DEQ Announces Approximately $1 Million in Available Grants for Water Quality Projects

• Moira Davin
• August 18 2021

HELENA—The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is seeking applications for approximately $1 million in funding for nonpoint source pollution reduction projects available under the Federal Clean Water Act. Nonpoint source pollution is the single largest cause of water quality impairment in Montana’s lakes and streams, and typically comes from diffuse sources that are not regulated under a discharge permit.

Nonpoint source water pollution is often associated with land uses such as agriculture, forestry, urban and suburban development, and runoff from abandoned mine sites. Common pollutants include sediment, nutrients, pathogens and toxic metals. In lakes, streams and wetlands, these pollutants can cause serious harm to aquatic life and can make the water unsafe for human recreation and consumption. DEQ monitors water quality in Montana's lakes and streams and also identifies water bodies that are impaired. These grants are one way that DEQ works to improve impaired waters across Montana. The projects funded under these grants must address water quality impairments identified on Montana's current List of Impaired Waters.

Providing funding to local organizations and agencies puts communities in the driver’s seat and leverages local knowledge to improve Montana’s water bodies. Nonprofit or government organizations can submit applications for proposed projects that help reduce nonpoint source pollution. Examples of past projects include planting native vegetation along streambanks or working with local ranchers to move pens and corrals out of floodplains. The recommended range for applications is $10,000 to $250,000 per project, and 40 percent of the total project cost must be matched with non-federal funds.

Approximately $500,000 of the available funding will be focused on projects in the Bitterroot watershed. DEQ focuses funding on a specific watershed and rotates to a different watershed every two or three years. This targeted approach maximizes the cumulative impacts of water quality restoration projects within a watershed. The remaining $500,000 is open to projects across Montana. DEQ does prioritize some of the funding to administer mini-grant programs for low-cost nonpoint source pollution prevention activities and local capacity building.

The application form and instructions can be downloaded from DEQ’s website using the following hyperlinks:

• 2022 Call For Applications
• 2022 Application Form Instructions
• 2022 Application Form – General and Focus Watershed
• 2022 Application Form – Supplemental Project Form
• 2022 Application Form – Mini-Grant Programs

All projects must address nonpoint source pollution and implement a DEQ-accepted Watershed Restoration Plan. DEQ staff will be available, upon request, to provide feedback on project applications. The deadline for applications is 5 p.m., Friday, Oct. 29, 2021.