66.120: Puget Sound Watershed Management Assistance

66.120

Inactive

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Aug. 31, 2018

Sept. 22, 2017

The overall goal of the National Estuary Program is to attain and maintain water quality in designated estuaries that would assure protection of public water supplies and the protection and propagation of a balanced, indigenous population of shellfish, fish and wildlife and allows recreational activities in and on the water. Puget Sound has been designated as one of 28 estuaries of National Significance under §320 of the Clean Water Act. The goal of the National Estuary Program is to attain and maintain water quality in designated estuaries that would assure protection of public water supplies and the protection and propagation of a balanced, indigenous population of shellfish, fish and wildlife and allows recreational activities in and on the water. The Puget Sound National Estuary Program's approved Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) is the Action Agenda. The goal of the Action Agenda is to restore and maintain the Puget Sound estuarine environment by 2020 so that it will support balanced indigenous populations of shellfish, fish and wildlife and support the extensive list of recognized uses of Puget Sound. The EPA is committed to protecting and improving water quality and minimizing the adverse impacts of rapid development in the Puget Sound Basin. These commitments include protecting the watersheds and waters of Puget Sound by protecting the fundamental watershed processes that provide and create aquatic habitats and by reducing the generation and release of toxic, nutrient and pathogen pollution. EPA is committed to working with the Management Conference to protect and improve water quality and minimize the adverse impacts of rapid development in the Puget Sound Basin by protecting the fundamental watershed processes that provide and create aquatic habitats and by reducing the generation and release of toxic, nutrient and pathogen pollution. Funding Priority - Fiscal Year 2016: The Region did not makie any solicitations under this program in FFY 2016. Funding Priority - 2017 The Region does not plan on making any solicitations under this program in FFY 2017.

B - Cooperative Agreements

Units of local government, under Washington State law, and federally recognized Indian Tribes located within the greater Puget Sound basin are eligible to apply. Also eligible to apply are special purpose districts, as defined by Washington State law at R.C.W. 36.93.020, including but not limited to, irrigation districts, and water and sewer districts that are located in or govern land and water resources within the greater Puget Sound basin. Conservation districts located in or governing land and water resources within the greater Puget Sound Basin are also eligible to apply for assistance under this program. The greater Puget Sound basin is defined as all watersheds draining to the U.S. waters of Puget Sound, southern Georgia Basin, and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Federal and state agencies, institutions of higher learning, watershed planning units formed under RCW 90.82.040 and RCW 90.82.060, local management boards organized under RCW 90.88.030, salmon recovery lead entities organized pursuant to RCW 77.85.050, regional fisheries enhancement groups organized pursuant to RCW 77.95.060, Marine Resource Committees organized pursuant to RCW 36.125 and nongovernmental entities are not eligible to directly receive financial assistance awards under this announcement. Business enterprises and individuals or families will also not be eligible applicants. However, EPA strongly encourages local and tribal governments to solicit participation from these types of entities as local collaborators. All of these types of entities are eligible to apply for subawards or subcontracts from a successful award recipient. For certain competitive funding opportunities under this CFDA description, the Agency may limit eligibility to compete to a number or subset of eligible applicants consistent with the Agency's Assistance Agreement Competition Policy. The specific types of eligible applicants will be identified in the individual Requests for Proposals.

The ultimate beneficiary of the assistance offered under this program will be the general public that lives and works in the Puget Sound region.

66.456 - National Estuary Program