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604(b) Water Quality Management Planning GrantsNotice of grant availability for FFY2012 was released in October 2011. A Request for Proposals was January 2012, with proposals due in March 2012. For FFY 2012, the Department will continue to focus 604b grant funds towards watershed or subwatershed based nonpoint source assessment and planning projects leading to the: 1) development of updated watershed based plans for specific watersheds or subwatersheds, based on the current Massachusetts Watershed-based Plan; 2) determination of the nature, extent and causes of water quality problems; 3) assessment of impacts and determination of pollutant loads reductions necessary to meet water quality standards; 4) green infrastructure projects that manage wet weather to maintain or restore natural hydrology; 5) development of implementation plans that will address water quality impairments; and 6) development of assessment and remediation strategies in impaired watersheds in areas that are not regulated under MS4. Applicants considering development of a proposal for watershed based plans should contact Jane Peirce at 508-767-2792, jane.peirce@state.ma.us Water Quality Management Planning Grants focus on watershed- or sub-watershed-based non-point-source assessment activities that support MassDEP's assessment efforts, including data needs that are identified in:
Mass DEP encourages respondents to propose other suitable water quality assessment/planning projects that will lead to direct actions by Municipalities and others to implement water quality improvements. MassDEP is seeking project proposals that will identify water quality problems and provide preliminary or final designs for BMPs to address these problems. Pursuant to Section 604(b) of the Clean Water Act, eligible grant applicants must be either Regional Public Comprehensive Planning Organizations or Interstate Organizations. Eligible entities include: regional planning agencies, council of governments, counties, conservation districts, cities and towns, and other substate public planning agencies and interstate agencies. MassDEP encourages eligible respondents to propose water quality assessment/planning projects that will lead to direct actions by Municipalities and others to implement water quality improvements. Respondents should note that MassDEP's Division of Watershed Management (DWM) will concentrate sampling efforts in western basins (Deerfield, Farmington, Housatonic, Hudson, and Westfield) during 2012 and in southeastern basins (Boston Harbor, Taunton, Cape Cod, Islands, South Coastal, Buzzards Bay and Narragansett/Mt. Hope Bay) during 2013. Further discussion of DWM's new basin arrangement, along with a map of the basin alignment, can be found at: http://www.mass.gov/dep/water/resources/swmonadj.htm As the Commonwealth's procurement rules prohibit MassDEP or any other RFR issuer from consulting with potential applicants to develop project ideas once an RFR is issued, potential applicants are strongly encouraged to contact MassDEP before the RFR issue date to refine project ideas and obtain feedback. Contact Gary Gonyea (617-556-1152 or gary.gonyea@state.ma.us) for a discussion of ideas and program objectives. The tentative schedule is as follows:
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