To
assist States, Indian Tribes, interstate agencies, and other public
or nonprofit organizations in developing, implementing, and demonstrating
innovative approaches relating to the causes, effects, extent, prevention,
reduction, and elimination of water pollution. This includes watershed
approaches for combined sewer overflow, sanitary sewer overflows,
and storm water discharge problems, pretreatment and sludge (biosolids)
program activities, decentralized systems, and alternative ways
to measure the effectiveness of point source programs. The estimate
of funds available for fiscal year 2003 includes $20 million that
has been requested for a new Watershed Initiative (WSI) program.
Details for that program are currently being developed. If funds
are appropriated for this program separate guidelines will be developed
for the submittal, review and approval of WSI projects.
TYPES
OF ASSISTANCE:
Project Grants. Place Cursor Here for Definition
USES
AND USE RESTRICTIONS:
Assistance
will be targeted to States, Tribes, interstate agencies, and other
public or nonprofit organizations that commit to specific activities.
Eligible activities should be of a relatively short time frame (1
to 2 years) with tangible results. All projects should achieve and
demonstrate results. Grants are not to be awarded to fund ongoing
State program activities. Typical projects include development of
model urban wet weather watershed protection strategies; development
of State CSO or storm water control programs for targeted watersheds;
development of acceptable programs to implement the biosolids regulations;
and demonstration of pretreatment measures of program effectiveness.
Funds may also be used to advance the knowledge of wet weather pollution
problems.
ELIGIBILITY
REQUIREMENTS:
Applicant
Eligibility: State water pollution control agencies,
interstate agencies, Tribes, colleges and universities, individuals,
and other public or nonprofit organizations.
Beneficiary
Eligibility: State Water Pollution Control
Agencies, interstate agencies, Tribes, colleges and universities,
individuals, and other public or nonprofit organizations.
Credentials/Documentation:
Costs will be determined in accordance with OMB Circular No. A-87
for State and local governments.
Pre-application
Coordination: Preapplication coordination with
appropriate Regional or Headquarters Office is required. The Headquarters
preapplication process includes the submission of a pre-proposal
for review as part of the system for selecting projects that the
applicants will be requested to submit formal applications. The
standard application forms as furnished by the Federal agency and
required by OMB Circular No. A-102 must be used for this program.
This program is eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372, "Intergovernmental
Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office
or official designated as the single point of contact in his or
her State for more information on the process the State requires
to be followed in applying for assistance if the State has selected
the program for review.
Application
Procedure: Application forms and completed
applications should be requested from and submitted to the appropriate
EPA Regional Office identified in Appendix IV of the Catalog.
Award
Procedure: Projects will be developed by potential
grantees; reviewed, approved, awarded and managed by Regions or
Headquarters. Interested States, interstate entities, Tribes,
and other public or nonprofit organizations should contact the
appropriate Regional or Headquarters office for proposal and application
instructions.
Deadlines:
Prospective grantees should work with the appropriate Regional
or Headquarters Office to develop a preliminary package or proposals
and submit these to the Regions. Deadlines are established by
the Regional and Headquarters offices individually. It is expected
that Headquarters will request that applicants seeking approval
of projects to be funded during FY 2003 submit Request for Initial
Proposals by late September 2002. Details for submittal will be
posted on the following web site: www.epa.gov/owm/FY2003WQCA.
Range
of Approval/Disapproval Time: Regional or
Headquarters review will normally be done within approximately
60 days following the deadline for submissions.
Appeals:
Appeals are subject to the provisions of 40 CFR Part 31, Subpart
F.
Renewals:
Not applicable.
ASSISTANCE
CONSIDERATIONS:
Formula
and Matching Requirements: Not applicable.
Length
and Time Phasing of Assistance: The terms
of the assistance shall be determined at time of award.
POST
ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Reports:
Progress report requirements will be a part of each assistance agreement.
Headquarters issued agreements will normally require quarterly and
annual reports. A schedule showing interim milestones and the outputs
that will be completed by the end of the project period will also
be included, as will any specific requirements included in the assistance
agreement.
Audits:
Grants are subject to inspections and audit by representatives
of the Comptroller General of the United States and EPA or any
authorized representative. Periodic audits should be made as part
of the recipient's systems of financial management and internal
control to meet terms and conditions of grants and other agreements.
In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133, "Audits
of States, Local Governments, and Nonprofit Organizations," nonfederal
entities that receive financial assistance of $300,000 or more
within the State's fiscal year shall have an audit made for that
year. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular No. A-133,
"Audits of States, Local Governments, and Nonprofit Organizations,"
was published in the Federal Register on June 30, 1997. The Circular
implements the Single Audit Act amendments of 1996. The Circular
requires nonfederal entities that expend more than $300,000 in
Federal award dollars, to have an audit conducted in accordance
with Circular's provisions. With the revised Circular, the previous
OMB Circular No. A-128 for single audits of States and local government
was rescinded and the single audit requirements for these entities
were incorporated among the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133.
Records:
Financial records, including all documents to support entries
on accounting records and to substantiate changes to each grant
must be kept available to personnel authorized to examine EPA
grant accounts. All records must be maintained until expiration
of three years from the date of submission of the final expenditure
report. If questions still remain, such as those raised as a result
of an audit, related records should be retained until the matter
is completely resolved.
FINANCIAL
INFORMATION:
Account
Identification: 68-0103-0-1-304.
Obligations:
(Grants) FY 01 $18,958,000; FY 02 $18,958,000; and FY 03 est $38,958,000.
Range
and Average of Financial Assistance: $5,000 to $500,000.
Development of techniques for identifying and correcting inappropriate
discharges; wet weather demonstrations; pilots for watershed integration;
development of web tool to predict erosion at construction sites;
and, water use efficiency projects.
REGULATIONS,
GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE:
For grants and agreements with States, local governments and Indian
tribal governments, the procedures and requirements should be in
conformance with 40 CFR Part 31 "Uniform Administrative Requirements
for Grants and Cooperative Agreements to State and Local Governments",
40 CFR Part 35, "Environmental Program Grants-State, Interstate,
and Local Governments Agencies" and OMB Circular Nos. A-87 "Cost
Principles for State and Local Governments" and A-102, "Grants and
Cooperative Agreements for States and Local Governments." For grants
and agreements with other entities the procedures should be in conformance
with 40 CFR Part 30, "Grants and Agreements with Institutions of
Higher Education, Hospitals, and Other Nonprofit Organizations."
INFORMATION
CONTACTS:
Regional
or Local Office: Contact the appropriate EPA
Regional Office listed in Appendix IV of the Catalog for information
on the grants administration process.
Headquarters
Office: Barron Benroth, Office of Wastewater
Management (4204M), U.S. EPA, Room 7324J, EPA East, 1200 Pennsylvania
Avenue NW., Washington DC, 20460. Telephone: (202) 564-0672. E-mail:
Benroth.Barry@epa.gov.
Web
Site Address: http://www.epa.gov/owm
EXAMPLES
OF FUNDED PROJECTS:
Characterization of Wet Weather discharges from tributaries; WWTFs;
and CSOs; Stormwater/CSO modeling; establishing administrative program
to process and approve stormwater permits; developing model State
sludge program; integration of watershed approach into NPDES program;
Environmental Management Systems; and, management of decentralized
system.
CRITERIA
FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS:
Projects will be selected based on the adherence to the national
guidance, Regional/State priority, and National transferability.
