On November 2, the Susquehanna River Basin Commission announced they are accepting applications for up to $6 million in Drought Resilience Consumptive Use Mitigation Grants.  The deadline to apply is January 28.

“This new, competitive grant program will expand the scope of mitigation alternatives as envisioned in the CU mitigation policy adopted in 2020,” said SRBC Executive Director Andrew Dehoff. “In addition to traditional water storage and low flow augmentation efforts, our policy promotes water conservation and reuse, groundwater recharge, and water quality improvement projects.”

“The grants will also expand our pool of partners in consumptive use mitigation. Over time, this investment of Commission funds will enhance watersheds’ ability to withstand and recover from low flow periods and drought events and is evidence of the Commission's sustained commitment to support local economies and protect public safety.”

Eligible Entities

Eligible applicants include SRBC’s permit holders; local, state, and federal government agencies; colleges and universities; and non-profit organizations.

Although a proposed project generally must be located within the Susquehanna River Basin, adjacent projects may be eligible provided that the mitigation will benefit watersheds and streams within the Basin.

Eligible Projects

The program is intended to attract the following projects that will improve the watershed’s resiliency or ability to better withstand drought situations:

-- Water storage and release projects that can enhance supply reliability or resiliency during drought (e.g., impoundments, inactive quarries, and underground mine pools);

-- Projects that modify current operations or implement new practices that increase instream flows or improve flow resilience during drought (e.g., reservoir conservation releases, aquifer storage and recovery, and coordinated use of surface water and groundwater);

-- Demand modification projects (e.g. projects that achieve water conservation, reuse and/or recycling); and,

-- Environmental and water quality improvement projects that support the resiliency of water resources (both in terms of water quality and quantity) during drought conditions (e.g., groundwater recharge, restoring wetlands/streams/floodplains, improving stormwater management, and treating abandoned mine drainage).

Individual grant projects are anticipated to be in the range of $100,000 or more, which reflects the Commission’s interest in funding more substantial efforts.

Grant funds may be used to cover a variety of project costs, including but not limited to the acquisition of land and construction of new or expansion of existing consumptive use mitigation projects.

A minimum 10 percent cash match of the requested funds is required. 

All applications submitted will be reviewed by the Commission to determine project eligibility as well as the competitiveness of the proposal using the criteria provided in the grant guidelines.

Funding announcements will be made after April 1, 2022. Awarded projects may begin on July 1, 2022.

Webinars

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission will host a webinar on the Consumptive Use Mitigation Grants Program on November 16  at 1:00 p.m. and repeated on December 8 at 10:00 a.m..

Anyone interested in submitting an application should attend the webinar!

To register for one of the webinars, please email cugrant@srbc.net to let SRBC know which webinar you will attend and include the following contact information: name, affiliation, address, phone number, and email address.

The webinar details will be emailed to registered participants a few days prior to each webinar.

For all the details, visit SRBC’s Drought Resilience Consumptive Use Mitigation Grants webpage.  Questions should be directed to: cugrant@srbc.net or call 717-238-0423, ext. 1017.

For more information on programs, training opportunities and upcoming events, visit the Susquehanna River Basin Commission website.  Click Here to sign up for SRBC’s newsletter.   Follow SRBC on Twitter, visit them on YouTube.

[Posted: November 2, 2021]

11/8/2021