Stream and Wetland Restoration Grant

The Stream and Wetland Restoration Grant, provided by the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation, aims to restore natural resources impacted by violations of the Tennessee Water Quality Control Act. Eligible applicants include nonprofit corporations, state and federal agencies, and municipalities. Projects must contribute to strategic investment areas, comply with regulatory requirements, and demonstrate their capacity to manage funds effectively. Leveraging additional resources is essential, with a minimum of 20% required from other sources.

NOTE: All applicants will be required to submit a pre-proposal, including a grant program pre-proposal application, project proposal description, letters of commitment, budget and budget justification.
The department recovers compensation for injury to Tennessee’s natural resources in the context of formal enforcement. See Tenn. Code Ann § 69-3-116 (providing for recovery of damages caused by violations of the Tennessee Water Quality Control Act). Recovered funds are then applied to restoration projects to offset natural resource damages. Surface water restoration is focused on restoring surface waters of the State, including both streams and wetlands.
The purpose of the Stream and Wetland Restoration Grant Program is to leverage improvement opportunities in selecting and funding projects that best ensure benefits to natural resources with a nexus to those injured and compensated for through enforcement. Projects funded through this program may not be used as a mechanism for fulfilling any compensatory mitigation liabilities or requirements for impacts authorized through the State’s Aquatic Resource Alteration Permit and 401 Water Quality Certification programs or required to correct an unpermitted alteration. However, with appropriate documentation to ensure both obligations are separately satisfied, a compensatory mitigation project could be combined with a grant-funded project, provided that the compensatory mitigation does not count as a match. “Mitigation” means the restoration, creation, enhancement, and/or preservation of aquatic resources to compensate for unavoidable impacts as provided by Tenn. Comp. Rules and Regs. 0400-40-07-.04(7)

Eligibility

Grant funding through the Stream and Wetland Restoration Grant Program is available to nonprofit corporations, state agencies, federal agencies, and municipal entities.Project proposal consideration for review will require a proposed contract period as specified in the Stream and Wetland Grant Program Manual and permanent project protection through easements or deed restrictions. Monitoring to demonstrate success and adaptive management plans will be required in proposals as appropriate for project type. The grant proposal project must:fit into one or more of the Strategic Investment Areas;not be intended to help meet regulatory requirements; leverage additional resources;be completed and final invoices submitted one month prior to the grant contract end datebe within the State of Tennessee in proximity to a HUC 12 watershed identified in the RFP;have a project manager with demonstrated capacity to complete the project;be performed by an organization with the demonstrated capacity to administer, track, and report the funds awarded.Projects will be required to leverage additional resources at a minimum of 20% of the total project cost. Higher matches will receive greater consideration for the value of grant funds requested. In-kind leverage will be allowed, but will require presentation in the proposal budget, tracking during the project and documentation in the final report. Compensatory mitigation required by a permit or order does not count toward the match.