The Arkansas Natural Resources Commission is accepting proposals to use federal grant funding to improve watershed health in the state, according to an announcement from the agency.
Prospective applicants have until Jan. 31 to submit proposals.
Applicants must provide a 43 percent match for any allocated funds, meaning $43,000 of the money for a $100,000 project must come from the applicant.
Priority consideration is given to projects in one of the state's 11 "priority watersheds" with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-approved watershed management plans, according to a memorandum from the commission.
The second priority is for water-quality monitoring projects that assist with development of such plans or measure results from the implementation of them. The third priority is outreach in priority watersheds with such plans, and the fourth priority is for implementing so-called best management practices within priority watersheds or watersheds with management plans. Research projects are not eligible.
Work plans for previously approved projects can be found at arkansaswater.org, and work-plan templates can be requested by calling (501) 682-1611.
The commission does not yet have a set amount of funding allocated from the EPA, under the 319(h) program, for projects, said Allen Brown, program coordinator in the commission's nonpoint source pollution management section. The commission expects to hear about its allocation by July of next year, he said.
State Desk on 09/18/2018