Upcoming Grant Opportunity

2009 Water Conservation Grant Program
Please Note Revised Program Dates

Request for Responses issued on May 23, 2008

To All Interested Parties:

The MassDEP's Water Conservation Grant Program awards funds to municipalities and public water systems to encourage and enhance local drinking water conservation efforts. Up to $60,000 per proposal or a total of up to $800,000 is expected to be awarded to eligible municipalities and public water systems during this funding round. This year's RFR was issued on May 23, 2008. Proposals will be due on July 11, 2008. The RFR and all related materials will be posted at the Commonwealth's procurement site, http://www.comm-pass.com under Open Solicitations, Department of Environmental Protection, Professional Services. 

Project Eligibility Criteria

Responses to the RFR may be submitted by any interested Massachusetts municipality or public water system. In order to be considered eligible for funding, projects must:

• Proposed projects must provide a twenty-five percent (25%) match of the requested grant amount. In-kind services are eligible as a match.
  
• The direct recipient of the grant must be a public water system or municipality. Projects may be developed, carried out, and completed by non-governmental organizations, regional planning agencies, consultants, etc. on behalf of the public water system.
  
• Leak detection survey projects must commit to follow-up repairs for detected leaks.
  
• Projects must provide an appropriate method for determining environmental results such as quantifying the water savings from leaks repaired, retrofits, etc.

Eligible Projects

Project tasks/costs eligible for funding are listed below; however, all proposed projects that focus on drinking water conservation, loss identification, resolution, and prevention will be considered.

• Water Audits for the distribution and metering systems to balance the volume of drinking water produced with the volume billed and account for the remaining water (loss). Proposed audits may also include an evaluation of the various water metering systems to assure a higher level of accuracy in accounting for water usage. Audits should use the guidance available on MassDEP's website, http://www.mass.gov/dep/water/approvals/guidance.pdf, or the American Water Works Association's methodology found in their manual of Water Audits and Leak Detection (M36).
  
• Leak Detection Surveys that include thorough documentation and a commitment to undertake leak repair work. Project proposals are encouraged to include leak detection survey work that includes customer water service lines.
  
• Water Rate Surveys for the purposes of establishing conservation-based rates that also assure appropriate revenues to support maintenance needs and capital projects for improvements to the water works system. Proposed rate studies may also include a small-scale evaluation of capital needs to assure a higher degree of accuracy in setting conservation-based rates. Additionally, a water meter evaluation for development of a meter replacement program, may be included with the rate study for distribution system meters may be included with this work. Applicants should have conducted a water audit and leak detection survey within the previous two years prior to the implementation of a rate study or may conduct such as part of the proposed grant project.
  
• Water Conservation Outreach and Education Programs promoting awareness of the long-term economic and environmental benefits of water conservation, to include but not limited to; working with schools, producing local cable or newspaper announcements, distributing water conservation education information and low water use concepts to agricultural, commercial, industrial, and residential consumers.  Billing stuffers should be avoided.
  
• Rebates for water conservation devices, retrofitting with efficient WaterSense labeled plumbing fixtures, and water efficient appliances (especially clothes washers).

Application Process

Applications must meet the eligibility requirements and follow the specific format outlined in the RFR. Applications are reviewed and recommended by an internal screening committee comprised of MassDEP and EOEEA staff. Once grant awards are announced, the MassDEP begins contract negotiations with the proponents of the funded projects. As a general rule of thumb, grantees can expect funds will become available three months after submitting the initial grant application. Funds are paid on a reimbursement basis, and the Department retains 10% of the award amount until the project is finalized.

Application Evaluation Criteria

The Department encourages all types of eligible, competitive proposals. Competitive applications must respond to the RFR's project goals, eligibility requirements, and evaluation criteria, with priority given to those public water systems with Water Management Act permits or registrations that require meeting unaccounted-for water (UAW) or residential gallons per capita day (RGPCD) limits.

Tentative Grant Timelines for the 2008 Solicitation:

A Water Conservation Grant Program 'Fact Sheet' is posted on http://www.mass.gov/dep/water/wlpgprog.htm.

To obtain additional program information, indicative summaries of past Water Conservation Grant projects, or a copy of the new RFR, please call or email Malcolm Harper, Water Conservation Grant Program Coordinator at 508-767-2795, Malcolm.Harper@state.ma.us, or write to Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Municipal Services, 627 Main Street-2nd Floor, Worcester, MA 01608, Attention: Malcolm Harper. Hard copies of the RFR will only be mailed if requested.