Special Waterfront: Funding round opens

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency sent this bulletin at 08/20/2014 07:27 AM CDT

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Waterfront Bulletin

August 2014

MPCA now accepting proposals for watershed sampling grants in Upper Mississippi and Minnesota river basins

Monitoring sites for Watershed Pollutant Load Monitoring Network

The Request for Proposal (RFP) process for Watershed Pollutant Load Monitoring Network’s (WPLMN) sampling grants is now open. Grants under this program are financed through the Minnesota Clean Water Fund established by the Legacy Amendment. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) will award up to $300,000 in one-year grant contracts through a competitive process. All proposals must be submitted through the SWIFT e-supplier portal and must be received no later than Sept. 19, 2014. Proposals received after this deadline will not be considered. 

The primary objective of the WPLMN is to obtain spatial and long-term pollutant load information from Minnesota’s rivers and streams (map at right shows monitoring locations). This RFP seeks local partners to collect water quality data at select sites in the Minnesota River and Upper Mississippi River Basins. Water quality samples will be collected across a full range of flow conditions with greatest emphasis given to periods of moderate and high flow. Water quality data will be paired with stream flow information to yield estimates of contaminant loading from within a watershed.

Eligible entities include:

  • Soil and water conservation districts;
  • Watershed districts;
  • Regional planning organizations;
  • Watershed management organizations;
  • Local government units such as counties, cities, townships and lake improvement districts;
  • Regional governmental groups;
  • Joint powers boards;
  • Minnesota colleges and universities;
  • Nonprofit organizations; and
  • Native American tribal governments. 

Applicants must have a SWIFT Vendor ID and Supplier Portal Account to access the RFP and apply for the WPLMN Sampling Grant. Detailed registration directions are available on the  SWIFT e-supplier portal.  Proposers should be aware that it can take several days to receive a required Vendor ID from SWIFT. If you need technical assistance for the SWIFT e-supplier portal, please contact the SWIFT helpdesk line: 651-201-8100, option 1.

Grant recipients will be notified and required to submit a detailed work plan and budget. Please note that the successful execution of these grants by the start of the monitoring season is dependent on adhering to this process and timeline. Additionally, grant recipients will be required to use SWIFT to review and approve, through electronic signature, the final contract and work plan.

Additional information can be found at the MPCA’s WPLMN webpage.