FY2023_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 28, 2023
TO: Executive Directors, Regional Councils of Governments (COGs)
SUBJECT: Request for Proposals for FY 2023 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 2023 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.”
Only Regional Councils of Government (COGs)/Regional Planning Organizations are eligible to apply
for 205(j) grants, however, COGs may partner with any public or private sector organization to
implement projects.

Due to provisions made through the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), North Carolina received
additional funding for the 205(j) Grant Program and has approximately $406,000 to award for water
quality planning projects in the 2023 federal fiscal year. As there is no cap on NC’s 205(j) pass-through
funding requests, applicants are encouraged to request adequate funds to fully execute proposed
projects and to also propose larger projects, such as complete 9-Element plans.

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).

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

• Source identification studies, including water quality monitoring, field assessments, modeling,
and GIS analyses to support watershed plan development.
• Site-specific design plans for structural water quality practices identified in a 9 Element Plan.
• 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.
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.

Bigger Picture Considerations
Water quality management planning projects often have benefits that extend beyond the project scope.
In recognition of the potential for bigger picture/co-benefits, DWR provides additional consideration for
projects that consider environmental justice and climate change resilience.

- Water quality and climate change impacts can disproportionately affect urban and rural communities
that are predominately of color, indigenous, linguistically isolated, low-income, and/or impacted by
other stressors. Therefore, the DWR believes that communities should not be disproportionally exposed
to adverse environmental impacts, and anyone can have a seat at the table in the decision-making
process that affects their environment. The DWR will encourage fair treatment and meaningful
involvement of citizens in 205(j) projects by awarding additional points in scoring to projects that will
benefit historically underserved populations (In order to identify the underserved communities, this
program refers to the definition adopted by the Environmental Justice Program of NC DEQ. Applicants
are encouraged to use the Community Mapping System to identify the potentially underserved
communities. The block group is considered as a potentially underserved community if it meets the
criteria for Race/Ethnicity and poverty1), involve them in in the process and improve public access to

1 It is selected as a potentially underserved block group if it meets the following criteria for Race/Ethnicity and Poverty:
Racial/Ethnic composition: Share of nonwhites and Hispanic or Latino (of any race) is over fifty percent OR Share of nonwhites and
Hispanic or Latino (of any race) is at least ten percent higher than County or State share.
AND
Poverty rate: Share of population experiencing poverty is over twenty percent AND Share of households in poverty is at least five
percent higher than the County or State share.

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

healthy environment. The Community Mapping System shows the area of environmental concerns
based on the race/ethnicity and poverty criteria.

- There is strong scientific evidence indicating that the earth’s surface temperatures are warming, and
precipitation regimes are shifting. A changing climate has a significant impact on water quality, affecting
the timing and quantity of the precipitation and snowmelt that feeds our rivers, the temperature of
lakes and streams, and nutrient cycling within aquatic environments. Our communities, economy,
environment, and natural resources are increasingly at risk from the impacts of climate change. To make
North Carolina more resilient to both climate and non-climate-related stressors, Governor Roy Cooper
signed Executive Order 80 (EO80) on October 29, 2018, calling for the integration of climate adaptation
and resilience planning into cabinet agency policies, programs, and operations. EO80 called for agencies
to develop resilience strategies that support communities and sectors of the economy most vulnerable
to the effects of climate change and to enhance the state government’s ability to protect human life and
health, property, natural and built infrastructure, cultural resources, and other public and private assets
of value to North Carolinians. Some nonpoint source planning activities can address the impacts of
climate change on water quality and quantity. DWR will encourage these types of projects by awarding
additional points in scoring to projects that include climate change resilience for communities, native
plants, wildlife, or ecosystems into planning activities. This includes, but is not limited to, the
identification of potential projects that provide and promote resiliency against future storm events and
address sea level rise.

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 Thursday, September 21, 2023. Please submit the 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, 2025.

Schedule

2023 205j Timetable for Grant Applicants
Friday, July 28, 2023 205(j) grant RFP opens
Thursday, September 21, 2023 Deadline for proposals; must be received electronically by midnight
Thursday, October 5, 2023 Applicants will receive review team’s questions about their proposals
Thursday, October 12, 2023 Deadline for applicants to answer review team’s questions
Tuesday, October 24, 2023 Applicants notified if selected for funding. Move forward with contracting.
Monday, October 30, 2023 Deadline for selected applicants to return completed contracting forms to
the 205(j) grant manager to enable contracts to be developed on time.

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

Monday, January 1, 2024 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 Robin Hoffman at 919-707-3643 or
[e-mail] with any questions or for additional guidance.