FY2022_205j_ReviewCriteria

2022 Section 205(j)
Water Quality Planning Grant
Division of Water Resources
North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality

FY2022 Review Criteria for 205(j) Grant Proposals

Proposals will be initially screened to determine whether they meet the following grant requirements:
• Applicant is a council of governments/regional commission
• Project timeline takes place between January 2023 and June 2024

Proposals that meet these requirements will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

Water Quality Merit 60
Capability/Confidence 30
Co-benefits 10
Total 100

1. Water Quality Merit (60 points total)

Sixty points allocated for Water Quality Merit will be assigned based on the specific project type (A-E).

A) Proposals to develop 9-Element watershed restoration plans for 12-digit HUC or smaller watersheds
(reference resources for plan development on the 319 grant program website) should:
• (20 points) Indicate known general stressors to water quality (e.g., urban stormwater, agriculture).
• (20 points) Discuss types of practices that would likely address these pollution sources (e.g.,
stormwater BMPs, agricultural BMPs)
• (20 points) Indicate any expected plans from project PI, partners or other parties to implement the
results of restoration plans after the plan is completed.

B) Proposals to map stormwater infrastructure should provide evidence that project PIs are prepared to:
• (20 points) Clearly demonstrate how mapping stormwater infrastructure will lead to improved water
quality (not just flood control) by showing the link between existing stormwater issues and impaired
waters. Projects will score higher if they show how mapping products will make it possible to
identify illicit discharges or possible stormwater retrofit locations with enough information that
next-step project scoping and concept planning can be done.
• (20 points) Combine any existing information about stormwater system with GPS field data
collection on stormwater infrastructure location, condition, size, shape, infrastructure type, etc.
• (20 points) Create stormwater infrastructure maps, use local knowledge to ground-truth them, and
make any needed corrections.

C) Proposals to assess water pollution sources should:
• (20 points) Show that proposed methods are appropriate to monitor the pollutant in question. For
instance, if using geospatial methods to identify pollutant hotspots, show that GIS is an appropriate
tool for assessing pollutant source.
• (20 points) Be feasible within this grant’s constraints (i.e., monitoring efforts can be conducted in
12-18 months).
• (10 points) Clearly outline what concrete outputs will result from project.
• (10 points) Establish unique need/demonstrate that this need is not being addressed otherwise.

D) Proposals to share water quality planning knowledge between COGs and member governments:
• (15 points) Per EPA grant purpose, shall focus primarily on water quality; water quantity can be a co-
benefit.
• (15 points) Should demonstrate clear interest/commitment from all partners.
• (15 points) Should demonstrate how this is a unique need that is not being met through another
organization or project.
• (15 points) Should have concrete outputs such as structured office- or field-based training (via
workshops, one-on-one training, or other methods).

E) Proposals that will benefit water quality regionally or statewide and do not fall into one of these
categories will be scored based on:
• (20 points) Their relevance to water quality.
• (20 points) Concreteness of outputs (e.g., maps, data creation/management, workshop summaries,
or other planning deliverable outlining water quality impact).
• (20 points) Unique need/demonstration that this need is not being addressed otherwise.

2. Capability/Confidence in Deliverables (30 points)

• (5 points) Clarity of Application: Proposal clearly outlines project’s goals, outputs and how deliverables
will be achieved. Proposal is complete, concise, and specific.
• (5 points) Partners: Proposal includes all partners relevant to the project’s goals and explains the
role/responsibilities of, and provides budget breakouts for, each. For example, proposals to increase
knowledge-sharing between COGs and their member governments should show how all parties will
contribute to deliverables.
• (10 points) Qualifications: Statement of qualifications shows that applicant, project partners and/or
subcontractor are qualified to complete the tasks proposed in the application. (If applicant is
subcontracting project tasks, proposal should clearly outline qualifications of both applicant and
subcontractor. Applicant will also be requested to share subcontract document with the 205(j) grant
program.)
• (10 points) Existing capacity or clear need in watershed: Proposed project shows existing local capacity
or shows that project will fill a water quality need currently lacking in watershed. This will be gauged
using the “Related Projects in Watershed” section and/or detailed project description.

3. Co-benefits (10 points)

• (10 points) The project addresses climate resiliency, underserved populations, downstream impacts, or
has other positive environmental, social, or economic co-benefits.