A project can be sponsored by both public and private entities, including local governments, tribal authorities, cities, counties, regional development centers, local school systems, colleges and universities, local nonprofit organizations, state agencies, federal agencies, watershed groups, for-profit groups, and individuals. Project grants to individuals are limited to demonstration projects.
Priority will be given to those projects whose goal is to improve the water quality of water bodies identified as having nonpoint source pollution impairments, as documented in:
- The current 303(d) List as impaired due to a nonpoint source pollutant;
- The current 305(b) Report as not fully supporting a designated use due to a nonpoint source; or
- Any other documentation of nonpoint source pollution
Delaware’s most recent reports can be found on DNREC’s Watershed Assessment Section web site. Here is a link to the 2008 Combined 305(b) Report and 303(d) List.
The NPS Program may also prioritize funding according to additional environmental factors, such as land use and existing best management practices, if these factors can help determine where projects will be most effective at reducing nonpoint source pollution.
Projects are usually one to three years in length. Grant recipients that failed to meet program requirements in the past may be ineligible to receive additional project funding.
