POLLUTION CONTROL AGENCY, MINNESOTA
Grant: $727,600 - Environmental Protection Agency - Aug. 20, 2009
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Award Description: 1. Continuing Planning Process Update. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) administers the Clean Water Act and its programs on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). EPA requires states to document how they are operating their Water Program in a document called the Continuing Planning Process (CPP). The current CPP is out of date and does not reflect the current transition being made to implement the Water Program using the Watershed Approach. MPCA will update its Continuing Planning Process document to accomplish the following: a. Reflect completion of the state’s 10-year water monitoring strategy in 2004; b. Reflect passage of the State of Minnesota’s Clean Water Legacy Act (CWLA) in 2006; c. Change the overall Water Program approach from the major drainage basin focus to the Watershed Approach; d. Better integrate individual elements of the MPCA Water Program; e. More explicitly reflect the importance of prevention activities; and, f. Better integrate groundwater monitoring activities. The Water Quality Management funding will support development of internal Water Program area integration strategies, gather external stakeholder input, coordinate with sister agencies and federal and local partners, and draft and finalize the CPP update. Deliverable 1. The updated CPP and refined 10-year monitoring strategy will be completed by December 31, 2010. 2. Enhanced Communication and Measures. To satisfy requirements of the federal Clean Water Act, and Minnesota’s Clean Water Legacy Act and Clean Water, Land and Legacy Constitutional Amendment, the MPCA is developing specific measures to track the results of total maximum daily load (TMDL) reports and watershed planning efforts. TMDLs and watershed plans determine sources of pollution, and call for actions to be taken to reduce pollutants to restore and protect lakes and streams. Funding will be used to translate TMDL and watershed data into communication tools for the MPCA’s web site and other communication media. Deliverable 2. An MPCA web page/portal will be created by December 31, 2010, to communicate progress on developing TMDLs and watershed plans through specific case studies and stories. 3. Pass-Through Funding for Water Quality Management Planning. Forty percent of the Recovery Act funds will be provided as grants to regional public comprehensive planning and interstate organizations through a competitive request for proposals (RFP) process. Eligible water quality management planning activities include: a. Cooperative interstate efforts to develop coordinated monitoring, assessment and standard-setting approaches to border/interstate waters; b. Aligning local water planning and comprehensive planning efforts with the Clean Water Legacy Act watershed approach; c. Enhancing Minnesota’s ability to measure and communicate the results of TMDL development and watershed planning efforts; and, d. Promoting civic engagement in watershed planning and TMDLs. Deliverable 3. The RFP was published on September 28, 2009, and grants will be awarded by January 31, 2010. Each funded project will be required to provide reports and meeting records documenting the findings and results from the projects. Specific deliverables will be dependent on the types of projects selected. The grants will end no later than September 30, 2011.
Project Description: A Request for Proposals (RFP) to pass-through 40% of the grant funds for work on these specific priority areas was written and noticed by MPCA on 09/28/2009. Staff is updating the state's Continuing Planning Process document to reflect changes and progress made over the past decade in water quality approaches, as well as create communications tools for the MPCA's web site to ensure that the results of our TMDL and watershed planning efforts are accessible
Infrastructure Description: N/A
Jobs Summary: No jobs (Total jobs reported: 0)
Project Status: Less Than 50% Completed
This award's data was last updated on Aug. 20, 2009. Help expand these official descriptions using the wiki below.
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