Comments for FY2015 319 Project Proposal

Tags Force

Comments for FY2015 319 Project Proposal

Sponsor:Blue Water Task Force

Project Title: Upper West Fork Nitrogen and Sediment Reduction Project

319 Request:$261,800

DEQ Prj Mgr:Ann McCauley (406) 444-9897

319 funding is competitive this year. Your funding request needs to be adequate, but not exorbitant.
Prior to filling out the Final Proposal Form, reread the Call For Project Proposals for FY2015, especially Attachment A – Project Scoring Sheet and Attachment C – Instructions for Project Proposal and Final Project Proposal Forms. Then, contact your DEQ Project Manager (noted above) for additional assistance.
Your Final Proposal must clearly demonstrate that all aspects of your project meet each of the following eligibility requirements:
Address nonpoint source pollution
Address impairments identified in Montana’s 2014 List of Impaired Waters
Implement goals and objectives identified in the 2012 Montana Nonpoint Source Management Plan
Directly implement projects or activities identified in a DEQ-accepted Watershed Restoration Plan (WRP)
Proofread your Final Proposal. You may wish to read it out loud or ask a colleague to read it and provide comment.
Complete all aspects of the Final Proposal Form. Pay special attention to the information requested in Section 1, as it seems to be a common source of errors. In Section 1 of the Final Proposal Form, you do not need to include SWCDMI mini-grants in the list of open contracts.
Section IV: Scope of Work must contain a separate task for each of the following activities:
Education and Outreach (E&O) – For proposals involving on-the-ground projects, E&O activities should be directly related to the project. To a limited extent, project sponsors may apply for funding for E&O projects that are not specifically related to an on-the-ground project, provided that the E&O projects are identified in their Watershed Restoration Plan.
Contract Administration – Deliverables should include status reports, annual reports and a final report as well as appropriate billing and contract management. The 319 funds requested for administrative activities must not exceed 10% of the total 319 funds request in your proposal; however, local match associated with administrative activities can exceed the 10% cap.
Monitoring – For proposals involving on-the-ground projects, monitoring should evaluate the success of the project at reducing nonpoint source pollution. For projects addressing nitrogen, phosphorus or sediment, the monitoring task must include estimation of annual pollutant load reductions. For E&O projects, monitoring should include an evaluation of the activities’ effectiveness in reaching the target audience and achieving the desired outcomes.
Review all task timelines, the project milestone table, and other dated information in the Final Proposal. Dates must be consistent with the anticipated 319 funding schedule (funding would likely not be available until June 30, 2015, and contract work would need to be completed within 2 to 4 years).
Remember to include all applicable attachments (see Section V of the Final Proposal Form).
Late or incomplete Final Proposal Forms will not be considered. If you have any questions please call your DEQ Project Manager well before the Final Proposal due date of September 29, 2014.

Other Comments

If you are planning on doing any work, construction, storage, etc. in a floodplain, contact your local floodplain administrator before you begin. A list of contacts for each county can be found here: http://dnrc.mt.gov/wrd/water_op/floodplain/contacts/communities_floodplain_administrators.pdf.
On the first page under the Project Location section, please list the probable pollutant or pollution causes of impairment (e.g., total nitrogen, sediment, etc.) as listed on the Clean Water Act Information Center (CWAIC) website: http://deq.mt.gov/wqinfo/cwaic/default.mcpx
Task 1 and 2 task descriptions appear to be very similar. Consider consolidating into one task or providing more detail on how the tasks are different from one another. Also, the requested amounts for each of these tasks are high (>10% of requested 319 funds when summed); either provide more information on what will be performed for each task (description of deliverables, etc.) or consider revising the requested funding.
Describe in more depth the work proposed for Task 3, including more details about the type of riparian and streambank stabilization work to be done, areas and lengths of streambank affected, and how the riparian vegetation will be protected. It is recommended to ensure that site-appropriate, native riparian vegetation techniques are integrated into the bank stabilization work.
Consider contacting your local Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks fish biologist or other staff about their involvement or support for the project. They may be able to write a letter of support for the project.
Provide more specific details about monitoring activities in Task 6: parameters to be monitored for, how nutrient load reductions will be estimated, etc.
Provide more information regarding which landowners are involved in the project: the golf course, private landowners, etc. It is unclear how much of the project is on golf course property and how much is on private land. Landowner agreements are a required element for all 319 funded on-the-ground work, and are typically up to 10+ years or the expected life of the project. Please contact your DEQ project manager for more information on what needs to be included in a landowner agreement.
Provide additional information on the types of stormwater BMPs to be implemented for Task 4 and where they will be implemented (golf course, Meadow Village commercial spaces, private lands, etc.).
Please submit all completed project designs and plans as an attachment to the final proposal.
The overview section stated that the Big Sky Golf Course maintenance crew will be responsible for a significant portion of the on-the-ground work to be completed. Please identify which tasks and activities the golf course crew will be involved with in the individual task descriptions, and their ability and training to conduct the work.