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Grants & Financial Assistance: Watersheds & Water Quality

These grant programs focus on nonpoint source pollution, management planning, and stormwater.
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Overview

Here you will find program guides and other information about grants and loans for:

  • Watershed Planning Program
    • NPS Management Section Pre-Request for Proposals Informational Meeting
    • Section 319 Nonpoint Source Grants (prevention, control, and abatement of nonpoint source pollution)
    • Section 604b Water Quality Management Planning (water quality assessment and management planning)
    • Water Quality Monitoring
  • Stormwater
  • Natural Resource Nitrogen Sensitive Areas

Project summaries for S. 319 and S. 604b grants from past years are also included for reference. 

NPS Management Section Pre-Request for Proposals Informational Meeting

NPS Management Section Pre-Request for Proposals Informational Meeting: Federal Fiscal Years (FFY) 2023 604(b) and FFY2023-2024 319 Grants

The Nonpoint Source (NPS) Management Section in the Watershed Planning Program held a virtual Pre-Request for Proposal (Pre-RFP) informational meeting for participants interested in the FFY 2023 Clean Water Act (CWA) Section (§) 604(b) Water Quality Management Planning Grant and the FFY 2023-2024 CWA §319 NPS Competitive Grant on Wednesday, January 24, 2024.

The NPS Management Section reviewed new grant program priorities and flexibilities that have been incorporated into the two grants this funding cycle as core capacity building initiatives to enhance environmental justice and climate resiliency. Major highlights included:

  1. Two new project types:
    1. Restoration of impaired waters in nitrogen impacted areas (604(b) grants for planning projects and 319 grants for implementation projects) and
    2. Environmental Justice (EJ) NPS Coordinators.
  2. Non-Federal Match Waiver: As a core capacity building initiative, the NPS Management Section has gathered the required 40% non-federal match for the FFY 2023-2024 §319 project funds at the state level and therefore the match requirements for all awardees in this funding cycle are waived.

View the Pre-RFP Informational Meeting presentations and Resource Videos here:

Additional resources can be found in the Section 319 Nonpoint Source Competitive Grants Program and 604(b) Water Quality Management Planning Grant Program sections below.

Section 604(b) Water Quality Management Planning Grant Program

Section 604(b) of the CWA provides grants to determine the nature, extent, and causes of water quality issues and to develop plans to restore or protect water quality pursuant to the CWA and Massachusetts Surface Water Quality Standards. The NPS Management Section in the Watershed Planning Program administers the grant program.

Eligible entities include regional planning agencies, councils of governments, conservation districts, counties, cities and towns, federally and state recognized tribes, and other substate public planning agencies and interstate agencies. No non-federal match is required.

The Award Year 2023 (AY2023) Section 604(b) Request for Proposals (RFP) release date is Friday, March 8, 2024.

Section 604(b) AY2023 Grant Cycle

For AY2023, MassDEP will focus Section 604(b) grant funds on nonpoint source assessment and planning projects that result in the following:

  • Determination of the nature, extent, and causes of water quality problems and determination of pollutant load reductions necessary to meet the Massachusetts Surface Water Quality Standards (314 CMR 4.00);
  • Development of climate resilient designs and implementation plans that will address water quality impairments;
  • Development of nine (9)-element Watershed-Based Plans (WBP) for impaired and healthy waters;
  • Development of implementation plans;
  • Environmental Justice Coordinator positions that will support Environmental Justice Communities in conducting community needs assessments, water quality monitoring and assessment, development of WBPs, development of resilient implementation designs, and drafting and submitting grant applications; and/or
  • Regional scale watershed planning for the restoration of nitrogen impacted waters (Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, and Plymouth and Bristol counties)

Important dates for applicants:

Pre-RFP Informational meeting: Wednesday, January 24, 2024, at 9:30 a.m.
RFP posted to MassDEP and COMMBUYS websites:  Friday, March 8, 2024
Deadline for submission of written questions: Wednesday, March 20, 2024
Answers to questions posted on MassDEP website: Wednesday, March 27, 2024
Grant Application Deadline:  Wednesday, May 8, 2024, at 5 p.m.

Section 604(b) Water Quality Management Planning Grant RFP Documents

2023 RFP – Award Year 2023 Section 604(b) Water Quality Management Planning Grant Program, COMMBUYS Bid #:  BD-24-1045-BWR00-BWR01-99587, Agency Doc ID#: BWR-RFP-FY2023-604B GRANT, March 8, 2024.

Click the links below to download the RFP in MS Word or PDF:

MS Word: BWR.RFR.FFY2023.604B.GRANT.3.8.24.docx
PDF: BWR.RFR.FFY2023.604B.GRANT.3.8.24.pdf

MassDEP Official Answers to Written Questions:

FFY2023 604(b) MassDEP Official Answers to Written Questions, Mar. 27, 2024

Additional Resources

Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program and Utilization of MBE and WBE Firms

Forms for Proposals from Office of the Comptroller

Massachusetts 2022 Integrated List of Waters, Assessment Reports, Draft and Final TMDL analyses

Technical Memoranda: MassDEP water quality monitoring efforts are reflected in these technical memoranda.

Water Quality Monitoring Data: Quality-assured water quality monitoring data and GIS coverages of sampling locations.

NPS Priority Waters: List of Massachusetts nonpoint source impaired waters that are most likely to respond to remediation efforts that will result in meeting water quality standards.

Watershed-Based Planning Tool: The WBP Tool guides users to select a watershed and complete the nine elements required for a watershed-based plan.

EPA's Quick Guide to Developing Watershed Plans to Restore and Protect Our Waters

The Clean Water Toolkit: A manual in electronic format that provides an overview of nonpoint source related issues, fact sheets and detailed information about best management practices to address nonpoint source problems.

ResilientMass Action Team (RMAT) Climate Resilience Design Standards Tool: The Climate Resilience Design Standards Tool (Version 1.2) provides a preliminary climate change exposure and risk rating; recommended climate resilience design standards for projects with physical assets; and guidance with best practices to support implementation.

Stormwater Resources:

Section 319 Nonpoint Source Competitive Grants Program

Section 319 of the CWA provides grants for implementation projects that address the prevention, control, and abatement of nonpoint source (NPS) pollution. The NPS Management Section in the Watershed Planning Program administers the grant program. In general, eligible projects must:

  • implement measures that address the prevention, control, and abatement of NPS pollution;
  • target the major source(s) of NPS pollution within a watershed/subwatershed;
  • contain an appropriate method for evaluating the project results; and
  • address activities that are identified in the most current Massachusetts NPS Management Program Plan.

Eligible entities include any Massachusetts public or private organization: State and Federally Recognized Tribes, Regional Planning Agencies, Councils of Governments, Counties, Conservation Districts, Cities and Towns, other substate public planning agencies, and interstate agencies.

The FFY2023-2024 Section 319 Request for Proposals release date is Friday, March 15, 2024.

Section 319 Federal Fiscal Years (FFY) 2023-2024 NPS Management Grant

In the FFY 2023-2024 Section 319 grant cycle, MassDEP will fund projects that target NPS pollution to maintain or restore beneficial uses as established in the Massachusetts Surface Water Quality Standards. Implementation work that addresses water quality impairments listed in Categories 4a, 4c, and 5 of the Massachusetts 2022 Integrated List of Waters continues to be the highest NPS program priority, followed by implementation projects to restore nitrogen sensitive areas (NSAs), capacity building in Environmental Justice Communities, and implementation of the Healthy Waters Protection Plan.

In addition to implementation projects that directly address water quality impairments, eligible projects include:  

  • The protection of high quality and unimpaired waters. These Healthy Watersheds projects are allowed under EPA §319 program guidelines,  
  • Projects that implement climate adaptation and pollutant removal Best Management Practices (BMPs), and the application of new NPS management technologies,
  • Projects that address equity, diversity and Environmental Justice, and
  • Projects that build upon previous §319-funded work and/or work that has been initiated by programs such as the CWA §604(b) Water Quality Management Planning Program, the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Program, or the Coastal Pollutant Remediation (CPR) Grant Program.

Match Waiver:

As a core capacity building initiative, MassDEP has gathered the 40% non-federal match for the FFY 2023-2024 §319 project funds at the state level and therefore will waive the match requirements for all awardees in this funding cycle. Please note that any reduction or waiver of match requirement is restricted to this funding cycle.  Continuation of this initiative in future funding cycles will be at MassDEP’s discretion and will depend on at the availability of eligible projects and funds. Proposals under this RFP will not be required to provide match, but voluntary inclusion of match with cash or in-kind services will provide applicants a competitive advantage in the selection process.

Important dates for applicants:

Pre-RFR Informational Conference Call: Wednesday, January 24, 2024, at 9:30 am
RFR posted to MassDEP and COMMBUYS websites: Friday, March 15, 2024
Deadline for submission of written questions: Friday, March 29, 2024
Answers to questions posted on MassDEP website: Friday, April 5, 2024
Grant Application Deadline:  Friday, May 24, 2024, at 5 p.m.

Section 319 NPS Management Grant RFP Documents

RFP - Federal Fiscal Years 2023 and 2024 Section 319 Nonpoint Source Pollution Competitive Grant Program 

Click the links below to download the RFP in MS Word or PDF:

BWR-RFP-FFY2023-2024-319-GRANT CYCLE (MS Word)
BWR-RFP-FFY2023-2024-319-GRANT CYCLE (PDF)

MassDEP Official Answers to Written Questions:

FFY 2023-2024 CWA s.319 RFP MassDEP Official Answers to Written Questions, April 5, 2024

Resources for Developing S. 319 Proposals

These materials will help you plan your project proposal.

Determining MS4 Status of the Project Area

S. 319 Priority Impaired Segments

Final Massachusetts Year 2022 Integrated List of Waters

Nonpoint Source Management Program 2022 Annual Report

Massachusetts Nonpoint Source Management Plan 

Healthy Waterbody Prioritization and Healthy Watershed Projects

MassDEP S. 319 Grant Guidebook

The Clean Water Toolkit

Watershed-Based Plan Tool

Build America, Buy America (BABA): EPA Build America, Buy America website

Stormwater Resources:

Sections 604(b) and 319 and Project Summaries

Brief descriptions of past projects conducted with S. 604(b) and S. 319 grant funds.

Additional Resources

Water Quality Monitoring Grant Program

In the seventh year of this grant program, MassDEP is seeking grant proposals from Eligible Entities for the purpose of supporting ongoing or new monitoring and data collection efforts to increase the amount of external data MassDEP uses for water quality assessments. The State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2025 Notice of Grant Opportunity and the detailed description of the grant program in the SFY 2025 Request for Grant Proposals are available below. The Data Management and Water Quality Assessment Section in the Watershed Planning Program administers the grant program.

Additional Resources

Stormwater MS4 Municipal Assistance Grant Program

This program, introduced in 2017, enables groups of Massachusetts municipalities to expand their efforts to meet requirements for the 2016 Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) General Permits, and to reduce stormwater pollution through coordinated partnerships that emphasize resource sharing.

The FY 2024 Notice of Grant Opportunity and detailed description of the grant program are available below.

Additional Resources

Sewage Notification Assistance Grant Program

This program, introduced in 2022, assists permittees in expanding their efforts to meet the requirements of MassDEP’s recently promulgated Sewage Notification Regulations (314 CMR 16.00). These regulations were promulgated to Promote Public Awareness of Sewage Pollution.

The FY 2024 Notice of Grant Opportunity and detailed description of the grant program are available below.

Additional Resources

Natural Resource Nitrogen Sensitive Area Grant Program

Summary of Grant Opportunity: The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP or the Department) seeks proposals from Massachusetts municipalities or other government entities that meet the definition of “Local Government Unit,” as defined in 314 CMR 21.02, and have a watershed that has been designated as a Natural Resource Nitrogen Sensitive Area under 310 CMR 15.000, Title 5. The purpose of this grant program is to assist municipalities in a variety of activities which facilitate completion of a Watershed Management Plan (WMP) for the purpose of completing a Watershed Permit application or De Minimis Load application, each of which address solutions to cultural eutrophication caused by nitrogen pollution from wastewater and other sources. Only planning activities that contribute to or come from a Watershed Management Plan, Watershed Permit application, or De Minimis Load application (as defined in 314 CMR 21.00) will be considered for funding. For more information, please see the Notice of Grant Opportunity.

Additional Resources

FY25 BWR Grant Training Workshop

Applicant 101 and an introduction to FY25 Bureau of Water Resources grant opportunities. This training was held on 8/15/24.

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