Grant Program for Managing Nonpoint Source Water Pollution
- Requests for Grant Applications
- Grant Administration and Sources of Funding
- Who Is Eligible?
- What Activities Are Eligible?
- Watershed Planning Projects
- Quality Assurance Requirements
- Guidance for NPS Grants
- Tools for Documenting Pollutant Reductions
- Agricultural and Silvicultural Grants
- For More Information
Requests for Grant Applications
The TCEQ NPS Program issues a Request for Grant Applications (RFGA) annually. The next RFGA for grant year 2013 is planned for release in early June 2012. Applications will be accepted for a 60-day period. The NPS Program invites anyone with a project idea for possible funding, at any time before the RFGA is issued, to email nps@tceq.texas.gov, or call 512-239-6682 and discuss the idea with NPS staff.
2013 Application Scoring Criteria and Timeline
2013 Pre-RFGA Briefing Conference Call Notes
Grant Administration and Sources of Funding
The TCEQ and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board 
administer federal grants for activities that prevent or reduce nonpoint source pollution. Grants are awarded annually and fund projects for up to three years. The TCEQ usually solicits grants in the summer of each year. Opportunities to apply are published on this Web page and Electronic State Business Daily .
The grants are made available through a federal program authorized under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act. See descriptions of active projects (PDF) funded through the TCEQ’s Nonpoint Source Program.
2013 Application Scoring Criteria and Timeline
Who Is Eligible?
All nonprofit organizations, and all state agencies or political subdivisions of the State of Texas—including cities, counties, school districts, state universities, and special districts—are eligible. Private organizations may participate in projects as partners or contractors but may not apply directly for funding.
Applicants are encouraged to partner with other local, state, and federal authorities to increase the impact of their activities. Participation offers the following benefits:
- More and better information is available for managing surface water resources.
- It ensures local perspectives are considered in decision making by government.
- Stakeholders gain insight into the nature of water quality problems and solutions.
- It promotes local stewardship of water resources through voluntary action.
What Activities Are Eligible?
To be eligible for funding, a project must address the objectives, goals and/or priorities identified in the State of Texas Nonpoint Source Management Program or nonpoint source elements in the Texas Coastal Management Plan . Priority is given to funding development and implementation of watershed protection plans or TMDL Implementation Plans.
Other eligible activities include:
- assessment of nonpoint sources of water pollution
- education and outreach
- implementation of both technology-based and water quality–based management measures
Projects that implement permit requirements for storm water are not eligible for funding. However, storm water management activities not required by permit might be eligible for assistance. Also, even in areas with storm water permits, low impact development practices and retrofits of storm water control structures are usually eligible for funding.
- NPS Grant Program Presentation
- Guidelines for Funding Projects in MS4 Jurisdictions (Urbanized Areas)
- NPS Urban Projects Funding Presentation
Watershed Planning Projects
The development of a Watershed Protection Plan (WPP) requires sufficient water quality data to characterize pollutant sources and determine whether there are obvious sources of pollution that can be addressed through means other than a WPP. To make this determination, and to allow adequate time for analysis of the data, the TCEQ NPS Program recommends a phased approach to watershed planning. This three-phase approach recommends that a monitoring (data collection and assessment) phase and a modeling (pollutant load estimation) phase be completed before proposing a project to develop a WPP.
Quality Assurance Requirements
All project-related water quality data must be collected and analyzed in accordance with an approved Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP).
Guidance for NPS Grants
The following Web pages provide guidance and information for Section 319 grant projects.
- 2004 (current) EPA Guidelines for Section 319 Grants
- Watershed Planning Guidance
- Public Education Resources
- Hydrography Maps and Data (see particularly under GIS Data Sets: Texas Stream Segments, 2012 - certified layer)
- Clean Water Act Section 319
- Cost Share/Match Guidelines for Universities and Nonprofits
- Cost Share/Match Guidelines for State and Local Government
Tools for Documenting Pollutant Reductions
The federal nonpoint source program uses the term "best management practices," or BMPs, to refer to any activity that has proven effective in preventing or reducing nonpoint source pollution. Every grant project that implements BMPs must include an estimate of the amount of pollution its activities will prevent or reduce, and an evaluation of the performance of the BMPS implemented.
Links to some of the BMPs that Texas has found effective are provided below. Information on those websites should prove useful for estimating pollutant reductions from the associated practices.
- BMP Efficiency Water Quality Monitoring
- Modeling to Estimate Pollutant Load Reductions
- BMP Efficiency Ratings
Agricultural and Silvicultural Projects
The TSSWCB 319(h) Grant Program administers the grant program for agricultural and silvicultural projects.
For More Information
Contact the NPS Program by e-mail at nps@tceq.texas.gov, or call 512-239-6682.
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