The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is offering a new Chloride Reduction grant for the development of a project that provides direct assistance to optimize, upgrade or replace water-softening systems in targeted communities with elevated chloride levels in surface waters or wastewater discharge.
Application deadline: December 10, 2021 by 4:00 p.m.
Funding: The grant award is $250,000 with a 25% minimum match. The grant will be awarded to a single applicant.
Eligible applicants:
- For-profit businesses
- Governmental agencies
- Educational institutions
- Tribal Entities
- Nongovernmental organizations (e.g., nonprofit or industry association)
- Applicants must have relevant experience working on chloride’s impacts to water resources and basic knowledge of water softening systems
- Applicants must have experience successfully working with a variety of partners, experts and stakeholders to implement projects or programs that benefit the environment
Project goal: Award an organization that will lead the effort within selected communities in need of chloride reduction in partnership with members of the community and local and state experts. The goal of the project is to develop a strategy to identify, prioritize, educate, and assist appropriate residents, local businesses, community buildings, institutions and industries to upgrade, replace, or optimize their existing water softening systems to a system that will decrease or eliminate salt use and therefor reduce impacts to local water resources. The intent of the RFP is to award funding to a single applicant (single organization).
Eligible projects: Applicant must propose a project for one of the three scenarios:
- Community Partnerships project. Single applicant will partner with at least two specific communities where the project will take place, but may choose as many communities as is necessary to ensure that all the grant funds are utilized.
- Industrial Facilities project. Single applicant will work with multiple industrial facilities to evaluate and then modify, replace or upgrade existing hardness reduction equipment.
- Residential Community project. Single applicant will work within a community to assess and develop a program to address residential water softening systems.
Visit the grant website for the application materials and more details: MPCA Chloride Reduction Grants webpage.
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In the 2020 MS4 General Permit, all MS4 permittees have new requirements that promote deicing salt reduction. Further, new supplementary chloride requirements apply to over 100 MS4 permittees, who have an applicable waste load allocation (WLA). This is where further reductions in chloride pollutant loading is required. WLA permittees are required to:
- Document the amount of deicer applied each winter maintenance season to all permittee owned/operated surfaces. (Permit item 22.5)
- Conduct an assessment of the permittee's winter maintenance operations to reduce the amount of deicing salt applied to permittee owned/operated surfaces, and determine current and future opportunities to improve BMPs. The permittee may actively use the Agency's Smart Salting Assessment Tool or other available resources and methods to complete and document an assessment. (Permit item 22.6)
The MPCA Stormwater and Chloride Reduction Programs are hosting a Smart Salting Assessment tool (SSAt) Level 2 certification training on December 8th. The tool helps assess and track your winter maintenance practices, with custom efficiency recommendations that reduce de-icing salt and save money, while tracking annual progress.
Who should attend?
- Winter maintenance leadership
- Public works managers
- Superintendents
- Business owners
You can actively use the SSAt to fulfill the assessment requirement in item 22.6. For more information, and to register here.
Find other Smart Salting certification trainings for Roads, Parking Lots & Sidewalks, and Property Management on the MPCA Smart Salting training calendar.
For more on chloride TMDL requirements: Guidance for meeting chloride TMDL MS4 permit requirements - Minnesota Stormwater Manual
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On behalf of a group of watershed organizations, cities and other organizations in Hennepin County called the Hennepin County Chloride Initiative (HCCI), Fortin Consulting was hired to develop a winter maintenance/chloride management plan template(s). The vision for this template is for it to be used at the time of development or redevelopment permitting to assist the property manager/responsible party develop a winter maintenance plan to minimize salt use. The group also recognizes the templates have value beyond the permitting process.
Determine the best winter maintenance plan for your site: Calculator
Download winter maintenance plan templates: Basic Template - Intermediate Template - Detailed Template
Visit the MPCA's Statewide Chloride Resources page for this and more resources to help communities and organizations reduce chloride!
Annual property damage from salt use is high. Uncover ways to use less salt on your property while providing a high level of safety by getting Smart Salting certified. To reduce the amount of salt polluting our lakes, rivers, and groundwater the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency offers a certification training certification for property management to provide strategies that will not only save your organization money but will also protect Minnesota’s water resources. Watch the new MPCA Smart Salting training for property management promotional video to learn more about this training certification.
Who: Management-level property managers, Business owners, Building managers, Environmental professionals and advocates
When: Wednesday, November 17 Register HERE
What you'll learn:
- Improve practices to save money – reducing salt use not only reduces salt costs but also reduces the cost to repair damage caused by salt on your property
- Reduce annual landscaping and infrastructure damage - save time and money by reducing the negative impacts that salt causes each year on your property
- Protect water resources – Learn why chloride pollution is a problem for our lakes, streams, and groundwater
- Discuss liability and regulatory issues
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Earn your Smart Salting certification by attending an upcoming class! Don't see a class on the calendar that works for you? Contact us and let us know! smartsalting.pca@state.mn.us
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Due to high demand for the MPCA's Smart Salting for Roads certification, the MPCA Chloride Reduction Program and the MS4 Program have teamed up to offer more classes in 2021 in addition to some partner classes.
Benefits of earning MPCA's Smart Salting for Roads certification:
Learn from our experienced instructors how to integrate science with practical winter maintenance practices. In addition to providing you with a comprehensive overview of the environmental impacts of salt, this class covers technical aspects such as application rates, calibration, using weather services to more accurately plan and apply de-icers, how to use liquids effectively, proper storage, and the latest research on winter maintenance technologies. We also cover the new chloride related MS4 permit requirements in detail to ensure you understand them and have resources to help you meet them.
Don’t take our word for it - hear from winter maintenance pros that are now using less salt and still offering a high level of service after attending training! Watch this 3 minute MPCA Smart Salting Training for Winter Maintenance Professionals promotional video.
This is produced by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Chloride Reduction Program. Contact smartsalting.pca@state.mn.us with editorial questions or requests.
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