Deadline: February 15, 2010

The Bronx River Watershed Initiative has a total of $2.7 million available for storm water retrofit projects, including low-impact development initiatives, to address the root causes of pollution from storm water outfalls to improve water quality and river ecology along the Bronx River.

The funds come from a $7 million settlement generated by the New York State Attorney General's Office and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation resulting from violations associated with discharges of raw sewage into the Bronx River from storm sewers. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation is the administrative and programmatic manager of the initiative.

BRWI is intended to support on-the-ground implementation of projects that are structural in nature with results that include improving water quality by directly removing pollutants from storm water; improving water quality by filtering pollutants through media; increasing rates of storm water infiltration; slowing storm water runoff by reducing flow rates from a site and increasing time for infiltration; improving or adding retention capacity (the amount of water stored at the surface for the duration of a storm); improving or adding detention capacity (restraining the flow of water temporarily before it moves further downstream); and creating storm water management programs to remove or reduce floatable debris from storm water and/or waste-streams.

Federal, state, and local government; nonprofit organizations; educational institutions; and interstate entities or regional water pollution control agencies are eligible to apply for funding.

Grant awards will range from $20,000 to $350,000 each. Although matching funds are not required under the initiative, preference will be given to projects that approach a 1:1 match.

Related Resources:
RFP for Bronx River Storm Water Projects