Targeted Watershed Initiative (66.439)
Program
66.439 Targeted Watershed Initiative
Federal Agency
OFFICE OF WATER, ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Authorization
Clean Water Act, Section 104(b)(3), as amended; Public Law 92-500; 33 U.S.C. 1254(b)(3).
Program Number
66.439
Last Known Status
Active
Objectives
To support innovative, community-based watershed approaches aimed at preventing, reducing, or eliminating water pollution. The Watershed Initiative will provide resources in the form of grants, tools, training, and technical expertise and assistance to communities to bolster their efforts to expand and improve existing water protection measures. Funds will be awarded to assist watershed partnerships comprised of local, State, Indian Tribe, and interstate agencies and other public or nonprofit organizations in developing, implementing, and demonstrating on-the-ground projects to improve or maintain water quality. Funding Priority: To build upon the concepts behind the Agency's watershed approach, this grant program focuses on innovative, wide-reaching plans to restore, preserve, or protect the nation's waters. The cornerstones of the Initiative include diverse partnerships, ready to implement projects, and tangible, measurable environmental results in a short time frame.
Types of Assistance
Project Grants.
Uses and Use Restrictions
Under section 104(b)(3) of the Clean Water Act, the funds may be used to conduct and promote the coordination and acceleration of research, investigations, experiments, training, demonstrations, surveys, and studies relating to the causes, effect, extent, prevention, reduction, and elimination of water pollution. About five percent of the total appropriation will go toward enhancing national tools, training, and technical assistance that will help local partnerships be more effective at improving watershed health. Funds will be awarded to watershed groups that best meet the selection criteria. Successful candidates will have a thorough knowledge of their watershed, a specific project to address identified problems or barriers to water quality, broad-based support from a number of public and private entities, and a demonstrated record of managing a watershed project. Eligible activities should be able to show tangible environmental improvement within a relatively short time period of 1 to 2 years. In addition to a watershed plan, candidates must also have a specific monitoring and evaluation plan demonstrating measurable results, and containing a strong outreach and education component.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicant Eligibility
State, local, public nonprofit institutions/organizations, federally recognized indian tribal governments, U.S. territories or possessions, interstate organizations, colleges and universities, individuals, private nonprofit institutions/organizations.
Beneficiary Eligibility
Anyone/General Public. Financial assistance is made for a public purpose with people, wildlife, and all living organisms being the ultimate beneficiaries.
Credentials/Documentation
None.
Application and Award Process
Preapplication Coordination
Watersheds must be nominated by the Governor or Tribal Leader. Governors or Tribal Leaders may nominate two state or tribal watersheds each. There is no limit on the number of inter-state or joint state and tribal watersheds that can be nominated. For inter-state or joint state and tribal watershed plans, any of the involved Governors/Tribal Leaders may submit the nomination with the endorsement of all affected state or tribal governmental entities. This program is eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance if the State has selected the program for review.
Application Procedure
Application forms and completed applications should be requested from and submitted to the appropriate EPA Regional Office identified in Appendix IV of the Catalog. Detailed information and assistance, including an application kit, required forms, and a check list, may also be found at http://www.epa.gov/ogd/AppKit/.
Award Procedure
Projects will be developed by potential grantees; reviewed, approved, awarded and managed by Regions or Headquarters. Interested States, interstate entities, Tribes, and other public or nonprofit organizations should contact the appropriate Regional or Headquarters office for proposal and application instructions.
Deadlines
Prospective grantees should work with the appropriate Regional or Headquarters Office to develop a nomination package and submit these to Headquarters. Contact the appropriate Regional or Headquarters office for application deadlines. Information on deadlines may also be found at http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/initiative.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time
Appeals
Appeals are subject to the provisions of 40 CFR Part 30.63 and Part 31, Subpart F.
Renewals
Not applicable.
Assistance Considerations
Formula and Matching Requirements
This program has no statutory formula. Applicants are required to demonstrate a minimum non-federal match of 25% of the total cost of the project or projects. Match may be cash or in-kind consistent with the regulation governing match requirements (40 CFR 31.24 or 40 CFR 30.23). Tribes and tribal watershed groups may be exempt from this match requirement if they are constrained to such an extent that fulfilling the match requirement would impose undue economic hardship.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance
The terms of the assistance shall be determined at time of award.
Post Assistance Requirements
Reports
Progress report requirements will be a part of each assistance agreement. Headquarters issued agreements will normally require quarterly and annual reports. A schedule showing interim milestones and the outputs that will be completed by the end of the project period will also be included, as will any specific requirements included in the assistance agreement.
Audits
In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 24, 1997), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," nonfederal entities that receive financial assistance of $300,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $300,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year,except as noted in Circular No. A-133.
Records
Financial records, including all documents to support entries on accounting records and to substantiate changes to each grant must be kept available to personnel authorized to examine EPA grant accounts. All records must be maintained until expiration of three years from the date of submission of the final expenditure report. If questions still remain, such as those raised as a result of an audit, related records should be retained until the matter is completely resolved.
Program Accomplishments
Anticipated accomplishments will be the implementation of eligible activities in support of comprehensive watershed-based approaches to protecting and restoring water resources. A total of 176 nominations were submitted for FY 03 grants, and 20 nominations were selected to receive FY 03 funds.
Financial Information
Account Identification
68-0103-0-1-304.
Obligations
FY 02 $0; FY 03 $15,000,000; and FY 04 est $20,000,000.
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
$300,000 to $1,000,000; average $710,000.
Regulations, Guidelines and Literature
For grants and agreements with States, local governments and Indian tribal governments, the procedures and requirements should be in conformance with 40 CFR Part 31 "Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements to State and Local Governments", 40 CFR Part 35, "Environmental Program Grants-State, Interstate, and Local Governments Agencies" and OMB Circular Nos. A-87 "Cost Principles for State and Local Governments" and A-102, "Grants and Cooperative Agreements for States and Local Governments." For grants and agreements with other entities the procedures should be in conformance with 40 CFR Part 30, "Grants and Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals, and Other Non-Profit Organizations."
Related Programs
66.419, Water Pollution Control State and Interstate Program Support 66.454, Water Quality Management Planning 66.463, Water Quality Cooperative Agreements.
Information Contacts
Regional or Local Office
Contact the appropriate EPA Regional Office listed below. Region I- Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire Contact: William Walsh-Rogalski or Lynne Hamjian, telephones 617-918-1035 and 617-918-1601; e-mails walshrogalski.william@epa.gov and hamjian.lynne@epa.gov,respectively. Region II - New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands Contact: Theresa Faber or Cyndy Belz, telephones 212-637-3844 and 212-637-3832; e-mails faber.theresa@epa.gov and belz.cyndy@epa.gov, respectively. Region III - Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington, DC Contact: Bernie Sarnoski, telephone 315-814-5756; e-mail sarnoski.bernie@epa.gov. Region IV -Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee Contact: William L. Cox, telephone 404-562-9351; e-mail cox.williaml@epa.gov. Region V - Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin Contact: Paul Thomas, telephone 312-886-7742; e-mail thomas.paul@epa.gov. Region VI - Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, New Mexico Contact: Brad Lamb, telephone 214-665-6683; e-mail lamb.brad@epa.gov. Region VII - Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska Contact: Julie Elfving, telephone 913-551-7475; e-mail elfving.julie@epa.gov. Region VIII - Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah Contact: Ayn Schmit, telephone 303-312-6236; e-mail schmit.ayn@epa.gov. Region IX - Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, American Samoa, Mariana Islands, Guam Contact: Sam Ziegler, telephone 415-972-3399; e-mail ziegler.sam@epa.gov. Region X - Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington Contact: Bevin Reid, telephone 206-553-1566; e-mail reid.bevin@epa.gov.
Headquarters Office
Carol Peterson, Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds, U.S. EPA, Room 7136E, EPA West, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington DC, 20460. Telephone: (202) 566-1304. E-mail: Peterson.Carol@epa.gov.
Web Site Address
http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/initiative/
Examples of Funded Projects
Not applicable.
Criteria for Selecting Proposals
Projects will be selected based a competitive grant process which may include factors such as relevancy to EPA's mission, technical merit, and the likelihood of success. Projects will be selected for funding based on the selection criteria identified in the Requests for Initial Proposals or Requests for Applications.
