2020 Surface Water Intake Protection (SWIP) Program Grant Application for Type 1 Public Water Supply Systems (PWSS)

2020 Surface Water Intake Protection (SWIP) Program Grant Application for Type 1 Public Water Supply Systems (PWSS)

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), Drinking Water and Environmental Health Division (DWEHD), has released the SWIP Program grant application for 2020.

Michigan’s SWIP program grants are a 50 percent local match program to assist PWSSs in developing and implementing a SWIP program and are voluntarily implemented at the local and state levels. The goal is to protect PWSSs that use surface water from potential sources of contamination. Protection is provided by identifying the source water protection area that potentially impacts the PWSS’s source, identifying sources of contamination within that area, and developing methods to cooperatively manage the source water protection area and minimize any threat to the PWSS.

Grant‑eligible activities are tasks undertaken for the purpose of identifying the source water protection area; developing, implementing, or updating a SWIP program; and public outreach or education about source water protection. PWSSs that utilize surface water as a source of drinking water, which are exclusive of federally-owned facilities and have no outstanding prior year fees owed to the state, are eligible for grant assistance.

This funding is available to communities that utilize surface water as a source of drinking water. The authorization to make these grants possible was enacted in the 2009 revisions of Michigan’s Safe Drinking Water Act, 1976 PA 399, as amended, and its Administrative Rules (Act 399). The amount of funding will be based on the susceptibility rating determined by the source water assessments, as follows:

Pursuant to Act 399, Rule 325.12807 establishes a priority scoring system to determine which applicants will receive funding if the amount requested by all applicants exceeds the funding available. The surface water grant priority list will be separate from the wellhead grant list and the priority points given based on the intake susceptibility rating are as follows: 

• Five points for a very high susceptibility rating.
• Three points for a high susceptibility rating.
• One point for a moderately high susceptibility rating.

The minimum application requirements include: 

• A 50 percent local match that must be provided through local funds equal to the amount of grant assistance requested.
• A source water protection team consisting of at least three people, including representation from the water supply superintendent and the municipality.
• A minimum score of ten points on the application.

To access the 2019 SWIP grant application package, visit the EGLE website at Michigan.gov/WHP. The grant application can be found under the “Grants” column in the middle of the page by clicking on “Source Water Protection Grant Applications.” If you do not have internet access, please contact the DWEHD, at 517‑284-6530, to request an application package.

All completed applications and documentation for the scoring process (including Participation Agreements with original signatures) must be postmarked no later than June 15, 2019. Grants will be announced after the applications have been processed.

If you have any questions regarding the SWIP Program or grant, please contact Jason Berndt, Source Water Unit, Environmental Health Section, DWEHD, at 989-705-3420; BerndtJ1@Michigan.gov; or at EGLE-DWEHD, Gaylord District Office, 2100 West M-32, Gaylord, Michigan 49735.

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