FY2022_205j_RFP

North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Division of Water Resources
512 North Salisbury Street 1611 Mail Service Center Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1611
919.707.9000

July 26, 2022
TO: Executive Directors, Regional Councils of Governments (COGs)
SUBJECT: Request for Proposals for FY 2022 Water Quality Planning Grant Funding under Clean Water
Act Sections 205(j)/604(b)

Announcement

Pursuant to Section 205(j)/604(b) of the Clean Water Act, the Division of Water Resources is seeking
proposals for water quality planning projects using federal fiscal year 2022 grant funds. As stated in
Section 205(j) of the Act, grant funds are to be awarded to Regional Commissions and Councils of
Governments “to carry out water quality management planning, including, but not limited to:

A. Identifying most cost effective and locally acceptable facility and non-point source measures to
meet and maintain water quality standards;
B. Developing an implementation plan to obtain state and local financial and regulatory
commitments to implement measures developed under (A); and
C. Determining the nature, extent, and cause of water quality problems in various areas of the
state.”
For the 2022 federal fiscal year, North Carolina has approximately $250,000 to award for water quality
planning projects.

Division Planning staff encourages the following types of projects in particular:

• Development of 9-Element watershed restoration plans for 12-digit HUC or smaller watersheds
or updates of existing plans (please see more information on 9-Element Plans below and refer
to resources for developing watershed plans on the 319 grant program website)
• Water quality planning projects with concrete outputs such as (green and/or gray) stormwater
infrastructure mapping, prioritization or design
• Projects that benefit water quality regionally or statewide
• Projects to share water quality planning knowledge between COGs and their member
governments
• Source identification studies, including water quality monitoring, field assessments, modeling,
and GIS analyses to support watershed plan development

North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Division of Water Resources
512 North Salisbury Street 1611 Mail Service Center Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1611
919.707.9000

9-Element Plan Procedure

To better assist grantees in the completion of a DWR-approved 9-Element Watershed Restoration Plan
within the project period, each 205(j)-funded 9-Element Plan project will now be assigned a DWR
support staff member at the onset of the project period to advise and answer questions. Your DWR
support staff member will be available to meet at least once per quarter and will serve as the primary
reviewer for the plan. A draft plan should be submitted to the plan reviewer by the first day of the final
quarter of the project period. The reviewer will have a month to provide comments, and the project
team will have the remainder of the final quarter to address any concerns and re-submit the plan for
approval. Please account for this procedure in the milestone schedule in the application.

How to Apply

Download the application from the Division’s 205j Grant Program Website. Submit the completed
application to [e-mail] with “[Your COG’s name] 205(j) Grant Proposal” in the subject
line by Monday, October 3rd, 2022. Please submit application as a Word document to enable
reviewers to comment easily (any signed letters of support may be scanned and included as a separate
attachments).

Proposals will be reviewed based on the evaluation criteria found on the 205(j) program website.
Note that Division staff may request more information or modifications of selected projects prior to
development of a contract. As a reminder, billable work may not begin until contracts are fully executed,
and proposed projects should conclude no later than June 30, 2024.

Schedule

2022 205j Timetable for Grant Applicants
Tuesday, July 26, 2022 205(j) grant RFP opens
Monday, October 3, 2022 Deadline for proposals; must be received electronically by midnight
Friday, October 21, 2022 Applicants will receive review team’s questions about their proposals
Thursday, October 27, 2022 Deadline for applicants to answer review team’s questions
Monday, November 7, 2022 Applicants notified if selected for funding. Move forward with contracting.
Friday, November 11, 2022 Deadline for selected applicants to return completed contracting forms to
the 205(j) grant manager to enable contracts to be developed on time.
Sunday, January 1, 2023 Contracts executed; projects may start. (Estimated depending on time for
contract preparation.)

Proposals will be scored using review criteria based on their relevance to water quality, concrete
outputs, unique need (demonstration that this need is not being funded elsewhere), and co-benefits.

Please do not hesitate to contact grant administrator Rishi Bastakoti at [phone] or
[e-mail] with any questions or for additional guidance.