NJ Water Bank Technical Assistance Planning and Design Grant

The NJ Water Bank Technical Assistance Planning and Design Grant provides crucial funding for disadvantaged communities to cover planning and design costs for clean water and drinking water infrastructure projects. This initiative supports various environmental infrastructure projects, including wastewater treatment and stormwater management facilities. Eligible applicants must meet the affordability criteria set forth by the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and have a pending project application. This grant aims to enhance water quality and accessibility.

PURPOSE OF FUNDING
The purpose of the NJ Water Bank Technical Assistance Planning and Design Grant Program is to provide funding to Disadvantaged Communities participating in the Water Bank’s technical assistance program for planning and design costs associated with clean water or drinking water environmental infrastructure projects. Grant funds will be made available for the planning and design of a variety of environmental infrastructure projects, including wastewater treatment facilities, stormwater management facilities, water supply facilities, and nonpoint source management facilities.
Grant funds must be used for the following purposes:

• Planning and design of environmental infrastructure facilities, as defined at N.J.A.C. 7:22-3.4.Projects related to the technical assistance scope of work.

Eligibility

Eligibility is limited to eligible Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund borrowers that meet the affordability criteria for Disadvantaged Communities, as set forth in the most recent, final Intended Use Plan or if grandfathered under a previous year’s Intended Use Plan, that have been awarded a contract for the receipt of Technical Assistance through the Water Bank’s Technical Assistance Program, and that have an eligible project application pending in H2LOans. An eligible project is a project that has been reviewed by the Department and determined to be eligible for Water Bank funding. Eligible Clean Water borrowers are owners of publicly owned treatment works (towns, boroughs, municipal utilities authorities, counties, regional water authorities, other local government units) with projects that help protect, maintain, or improve water quality are eligible for participation in the Water Bank. Private entities are eligible through public conduit borrowers. Clean Water project sponsor eligibility has also been expanded to private colleges and universities that are interested in sponsoring nonpoint source pollution projects.Eligible Drinking Water borrowers are Public community water systems, both privately and publicly owned, and nonprofit noncommunity water systems (as defined by the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations) are eligible for Water Bank assistance. Public community water systems owned by water commissions, water supply authorities, and water districts are also eligible. Federally owned systems and State-owned systems (State agencies, such as State Police, Parks and Forestry, and Corrections) are not eligible to receive Water Bank assistance.

Ineligibility

Projects that have already closed on a Water Bank loan are not eligible for these grant funds.