reports are required. Financial expenditures reporting is required. Performance monitoring is not applicable.

Audits

In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 27, 2003), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $500,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $500,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133.

Records

Financial and programmatic records must be retained for three years from the date of submission and approval of final financial reports.

Program Accomplishments

Fiscal Year 2008: It is anticipated that five applications will be received and five awards will be granted in FY 2009 for a total of approximately $9 million. Fiscal Year 2009: No Current Data Available Fiscal Year 2010: No Current Data Available

Financial Information

Account Identification

12-5232-0-1-302 - 1214X5232.

Obligations

(Project Grants (Discretionary)) FY 08 $8,665,148; FY 09 est $9,000,000; FY 10 est not reported.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance

In FY 08, $229,575 to $2,600,000. Average award: $1,237,878.

Regulations, Guidelines and Literature

Not Applicable.

Related Programs

Not Applicable.

Information Contacts

Regional or Local Office

See Regional Agency Offices. Barb Shanley or Genevieve Villemarie, US Forest Service, 35 College Drive, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150, Telephone: 530.543.2657 or 2783, Fax: 530.543.2693, email: bshanely@fs.fed.us or gvillemaire@fs.fed.us.

Headquarters Office

Patricia S. Palmer 1621 N. Kent Street, Suite 707 RPE, Arlington, Virginia 22209 Email: patriciapalmer@fs.fed.us Phone: 7036054776

Web Site Address

http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/Itbmu/ecgp/index.shtml

Examples of Funded Projects

Fiscal Year 2008: Past funded projects include planning, design, and construction of a variety of projects to reduce sources of erosion, and convey and treat urban runoff within public right of ways, prior to discharge to Lake Tahoe. Funded projects have also included stream environment zone and stream channel restoration projects located within urban area boundaries, as well as select monitoring of urban storm water treatment BMPs implemented in these projects, to evaluate BMP effectiveness and improve the design of future projects. Fiscal Year 2009: No Current Data Available Fiscal Year 2010: No Current Data Available

Criteria for Selecting Proposals

Grants must address planning, construction, or monitoring of projects identified in the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency environmental improvement program. For this, primary criteria projects are selected based on direction provided in the LTRA to provide to the maximum extent practicable that each political subdivision receives some funding and to allocate funding based on the relative need for and merits of projects.