FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb. 12, 2015
~TMDL grants help locals implement stormwater
best management practices ~
TALLAHASSEE – Three times each year, the Florida Department of
Environmental Protection solicits grant applications from local governments to
fund urban stormwater best management practices. The solicitation for these
“TMDL Grant” applications is being released today, with requests due by March 31.
“DEP takes
advantage of every opportunity to improve water quality protection,” said Tom
Frick, director of DEP's Division of Environmental Assessment and Restoration. “The TMDL
grant program encourages local governments to invest in water quality
improvements by matching the state’s funding contributions resulting in healthier
water resources for Florida.”
The department
administers the grant program with annual appropriations from the Florida
Legislature. Awards are targeted at projects designed to restore “impaired”
springs, rivers, lakes, and estuaries—those waterbodies that do not meet
Florida’s stringent water quality standards.
To qualify for TMDL
grant funding, the local government project must be at least 60 percent
designed and fully permitted. Construction is to be completed within three
years and must include storm event monitoring to determine the actual pollutant
load reductions the project will accomplish. Applicants are also encouraged to
include public education elements in their requests, because spreading the word
on keeping pollutants out of the stormwater system is a key to success.
The department
ranks projects for funding based on the level of pollution in the associated
waterbody, the estimated pollutant load reductions the project is designed to
achieve, the cost-effectiveness of the project and the percentage of local
matching funds. Another important consideration is whether the applicant has a
stormwater utility fee or other dedicated revenue source to continue effective
stormwater management in the future. Good urban stormwater practices keep
oil, pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, pet waste, and other contaminants
washed by rain from yards, sidewalks, driveways, parking lots, roads, and
fields from contaminating surface and ground waters.
Florida has long
been a national leader in tackling the challenge of stormwater management. As
one of the first states in the nation to implement a statewide stormwater
program starting in the 1970s, it is also one of the first
to directly address agricultural and urban stormwater management through its
water quality restoration programs.
For more
information on the TMDL grant program and the application process, click here. Information on the wide range of
DEP’s restoration programs is available here under “Water Quality Assessment and Restoration.”
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