Stormwater/LID district cost-share programs

[Shana Joy]

I am looking for information regarding any stormwater (specifically urban/suburban) or low-impact development cost-share programs that state agencies are administering through conservation districts. I am interested in the BMPs/practices that are approved for the cost-share and what kind of cost-share rates that districts are offering landowners. Cost-share programs that districts may be offering that are not a program through the state agency is of interest as well. Please feel free to contact me directly at sjoy@scc.wa.gov or 360-407-6209.

Shana Joy
Washington Conservation Commission
Puget Sound Regional Manager

[Doug Thomas]

Shana Joy

The Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (State Conservation Agency) has a statewide cost-share program that is administered by our soil and water conservation districts. The program does allow funding of urban best management practices, however since many of those practice types are not found in the USDA/NRCS Filed Office Technical Guide we require that technical certification be done by a licensed engineer if the project is structural. If the project is agronomic or very small, such as a rain garden, spoil and water conservation district staff can sign off on these themselves since they do not constitute the practice of engineering in Minnesota. Our cost-share program allows up to 75% cost-share on a project with the rate set locally. The following is a link to our cost-share program policy which relates to some of the questions you posed.

http://www.bwsr.state.mn.us/cs/rulemaking/FINAL_Cost_Share_Policy.pdf

[David Williams]

Shana,
I didn’t know you were in Washington now. Hope things are well. NC administers the Community Conservation Assistance Program (CCAP) through local districts. It’s patterned after our long-successful Agriculture Cost Share Program. We cost share at 75% for several different BMPs, but the program is not particularly well-funded (annual appropriation – $136,940). Most of our good projects have been funded through grants we’ve attracted to supplement the state appropriations. For more information, including a list of BMPs, go to http://www.ncagr.gov/SWC/costshareprograms/CCAP/index.html. The program was established in 2008, and since then we’ve funded 810 contracts totaling $2.26M with individual homeowners, HOAs, churches, cities/counties, schools, etc. To date 70 of our 96 districts have participated in the program to some degree. Tom Hill (Thomas.Hill@ncagr.gov) or Julie Henshaw (Julie.Henshaw@ncagr.gov) can answer additional questions.

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