The Bronx River Watershed Initiative (BRWI) 2010

Request for Proposal

Purpose

The Bronx River Watershed Initiative is a source of support for stormwater retrofit and low impact development (LID) projects along the Bronx River designed to address the root causes of pollution from stormwater outfalls and to improve water quality and river ecology.

The BRWI is intended to support on-the-ground implementation of projects that are structural in nature with results including:

Improve water quality by directly removing pollutants from stormwater
Improve water quality by filtering pollutants through media
Increase rates of stormwater infiltration
Slow down stormwater runoff by reducing flow rates from a site and increasing time for infiltration
Improve or add retention capacity (the amount of water stored at the surface for the duration of a storm)
Improve or add detention capacity (restrain the flow of water temporarily before it moves further downstream)
Create CSO abatement or stormwater management programs to remove or reduce floatable debris from stormwater and/or waste-streams
Please note: Education and Best Management Manuals should be secondary results of any structural projects not the primary purpose of the project

Source of Funds

The funds come from a $7 million settlement generated by the New York State Attorney General's Office (OAG) and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) resulting from violations associated with discharges of raw sewage into the Bronx River from storm sewers. Approximately $2.4 million or greater is available during FY 2010/11 depending upon the quality of proposals received.

BRWI Manager and Consulting Agencies

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is the administrative and programmatic manager of the Bronx River Watershed Initiative on behalf of the consulting agencies, OAG and DEC. All BRWI priorities and final funding decisions are made by the consulting agencies.

Grant Size

Grant awards range from $20,000 to $350,000. Projects for lesser or greater than the specified amount will not be accepted.

Geographic Focus

Bronx River Watershed: The Bronx River Watershed begins in Valhalla, New York near the Kensico Reservoir and flows south, draining a 56 square-mile watershed and emptying into the East River between Soundview and Hunts Point in the South Bronx. Please follow the link to Bronx River Watershed Boundaries.

Before Applying, Confirm that Your Project is Located Within the Bronx River Watershed Sewer Shed

Are you Eligible for Funding?

Please note that because the nature and nexus of the original environmental injury which triggered the $7 million settlement was to the Bronx River, projects must have a direct relationship to reducing or eliminating the quantity and/or quantity of the polluted stormwater flowing into it.

Before applying - Follow the link to the Sewer shed map of the specific parts of the sewer sheds which flow directly into the Bronx River. Projects within the brown boundary line of the map are eligible for funding. If you are uncertain about whether your project fits within the boundaries of the program please send an email to lynn.dwyer@nfwf.org with the address of your project site and latitude and longitude.

Eligible Applicants

Federal, state and local government; non-profit organizations; educational institutions; and interstate entities or regional water pollution control agencies are eligible for funding.

Eligible Activities

Preference will be given to projects that include: 1) measurable outcomes linked to project activities that reduce pollutants or improve the quality of stormwater following into the Bronx River; 2) specific provisions for long-term maintenance, management and protection, as appropriate (i.e., targeted water quality data sampling at designated locations; maintenance activities to document the effectiveness of projects or practices; and maintenance of debris-catching devices, LWD jams, or blockages; and mowing and weeding etc. to ensure proper function); and 3) activities consistent with the purpose of the BRWI.

Trustees of the BRWI are interested in demonstration retrofits located in areas that are highly visible or receive heavy foot traffic, such as community parks, greenway trails, schools or the public buildings/facilities and municipal hotspots such as public works yards.

Specific project types are sought under the BRWI:

Innovative stormwater retrofit projects or programs used to maximize infiltration and filtration (i.e., Low Impact Development or "LID" projects such as green roofs, rain gardens, permeable pavements, street planters that intercept rainwater, rain barrels and cisterns, urban forestry, downspout disconnection, impervious surface removal, and bioretention areas etc.);
Site redesign, redevelopment and actual retrofitting to integrate LID practices to provide improved stormwater control.

Examples of the types of stormwater and LID projects or practices eligible for funding under the BRWI:

Bank stabilization: Enhance or restore native vegetation on stream banks to intercept and infiltrate stormwater and slow runoff and reduce erosion
Riparian and Upland Buffers and Filter Strips: Plant native vegetation designed trap and filter sediments, nutrients, and chemicals from surface runoff or shallow groundwater or downstream of a runoff source
Grassed Swales: Create one or a series of engineered, vegetated, open channel practices designed to treat and attenuate stormwater runoff for a specified water quality volume
Infiltration Trenches: Create rock-filled chamber(s) with no outlet(s) to receive stormwater runoff. Stormwater run off passes through some combination of pretreatment measures, such as a swale or sediment basin before entering the trench where it infiltrates into the soil
Greenstreets: Plant vegetation in street median or traffic/parking lot island with strategically placed curb cuts that allow maximum flow of water to the area
Programs of Disconnected Downspouts: Programs that redirect rooftop downspouts from underground pipes to irrigation systems for nearby gardens and green spaces, either directly or by using storage techniques like rain barrels, cisterns and/or stormwater planters
Water Storage: Install storage techniques like rain barrels, cisterns and/or stormwater planters to receive, retain and filter runoff by allowing pollutants to settle
Inlet Devices (a.k.a. hydrodynamic separators): Flow-through structures with a settling or separation unit(s) to remove sediments and other stormwater pollutants. For example, hydrodynamic separators are ideal for areas with limited land availability such as stormwater "hotspots" (areas where higher concentrations of pollutants are more likely to occur; i.e., gas stations, municipal public works yards etc.)
Permeable pavers: Install permeable pavers to allow water to seep through regularly interspersed gaps between the blocks capturing stormwater and pollutant runoff
Permeable Pavement: Install permeable pavement that allows water to flow through and infiltrate into the underlying soil reducing runoff volume and rate and improving filtering of pollutants
Retention or Wet Ponds: Install permanent pool(s) of standing water and plant with native vegetation to act as barriers to re-suspension of sediments and other pollutants removed during storms
Constructed Wetlands or Detention Pond: Install shallow depressions to temporarily receive stormwater for treatment and allow multiple pollutant removal processes to operate.
Filtering Practices: Install practices that filter runoff through engineered media and collect treated runoff in an under-drain. The media may consist of sand, soil, compost, or a combination of these
Create CSO Abatement or Stormwater Management Programs: Programs to remove or reduce floatable debris from stormwater and/or waste-streams

Long Island Sound Futures Fund

Please note both the BRWI and Long Island Sound Futures Fund (LISFF) have the same period for application, some overlapping geography and review teams. The LISFF has a wider range of priorities which may be a closer fit to your project. You are free to apply for both sources of funds. Follow the link to Long Island Sound Futures Fund (LISFF) 2010 Request for Proposals.

Show How Well Your Project Fits!

For information about the fit of your proposal to important planning initiatives and priorities associated with stormwater management in the Bronx River Watershed:

Follow the link to: The Bronx River Watershed Management Plan. This is a comprehensive plan which lays out a strategy for limiting the amount of pollution entering the river and its tributaries via stormwater runoff in Westchester County.

Follow the link to: The Bronx River Greenway Plan and Ecological Restoration and Management Plan. This is a comprehensive plan which lays out a strategy for stormwater management in Bronx County. Review Chapters 5 and 6 which provide recommendations and information about plan implementation and management.

Find Stormwater Ideas and Designs

Follow the link to an excellent manual about LID projects developed by the United States Department of Defense, Low Impact Development. Chapters 7-10 provide particularly useful information in terms of alternative analysis of different practices, designs and cost analysis.

Follow the link to New York State Stormwater Design Manual. This provides examples of stormwater projects and practices.

Find Priority Project Sites!

Applicants please note that the Bronx River Alliance and the Westchester County Department of Planning have identified a number of priority sites for stormwater retrofits.

Follow the link to Bronx County Priority Stormwater Retrofit Sites review Figure 5.2a for list of projects and Figure 5.1 for location of projects on map.

Follow the link to Westchester Stormwater Management Priorities and review pages E-3 to E-5 for a list of priority projects.

Workshops!! Workshops!! Workshops!!

Please consider joining us at a workshop. Follow the link to Workshops to learn more and to RSVP, which is required to participate in the workshops.

Number of Applications

Please do not submit more than three applications per organization. Universities are excluded from this limit, since they contain multiple eligible departments or investigators. However, please note that research projects are not eligible for funding under the BRWI.

Permitting

If applicable, applicants will be required to provide sufficient documentation about the status of all necessary permits and clearances that the project expects to receive is in compliance with federal, state, or local ordinances. Other types of permits an applicant may need to seek would be as follows:

The applicant needs to report the classification of the Bronx River or tributary. Any portion of the river or tributary that is A, At, Ats, B, Bt, Bts, Ct, or Cts requires an Article 15 Stream Protection Permit to disturb the bed or Bank of the Stream within 50 feet of the bank. For more information about this issue please follow the link Bronx River Classification.
If there is to be work on or about the bank of the Bronx River or tributary of the river, the applicant needs to provide the Area Flood Plain Map to insure that the project is not in a Flood Plain. If the project will occur on a Mapped Flood Plain, a Flood Plain Permit from your municipality is needed. Please note, all municipalities have copies of the Flood Plain maps.
Any water discharge will require Article 17 State Pollutant Discharge Elimination Permit coverage either by a General MS4 Permit or a Specific SPDES Permit.

Time Period for Project Completion

Projects must begin implementation within three months of receipt of the formal grant award letter and should be completed within one to two and a half years. We understand a grant may only cover a single period of a longer-term project with multiple parts. However, the part of the project you are applying for must be completed in the designated time period. You can explain in the application that the funding will only be for the first phase of the project and that there are more elements to be developed and implemented to complete the larger project, but the part that is funded in this grant round must be completed in the time period described above.

Restrictions and Ineligible Activities

Proposals for research projects are not eligible for support under the BRWI. Those interested in funding for research should follow the link to LISS Research Grant Program.
Stand-alone education or outreach projects (educational projects that are not part of a stormwater retrofit or LID project) are not eligible for support under the BRWI. Those interested in funding for educational projects should follow the link to Long Island Sound Futures Fund.
Planning projects are not eligible for support under the BRWI. Those interested in funding for educational projects should follow the link to Long Island Sound Futures Fund.
Funds cannot be used for political advocacy, boycotts, litigation expenses, terrorist activities or activities conducted in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
Funding for indirect costs, overhead, contingencies, and miscellaneous costs are not allowed under the BRWI. Waiver of such funds cannot be used as match.
Funds cannot be for legally mandated actions under local, state or federal law, and/or associated with administrative permit conditions or terms of settlement agreements. Grantees and projects must be in compliance with all local, state and federal law.

Match

Although match is not required for funding under the BRWI, preference will be given to projects approaching a 1:1 match.

How to Apply

Submit a full-proposal via the Foundation's new*on-line full proposal application by Monday, March 1, 2010. * Please note you will need to register as a new user unless you have previously applied to NFWF under our new online system.

Award Notification

Applications must be submitted on-line by Monday, March 1, 2010.
Award notification will be made by August 2010.*

*Please do not contact NFWF regarding the status of your proposal until after the award announcement date.

Support Letters

You may provide a maximum of 5 letters. The purpose of a support letter is to show the level and type of support for the project among interested constituencies. Support letters should not be from persons affiliated with the applicant's organization (e.g., Board of Directors) or partners or direct participants in the project (i.e., federal or state employee providing long-term technical assistance). Letters documenting permission to work on private, federal or state land not owned or managed by the applicant are required.

Please note: all such letters must be received by Monday, March 1, 2010 and uploaded as scanned or other electronic formats into your online application. Letters received after that time will not be included with your application. For this reason, we suggest you immediately request letters from potential supporters to allow them to prepare the letters in time upload into the application.

Questions

Questions about the Bronx River Watershed Initiative? Contact Lynn Dwyer via email at lynn.dwyer@nfwf.org or John Wright via email at john.wright@nfwf.org.

New York State Office of the Attorney General

For information about the New York State Office of the Attorney General's activities associated with environmental quality and conservation follow the link to NYS OAG Environmental Protection Bureau.

New York State, Department of Environmental Conservation

For information about the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation activities associated with stormwater management, follow the link to DEC Stormwater Program.