NATIONAL URBAN WATERS PARTNERSHIP NETWORK

Message of the Month: On April 21, 2023, EPA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Department of the Interior announced the Walnut Creek watershed as the 21st Urban Waters location. To learn more about Walnut Creek in North Carolina, click here.

 Magali Rojas, Blue River Urban Waters Ambassador, shared the following:

Location and sponsoring agency/organization: Heartland Conservation Alliance stewards the Blue River Watershed which flows 42 miles northeast from its rural, undeveloped headwaters in Johnson County, Kansas, through underserved communities and post-industrial stretches in Jackson County, Missouri, and, finally, into the Missouri River.

Favorite part of the watershed: My favorite part of the watershed is by the Minor Park entrance. The first time I drove there I felt immersed in another world filled with a canopy of trees, rocky glades and the beautiful Blue River.

Current priorities: As a new Ambassador I would like to start by listening and learning. I want to engage and make genuine connections that will allow me to better serve the underrepresented communities within the Blue River Watershed.

Project to connect with another Ambassador about: Yes! I would like to talk to another Ambassador about Urban & Community Forestry Inflation Reduction Act grants in EJ communities, specifically about the consequences of urban heat islands.

LinkedIn: Visit me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/magali-rojas-ab487b10b

Bronx & Harlem River Watersheds (NY) — The New York City Department of Transportation is initiating a planning process to develop seven miles of the Greenway in the Bronx. The Greenway in the Bronx would be a continuous walking and cycling connection that would connect Bronxites to their waterfront. Three online, public workshops were held in mid to late April 2023 to gather input from the Bronx community.  

Grand River/Grand Rapids (MI) — The Grand River/Grand Rapids Urban Waters Partnership held its quarterly meeting on April 25, 2023. Agenda topics included updates from the working group to the full committee about the 10-year commemoration event. Members also discussed federal funding opportunities.

Greater Philadelphia Area/Delaware River Watershed (PA, NJ, DE) — On May 6, 2023, the Delaware River Festival will bring together community members for food, education, crafts and additional activities. Join the Chester, PA, community along the Delaware River Saturday, May 6, 11 AM - 2 PM, Subaru Park Plaza. There will be food trucks, fun family activities, music, local community groups, environmental education, giveaways and more, click here.

Middle Rio Grande/Albuquerque (NM) — The Middle Rio Grande/Albuquerque Urban Waters Partnership participated in the Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge EJ Days 2023. Community events included music, food, dance, horse therapy and a paddle ride. The theme of this years EJ Days was Our Place in Her Space to remember and rekindle the relationship to “Mother Earth.”

Mystic River Watershed (MA) — The Mystic Steering Committee will host a meeting on green infrastructure on May 11. The meeting will provide opportunities for municipalities to come together and learn about the challenges and opportunities of green infrastructure projects in the watershed as well as at the national level. Panelists will discuss best practices in other cities at the national level and share federal and state resources to support local work.

Northwest Indiana Area (IN) — Cherie Fisher, long-time Social Scientist with the U.S. Forest Service, has been with Northwest Indiana Urban Waters Partnership since its beginning. Cherie is moving to a new position within the Forest Service meaning she will be stepping away from Partnership work. Cherie’s contributions to the NWI Partnership are greatly appreciated. 

Northwest Indiana Area (IN) — The Northwest Indiana Urban Waters Partnership met on April 20, 2023, for a Partnership meeting. Partners presented on coastal hazards of Lake Michigan and coastal community resilience, and restoration of the ecology in the Chicago area.

Patapsco Watershed/Baltimore Region (MD) — The Baltimore Urban Waters Partnership met on April 26, 2023. Speakers from Waterfront Partnership Healthy Harbor, BMore LOVE Volunteer Network, the National Aquarium and the Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional Program discussed community collaboration opportunities. Federal partners including U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) presented updates. 

Rio Reimagined-Rio Salado Project — Rio Reimagined partners support wildlife in the area. City of Phoenix Water Services staff at the Tres Rios Wetland and Phoenix and Arizona Game & Fish Department staff rescued a young eagle after its nest crashed due to heavy water flow in the Salt River. The eagle is now safely recuperating with a foster mom at Liberty Wildlife until its release to the wild.

Walnut Creek/Raleigh, NC - On April 21, 2023, President Biden Signs Executive Order to Revitalize Our Nation’s Commitment to Environmental Justice for All. Launch of the 21st Urban Waters Federal Partnership’s Walnut Creek location in Raleigh, NC kicked off the White House Campaign for Environmental Justice and was referenced as an example of how the Administration is strengthening partnerships with communities that have been left behind for too long.

New! U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Emergency Community Water Assistance Grants — Rolling application window open — The USDA Emergency Community Water Assistance Grants program supports eligible communities prepare, or recover from, an emergency that threatens the availability of safe, reliable drinking water. Eligible applicants must show a decline in quantity or quality of water that occurred within two years of the date of the application or that a significant decline in quality or quantity of water is imminent. To learn more about eligibility and the application process, click here.

New! USDA Water & Waste Disposal Predevelopment Planning Grants — Rolling application window open — The USDA Water & Wastewater Disposal Predevelopment Planning Grants program helps eligible low-income communities plan and develop applications for proposed USDA Rural Development water or waste disposal projects. The maximum grant amount is $30,000 or 75% of the predevelopment planning costs. Partnerships with other federal, state and local entities are encouraged, and grants are awarded only when the applicant cannot afford to borrow the needed funds. To learn more about these grants, click here.

New! 2023 Climate Justice for All Grants — Applications due May 12, 2023 — The Climate Justice for All Grant Program from Climate Reality is an initiative that supports organizations or grassroots groups run by and primarily serving frontline communities in developing community solutions to environmental injustices in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Selected organizations receive a one-time grant of up to $20,000, access to Climate Reality’s curated library of resources, and opportunities to help amplify and spread their message in partnership with Climate Reality and peer organizations. As part of the grant cycle, organizations are invited to participate in capacity-building workshops, check-ins with Climate Reality staff and peer-learning opportunities with other grantees. To learn more, click here.

New! AmeriCorps Volunteer Generation Fund — Applications due May 16, 2023 — The AmeriCorps Volunteer Generation Fund (VGF) focuses on investments in volunteer management practices that increase both volunteer recruitment and retention. VGF strengthens nonprofit organizations to recruit and retain volunteers to meet critical community needs. Funding is open to State Service Commissions, nonprofits, schools, government agencies and tribal, faith-based or community organizations. To learn more about eligibility and how to apply, click here.

New! USDA Forest Service Urban & Community Forestry Inflation Reduction Act Notice of Funding Opportunity — June 1, 2023 — The USDA Forest Service Urban & Community Forestry (UCF) Program is a technical, financial and educational assistance program, delivering nature-based solutions to ensure a resilient and equitable tree canopy. The UCF Program assists State Forestry agencies and partner organizations in addressing and applying nature-based solutions to chronic and emergent economic, social and environmental challenges in communities across the United States, especially those experiencing low urban tree canopy, dead and hazardous tree conditions, extreme heat and severe flooding and limited awareness of or access to green job workforce. The minimum Federal funding amount for projects is $100,000. The maximum Federal funding limit is $50,000,000. To learn more about eligibility, the performance period and to apply, click here.

EPA 2023 Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program — Applications due May 31, 2023 — Approximately $550 million is available to select approximately 11 eligible entities to become Grantmakers. Grantmakers will design competitive application and submission processes, award environmental justice subgrants, implement a tracking and reporting system, provide resources and support to communities, all in collaboration with EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights. This program was created to reduce barriers to the application process and increase the efficiency of the awards process for environmental justice grants. Eligible entities include community-based nonprofit organizations, partnerships of community-based nonprofit organizations and more. To learn more about eligibility and the application process, click here.

EPA Pollution Prevention (P2) Grant: Environmental Justice in Communities — Applications due June 6, 2023 — The purpose of the Pollution Prevention Grant: Environmental Justice in Communities is to provide technical assistance to businesses (e.g., information, training, expert advice) on source reduction, also known as pollution prevention (P2). Grantees must demonstrate that the project will improve human health and the environment in disadvantaged communities by implementing P2 approaches. To learn more about eligibility and the application process, click here.

EPA Pollution Prevention (P2) Grant: Environmental Justice Through Safer and More Sustainable Products — Applications due June 20, 2023 — The purpose of the Pollution Prevention Grant: Environmental Justice Through Safer/Sustainable Products is to provide P2 technical assistance to businesses (e.g., information, training, expert advice) in order to improve human health and the environment in disadvantaged communities by increasing the supply, demand and use of safer and more sustainable products, such as those that are certified by EPA’s Safer Choice program, or those that conform to EPA’s Recommendations for Specifications, Standards and Ecolabels for Federal Purchasing. To learn more about eligibility and the application process, click here.

New! EPA Integrating Environmental Justice into Water Resource Webcast — May 3, 2023 — During this webcast, states, universities and NGOs that are working to integrate environmental justice into watershed and water quality management will present on specific projects related to environmental justice. Presenters will discuss using data for prioritization of environmental justice work, collective impact campaigns for watershed health, empowering community members to combat climate change impacts and the connection between flooding issues and housing accessibility. To register, click here.

New! 2023 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Partners Workshop Call for Abstracts — Abstracts due May 15, 2023 — FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) Division is opening a Call for Abstracts for the annual Hazard Mitigation (HM) Partners Workshop. This year’s theme, All Together for Climate Resilient Communities: Equity, Partnerships, Capability & Capacity,  brings together Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) and Floodplain Management (FPM) for dedicated sessions and tracks. Topics will focus on building mitigation champions, driving community resiliency, providing technical assistance for grant programs and supporting overall mitigation. There is interest in abstracts highlighting efforts to reach or build capacity within disadvantaged communities. To learn more about abstract requirements and how to submit, click here.

New! Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers — June 2023-June 2028 — EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy are cooperatively funding awards to 14 regional and 3 national Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers (EJ TCTAC). Seventeen organizations and their partners will receive a total of approximately $177 million to establish the network of centers to provide direct technical assistance, training and capacity building support to communities and organizations to advance environmental and energy justice priorities. With this critical investment, the Centers will provide training and other assistance to build capacity of local grassroots nonprofit organizations, tribal governments and other similar community stakeholders in navigating federal, state and private grant application systems such as Grants.gov and SAM.gov, writing stronger grant proposals and effectively managing grant funding. To learn more about the EJ TCTAC, click here.

New! 20th Annual EPA Drinking Water Workshop: Small System Challenges and Solutions —September 11-14, 2023 — For 20 years, the EPA Drinking Water Workshop has brought together professionals from states and territories, Tribes, federal agencies, academia, NGOs, local agencies and others to share the latest information on challenges facing small drinking water systems and solutions to address them. To optimize networking, increase engagement and to promote a shared learning experience, the workshop will be held as an entirely in-person event this year in Covington, Kentucky. To view the agenda and register, click here.

2023 National Brownfields Training Conference —August 8-11, 2023, in Detroit — The National Brownfields Training Conference is the largest event in the nation focused on environmental revitalization and economic redevelopment. Held every two years, the National Brownfields Conference attracts over 2,000 stakeholders in brownfields redevelopment and cleanup to share knowledge about sustainable reuse and celebrate the EPA brownfields program’s success. Read more here.

EPA What to Expect When You’re Expecting … a Grant: Competition Process Webinars — In the Competition Process webinar, EPA discusses how to find and successfully apply for EPA grants. In the What to Expect When You’re Expecting … a Grant webinar, EPA reviews what grant recipients need to do and look for when they receive a grant award, discusses how to understand terms and conditions of grants and talks through EPA’s oversight once a grant is awarded. To view the webinar about the competition process, click here. To view the webinar about grant management, click here.

EPA Water Technical Assistance Request Form — EPA’s Water Technical Assistance Page now includes a one-stop-shop EPA water technical assistance request form where communities can request no-cost direct water technical assistance to evaluate their drinking water, wastewater, stormwater infrastructure and water quality improvement needs. The page also now includes specific examples of what types of assistance are available and who is eligible. To view the form, click here. 

Environmental Finance Center Network Technical Assistance Request Form — The Environmental Finance Center Network (EFCN) specializes in helping small water and wastewater systems. Small drinking or wastewater systems which serve 10,000 or fewer people and less than 1 million gallons per day are eligible for free assistance for technical, managerial or financial solutions to environmental infrastructure challenges. EFCN has created a technical assistance request form wastewater systems, local governments and others to request assistance.  To view the form, click here.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Webinar on Requesting Thriving Communities Technical Assistance — In March 2023, HUD hosted a webinar to discuss what local jurisdictions need to know to request HUD’s Thriving Communities Technical Assistance (TCTA). The webinar recording provides key information about TCTA eligibility, how to request TCTA and the type of technical assistance that will be provided.  To view the recordings or slides, click here.

EPA’s Creating Resilient Water Utilities (CRWU) — EPA's CRWU initiative provides drinking water, wastewater and stormwater utilities with practical tools, training and technical assistance needed to increase resilience to climate change. CRWU assists water sector utilities and interested parties by promoting a clear understanding of climate change and helps to identify potential long-term adaptation options for decision-making related to implementation and infrastructure financing. To learn more about CRWU resources including risk assessment tools and data maps, click here.

USDA National Watershed Program Manual and Handbook — The National Watershed Program Manual provides policy, guidance and suggestions for working through the various stages of watershed projects, from working with potential sponsors to providing project rehabilitation assistance. The National Watershed Program Handbook is a companion document. To view the manual and handbook, click here.

EPA Trash Free Waters “Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Opportunities to Address Tire Wear Particles in Waterways” Report — EPA’s Trash Free Waters program announced the publication of “Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Opportunities to Address Tire Wear Particles in Waterways.” Tire wear particles as a pollutant in waterways is a relatively new field of study without standardized terminology, assessment methodologies or established solutions. The emergence of tire wear particles as a significant category of microplastics found in waterways prompted EPA to convene interested parties in two roundtable discussions in Spring 2022 to facilitate shared learning about the challenges of addressing the problem of tire wear particle pollution. The roundtables provided a forum for discussion among participants without committing to a specific course of action. This brief report summarizes the roundtable discussions. To view the report, click here.

Message of the Month:  EPA announced the availability of $550 million from the Inflation Reduction Act to expedite investments through EPA’s new Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking (EJ TCGM) program. This new, innovative program will fund up to 11 entities to serve as grantmakers to community-based projects that reduce pollution. Selected grantmakers will develop an efficient, simplified process so that organizations that historically have faced barriers to receiving funding can more seamlessly apply for grants that address environmental harms and risks. Applications due by May 31st, 2023, click here to learn more.  

SPOTLIGHT

Gary Belan, Senior Director, Clean Water Program at American Rivers, shared the following:

American Rivers’ current priorities: For nearly 50 years, the mission of American Rivers has been to protect wild rivers, restore damaged rivers and conserve clean water for people and nature. Our vision is grounded in a deep-rooted belief that healthy rivers are essential to all life and that we must accelerate and expand our impact to respond to the growing urgency around the growing crises of climate change, racial injustice and biodiversity loss.  To address these challenges, our priorities are to protect 1 million miles of rivers by 2030 (prioritizing miles nearer communities of color and Tribal Nations) and remove 30,000 unnecessary dams by 2050, ensure all communities have clean water and champion a powerful river movement.

Geographic areas American Rivers works in: As a national organization, American Rivers is focused on river protection, dam removals and conserving clean water across the country. We do have regional offices across the country that focus on their specific watersheds, while our national office helps connect those regional approaches to national policy advocacy.

How American Rivers connects with Urban Waters: Urban Waters partners can partner with American Rivers by:

1.                   Hosting a river clean up and partnering with our National Rivers Clean Up Program.

2.                   Nominating a river for Most Endangered Rivers consideration. 

3.                   Working with us to amplify frontline voices to ensure the $44 Billion of federal clean water and drinking water funding supports communities that need that water infrastructure funding the most.

4.                   Connect with one of our regional offices to partner on local river and clean water priorities.

Favorite part(s) of the watershed: Because we work across the country, we work in many different watersheds. Every river is important and has its own unique personality – we love all of our rivers!

Favorite accomplishment to date: Our favorite accomplishment to date has to be working with our partners to successfully advocate for the historic federal investment for clean water infrastructure in 2021. The challenge will be ensuring these funds are prioritized for historically underinvested communities and for climate resilient projects.  

LOCATIONS

Bronx & Harlem River Watersheds (NY) — The Bronx and Harlem Rivers Urban Waters Partnership hosted a workplan revision meeting on February 15, 2023. The 2023/2024 Workplan will help to define the partnerships activities and focal projects for the next two years.

Caño Martín Peña (PR) — The Caño Martín Peña Ecosystem Restoration Project (CMP-ERP) broke ground on January 31, 2023. After more than 10 years of continuous work and multi-sectoral advocacy involving community groups, state and federal partners, the project is moving to construction after a $163 million funding allocation under the Infrastructure and Jobs Act. The CMP-ERP is critical to reduce exposure of residents to contaminated floodwater and is essential to restoring fish habitat, species diversity and the overall health of the San Juan Bay Estuary system.

Caño Martín Peña (PR) — On January 31, 2023, AmeriCorps CEO Michael D. Smith visited Puerto Rico to meet with national service leaders and tour national service sites. One of the organizations Smith met with was La Corporación del Proyecto ENLACE del Caño Martín Peña (ENLACE).

Caño Martín Peña (PR) — The $3.4 million Borinquen Potable Water Line project was recently completed by the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority. The project which initiated construction in July 2020 was developed through funding provided by ENLACE. The potable water line required relocation to enable the development of the Caño Martín Peña Ecosystem Restoration Project.

Caño Martín Peña (PR) — On February 22, 2023, local entities responsible for infrastructure development convened for the Caño Martín Peña Urban Waters Infrastructure Meeting. The meeting served not only as an opportunity to provide updates related to on-going work, but also to define paths to resolve utility service issues faced by community residents and to facilitate coordination of complex infrastructure projects.

Lake Pontchartrain Area/New Orleans (LA) — Nikole Witt and Travis Tucker, both within the EPA Water Division’s Assistance Programs Branch, will be co-leading EPA Region 6’s effort in the Urban Waters program. Witt has leadership and experience in grants management. Tucker has managed multiple successful groundwater and surface water clean-up projects.

Passaic River/Newark (NJ) — The Passaic River Urban Waters Partnership held a community event on January 28, 2023. The Passaic River Coalition and the Clement A. Price Institute of Rutgers University hosted a lunch and screening of two short films (The Meaning of the Seed and The Way of the Ramapough) to foster discussion about connecting with and improving the Passaic River.

Middle Rio Grande/Albuquerque (NM) — The Middle Rio Grande Urban Waters partners will be hosting the 2023 Land and Water Summit on March 1-3, 2023.  The summit will address local responses to climate change, why it is necessary to rethink the approach to resource management and why collaboration is the key to a sustainable future in the wake of an inevitable shift in climate. To further recognize the impact of this annual conference and the efforts of all in collaboratively stewarding land and water in the state of New Mexico, the governor has proclaimed a Land & Water Awareness week.

Middle Rio Grande/Albuquerque (NM) — Restoration and educational youth crew activities will begin at the Tijeras Bio-Zone Education Center in early March. The Bio-Zone, a City of Albuquerque Open Space property, has been the focus of collaborative restoration efforts that address erosion within and around Tijeras Creek, invasive species management and the development of accessible trails for the public that meet or exceed Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.

Mystic River Watershed (MA) — The Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) held a steering committee meeting on January 19, 2023. The committee discussed street sweeping in the context of EPA Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permits, stormwater best management practices and its impact on environmental justice neighborhoods. Members also discussed leaf litter and phosphorus control. 

Patapsco Watershed/Baltimore Region (MD) — The Baltimore Ecosystem Study quarterly science meeting was held on January 25, 2023. The meeting focused on environmental justice practice and research. Presenters and panelists from USDA Forest Service, Maryland Department of Natural Resources and community group leaders discussed the needs and opportunities related to environmental justice practice in Baltimore.

Patapsco Watershed/Baltimore Region (MD) — The Patapsco Watershed/Baltimore Region Urban Waters Partnership met on February 2, 2023. The Partnership discussed ongoing research efforts such as the Community Health: Addressing Regional MD Environmental Determinants of Disease program, funding opportunities and other agenda topics. The Partnership also welcomed Jeff Fretwell, Director of Maryland Water Infrastructure Financing Administration.

Rio Reimagined-Rio Salado Project — The 2023 Salt River Project Water Conservation Expo will be on March 4, 2023. The Water Expo brings together community members to celebrate water in the Valley and discover ways to conserve water at home.

South Platte Watershed (CO) — The South Platte River Urban Waters Partnership (SPRUWP) held a partners meeting on February 21, 2023. Jessica Thrasher from the Colorado Stormwater Center presented on the Center's initiatives, including resources they've developed to provide information on rain gardens and rain barrels. This meeting was held at the Colorado State University Hydro Building and included a tour of the building. 

$ FUNDING ANNOUNCEMENTS $

New! Bureau of Reclamation WaterSMART Environmental Water Resources Projects — Applications due March 28, 2023 — WaterSMART Environmental Water Resources Projects is a category of funding to support projects focused on environmental benefits and that have been developed as part of a collaborative process to help carry out an established strategy to increase the reliability of water resources. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law includes additional authority for the Bureau of Reclamation to provide funding for multi-benefit projects that improve watershed health. Applicants are invited to leverage their money and resources by cost sharing with Reclamation on Environmental Water Resources Projects,  including water conservation and efficiency projects that result in quantifiable and sustained water savings and benefit ecological values or watershed health; water management or infrastructure improvements to benefit ecological values or watershed health; and watershed restoration projects benefitting ecological values or watershed health that have a nexus to water resources or water resources management. To learn more about eligibility and apply, click here.

EPA Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving (EJCPS) Cooperative Agreement Program — Applications due April 10, 2023 — EPA is solicitating applications for projects that support community-based nonprofit organizations (CBOs) in their collaboration with other stakeholders (e.g., local businesses and industry, local government, medical service providers, academia, etc.) to develop solutions that significantly address environmental or public health issue(s) in communities disproportionately burdened by environmental harms. The Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving (EJCPS) Cooperative Agreement Program provides financial assistance to eligible organizations. The EJCPS Program anticipates awarding approximately $30,000,000 of Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding through 83 cooperative agreements. To view the Request for Applications and register for the pre-application informational webinar on January 24, click here.

EPA Environmental Justice Government-to-Government Program (EJG2G) — Applications due April 10, 2023 — The Environmental Justice Government-to-Government (EJG2G) program provides funding at the state, local, territorial, and tribal level to support government activities that lead to measurable environmental or public health impacts in communities disproportionately burdened by environmental harms. Formerly known as EPA's State Environmental Justice Cooperative Agreement Program (SEJCA), this program was renamed to better reflect the spectrum of entities eligible for this funding. EPA is soliciting applications for projects that transform overburdened and underserved communities into healthy, thriving communities capable of addressing the environmental and public health challenges they have historically faced, as well as current and future challenges. The EJG2G Program anticipates awarding approximately $70,000,000 of funding through 70 cooperative agreements nationwide. To view the Request for Applications and register for the pre-application informational webinar on January 26, click here.

New! EPA Pollution Prevention (P2) Grant Opportunities — Applications due Spring 2023 — EPA will soon announce two new grant opportunities funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Pollution Prevention Grant: Environmental Justice in Communities and Pollution Prevention Grant: Environmental Justice Through Safer and More Sustainable Products will both provide P2 technical assistance to eligible applicants. EPA is providing notice of these grant opportunities in advance so potential applicants can make the necessary preparations to submit a high-quality application. To learn more about these grants and receive notifications when they are available, click here.

EVENTS AND TRAININGS

New! 2023 Sustainable Urban Forests Coalition — March 1, 2023 — The 18th annual meeting of the Sustainable Forests Coalition will be in Arlington, VA. This year’s theme is Mentorship, Apprenticeship, & Eliminating Barriers to Access – Supporting Future Professionals of Urban Forestry & Arboriculture. To learn more about the Sustainable Urban Forests Coalition and the annual meeting, click here.  

EPA Office of Water National Forum on Contaminants in Fish — February 28, March 2, March 7, and March 9, 2023 — EPA Office of Water, will hold a virtual National Forum on Contaminants in Fish (Fish Forum) to bring together interested stakeholders to discuss the many issues related to human health and contaminants in fish. The Forum will be all virtual and will take place for four days. Questions about the Fish Forum can be directed to frey.sharon@epa.gov

National Environmental Justice Conference and Training Program and Race Forward’s “Justice and Equity: From the Inside Out” Training Program for Civil Servants — March 7-9, 2023 — The 2023 National Environmental Justice Conference and Training Program will be held March 7-9, 2023, in conjunction with Race Forward’s “Justice and Equity: From the Inside Out” Training Program for Civil Servants. Leaders from various sectors will engage in three days of free exchange of ideas and approaches to achieving environmental justice. These interactive training sessions will feature voices of experience, research, discussions, and thought-provoking dialogue. The program format will feature the needs and challenges of communities, governments, municipalities, tribes, faith-based organizations, and others with an interest in environmental justice. It will highlight programs and collaborations that work, as well as initiatives that have not proven successful. Program speakers will feature representatives from Federal and state agencies, local governments, tribes, community groups, business and industry, public interest groups, academia, and other entities. To register, click here.

New! Natural Forward (formerly Audubon Naturalist Society) Taking Nature Black — March 8-10, 2023 — Nature Forward’s Taking Nature Black Conference will offer presentations and discussions focused on the needs and interests of Black nature professionals, environmental justice advocates, educators and outdoor enthusiasts. Attendees will be inspired, energized and connected to a growing community of people working to achieve environmental change through online and in-person events. The conference continues the celebration of Black Americans in nature highlighted in 2022’s Belonging e-book. To access the e-book, click here. To learn more and register, click here. 

New! Inflation Reduction Act Environmental and Climate Justice Program Request for Information — due March 17, 2023 — EPA is seeking public input on the new Environmental and Climate Justice (ECJ) program that will distribute $3 billion in Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding through grants and technical assistance. This Request for Information related to the Environmental and Climate Justice (ECJ) Grant Program, is seeking public input on new and innovative strategies and approaches for competition design, community engagement, equitable distribution of financial resources, grantee eligibility for funding, capacity-building and outreach, and technical assistance. To learn more, click here.

New! Urban Forest Educators Symposium — April 11-14, 2023 — The Urban Forest Educators Symposium will be hosted in a hybrid format. Professionals and practitioners in urban forestry are invited to share best practices and create guidelines for shared pedagogical approaches for teaching urban forestry related topics. To register for the symposium, click here.

2023 National Brownfields Training Conference —August 8-11, 2023, in Detroit — The National Brownfields Training Conference is the largest event in the nation focused on environmental revitalization and economic redevelopment. Held every two years, the National Brownfields Conference attracts over 2,000 stakeholders in brownfields redevelopment and cleanup to share knowledge about sustainable reuse and celebrate the EPA brownfields program’s success. Read more here.

RESOURCES

American Planning Association Tech Tools to Build Community Resilience — The American Planning Association’s Technology Division created a list of datasets, applications and visualizers that can inform and improve climate change planning. These tools include the National Risk Index and GEOSNAP. To read about these and other tools, click here. 

EPA Water Infrastructure Technical Assistance website — As part of EPA’s efforts to implement the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Water Infrastructure Technical Assistance website has been updated. Updates focus on new and existing EPA water and technical assistance programs. The updates include a factsheet with an overview of water technical assistance resources and a simple water technical assistance request form. To view the site, click here.

EPA Water Finance Clearinghouse — The Water Finance Clearinghouse is a web-based portal to help communities locate information and resources that will assist in making informed decisions for their drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure needs. The Water Finance Clearinghouse has two searchable databases: one contains available funding sources for water infrastructure and the second contains resources on financing mechanisms and approaches that can help communities access capital for their water infrastructure. To access the Clearinghouse, click here. 

EPA Webinar on Green Infrastructure and the MS4 Permit: A Compendium of Case Studies — In many states, the MS4 permit acts as a regulatory driver to encourage or require implementation of green infrastructure in MS4 communities. For this webinar, speakers whose permits featured in the Compendium will take a deep dive into their MS4 permit requirements and local green infrastructure projects. To access this webinar, click here.

EPA Heat Island Community Actions Database — The Heat Island Reduction Program recently added or updated dozens of examples to the Community Actions Database. This database allows users to sort heat island mitigation efforts by geographic region, cooling activity and activity category. To visit the database, click here.

Message of the Month:  New Jersey is the first state to receive an EPA loan through the State Infrastructure Financing Authority Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (SWIFIA) program. EPA announced a $500 million loan to the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank to modernize wastewater and drinking water systems serving over 10 million people throughout New Jersey. Read more here. 

SPOTLIGHT

Erik Meyers, Vice President of Climate and Water Sustainability at the Conservation Fund, shared the following:

The Conservation Fund’s current priorities: Since its 1985 founding, The Conservation Fund has focused on building strong partnerships with government, business and other non-profit organizations to protect the places and natural resources that matter. We strive to demonstrate the economic and social vitality that comes from effective conservation and use of land, water and natural resources. Our current top priorities include safeguarding America’s forestlands, empowering underserved urban and rural communities to be more resilient to climate change and economic changes, and working with partners at federal, state and local levels on accomplishing their top land and water conservation goals to serve current and future generations.

Geographic areas the Conservation Fund works in: The Conservation Fund works across the nation in all 50 states, and our work spans the spectrum from remote communities such as Pedro Bay, Alaska, to recovering urban watersheds in Atlanta, Georgia. Notably, we are working to protect source waters and watersheds that millions of Americans rely on for plentiful clean water for households, agriculture and essential infrastructure that also supply vital habitat for native fish and wildlife.

How the Conservation Fund connects with Urban Waters: The Conservation Fund is an active partner in four current Urban Waters locations and other similar locations. Importantly, the Fund advocates for integration of natural green infrastructure with more traditional grey engineered solutions as the most effective One Water approach, particularly given the dual challenges of climate change and continued land development in our cities and urban watersheds.

Favorite part(s) of the watershed: Whether it is an urban river providing recreational access, a rural floodplain and wetland complex teaming with wildlife, or a tidally influenced estuarine marsh buffering coastal communities from storms and rising sea levels, we find great opportunities to shape solutions that provide watershed protection, learning, restoration and enjoyment for people.

Favorite accomplishment to date: We have been thrilled by the positive community response to the equitable development opportunities created by urban park and green infrastructure projects such as Kathryn Johnston Memorial and Lindsay Street Parks in Atlanta, Marlborough Terrace in Kansas City, and Garrett Park in Baltimore. We are excited by the progress in building coalitions to protect the Neuse River in North Carolina’s Triangle Area, the bi-state Blue River watershed in Kansas and Missouri, and the headwaters of the Flint River in metropolitan Atlanta. And we take particular pride in the thousands of acres of wetlands and floodplains we have conserved as the implementation partner for Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District’s Greenseams® Program.

LOCATIONS

Bronx & Harlem River Watersheds (NY) — The Bronx and Harlem Rivers Urban Waters Partnership 2023/2024 workplan revision meetings will be held virtually in February and in-person in March. The Partnership is in the process of collecting input from all partners.

Caño Martín Peña (PR) —The San Juan Bay National Estuary Partnership hosted an educational day at the Condado Lagoon Natural Estuarine Reserve on January 14, 2023. Visitors experienced identifying vegetation at the Reserve and a treasure hunt.

Green-Duwamish Watershed (WA) — The Green-Duwamish Urban Waters Partnership finished 2022 hosting two major urban forestry gatherings in Seattle. In November, the Green-Duwamish Urban Waters Partnership and its partners served as the local host committee for the national Partners in Community Forestry Conference. The Partnership helped build tours and experiences for the over 700 attendees. The Green-Duwamish Ambassador led more than 60 national urban forestry professionals on a sold-out tour of the Duwamish River that connected with partners and local tribal members. Additionally, the Partnership and the City of Seattle co-hosted the annual gathering of the Forest in Cities network, a national partnership of over a dozen cities organized by the Natural Areas Conservancy. The event, held at the Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center, included presentations by professionals from across the country and tribal members and organizations shared Indigenous ecological restoration knowledge. The Green-Duwamish Urban Waters Partnership contributed to discussions about a national study on urban heat islands and forests.

Grand River/Grand Rapids (MI) — The Lower Grand River Organization of Watersheds (LGROW) a partner in the Grand River/Grand Rapids Urban Waters Partnership, partnered with the EPA’s Equitable Resilience Builder Tool to conduct a series of community workshops. The workshops provided residents of subwatersheds an opportunity to discuss hazards and risks, as well as actions to develop resilience for climate change in their communities. Four workshops were held in 2022 in different subwatersheds. In late December, LGROW hosted a holiday social to celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Clean Water Act. Local partners in attendance were presented with different opportunities to engage in watershed programming.

Greater Philadelphia Area/Delaware River Watershed (PA, NJ, DE) — The Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed is celebrating $11.5 million in federal funding from the 2023 omnibus spending plan signed by President Biden in December. This funding will support the Delaware River Basin Restoration Program, which invests funding to advance local projects that mitigate flooding, preserve ecologically sensitive areas and improve outdoor access across the watershed.

Middle Rio Grande/Albuquerque (NM) — The Middle Rio Grande/Albuquerque (MRG/ABQ) Partnership held a quarterly partnership meeting on December 13, 2022. At the meeting, partners presented on the Backyard Refuge Program and urban heat mapping and mitigation efforts. The MRG/ABQ Partnership location is also pleased to welcome our new steering committee member Denise Gonzalez (City of Albuquerque Sustainability Office). To learn more about the Backyard Refuge Program and urban heat mapping and mitigation efforts, click here and here.

Mystic River Watershed (MA) — The Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) and collaborators are celebrating securing $12.9 million in federal community project grants as part of the FY2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act for nine climate resilience projects for communities in the watershed. This federal funding will support many projects including the Mystic River Path Project and the Cooling Urban Heath Islands through Enhancing Urban Forests. In November, EPA awarded MyRWA $499,979 from a grant, which will be used to monitor air quality at community-identified locations in four cities in the watershed.

Northwest Indiana Area (IN) — The Northwest Indiana (NWI) Urban Waters Partnership met on January 19, 2023. During the meeting, partners discussed the 2023 NWI Urban Waters Work Plan.

Passaic River/Newark (NJ) — In December, the EPA and the U.S. Department of Justice announced a proposed consent decree with 85 potentially responsible parties for the releases of hazardous substances into the Lower Passaic River. The Parties agree to pay $150 million toward the clean-up of the Lower Passaic River. The consent decree is subject to a 45-day public comment. To view the consent decree, click here.

South Platte Watershed (CO) — The South Platte River Urban Waters Partnership (SPRUWP) held a funding workshop on January 19, 2023. The purpose of the SPRUWP Funding Workshop was to foster collaboration among partners and identify opportunities for joint funding applications. During the meeting, attendees learned about upcoming grant opportunities, identified joint needs and barriers and brainstormed project ideas.

$ FUNDING ANNOUNCEMENTS $

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Grant Program Request for Proposals — Proposals due January 31, 2023 —The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and the Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC), in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), USDA Forest Service (USFS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), FedEx and Southern Company are pleased to solicit applications for the 2023 Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration program. The Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration grant program seeks to develop community capacity to sustain local natural resources for future generations by providing modest financial assistance to diverse local partnerships focused on improving water quality, watersheds and the species and habitats they support. This program will award approximately $1.6 million in grants nationwide. To view the application, click here.

New! EPA Technical Assistance for Brownfields and Brownfields Training, Research and Technical Assistance Grants — Applications due February 14, 2023 — EPA’s Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization (OBLR) is soliciting applications from eligible entities to provide technical assistance to assist communities facing brownfields challenges under Technical Assistance for Brownfields. The technical assistance provided through these agreements will cover technical support on various brownfields subject areas. The second solicitation is for Brownfields Training, Research and Technical Assistance Grants, which will help communities, organizations, government agencies, nonprofits and individuals tackle the challenge of cleaning up and revitalizing brownfield properties. To learn more about these grants, click here and here. 

New! EPA Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving (EJCPS) Cooperative Agreement Program — Applications due April 10, 2023 — EPA is solicitating applications for projects that support community-based nonprofit organizations (CBOs) in their collaboration with other stakeholders (e.g., local businesses and industry, local government, medical service providers, academia, etc.) to develop solutions that significantly address environmental or public health issue(s) in communities disproportionately burdened by environmental harms. The Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving (EJCPS) Cooperative Agreement Program provides financial assistance to eligible organizations. The EJCPS Program anticipates awarding approximately $30,000,000 of Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding through 83 cooperative agreements. To view the Request for Applications and register for the pre-application informational webinar on January 24, click here.

New! EPA Environmental Justice Government-to-Government Program (EJG2G) — Applications due April 10, 2023 — The Environmental Justice Government-to-Government (EJG2G) program provides funding at the state, local, territorial, and tribal level to support government activities that lead to measurable environmental or public health impacts in communities disproportionately burdened by environmental harms. Formerly known as EPA's State Environmental Justice Cooperative Agreement Program (SEJCA), this program was renamed to better reflect the spectrum of entities eligible for this funding. EPA is soliciting applications for projects that transform overburdened and underserved communities into healthy, thriving communities capable of addressing the environmental and public health challenges they have historically faced, as well as current and future challenges. The EJG2G Program anticipates awarding approximately $70,000,000 of funding through 70 cooperative agreements nationwide. To view the Request for Applications and register for the pre-application informational webinar on January 26, click here.

EVENTS AND TRAININGS

New! Sustainable Urban Forests Coalition Annual Meeting Request for Proposals — January 31, 2023 — Sustainable Urban Forests Coalition has an open Call for Collaboration for the 2023 Annual Meeting, which will be at the at the University of Virginia Darden Center in Arlington, VA. This year’s theme is workforce development in the urban forestry field. Those who submit successful proposals will have the opportunity to present their project or idea at the annual meeting and access the diverse members and supporters of the Coalition to form partnerships. To learn more about this year’s theme and submit a proposal, click here.

New! EPA Webinar on the Avoided Emissions and generation Tool (AVERT) — January 31, 2023 — The AVoided Emissions and geneRation Tool (AVERT) evaluates how energy policies and programs such as energy efficiency (EE) and renewable energy (RE) lead to changes in emissions of certain pollutants. EPA is releasing an expanded version – AVERT 4.0 – to include additional information about the impact of electric vehicles on emission. To register for the webinar, click here. 

New! National Association of Wetland Managers Webinar: Recommendations for Reducing Wetland Loss in Coastal Watersheds of the United States — January 31, 2023 — Amanda Santoni, EPA; Jonathan Phinney, National Wetland Inventory; and Marla Stelk, National Association of Wetland Managers, will discuss the Recommendations for Reducing Wetland Loss in Coastal Watersheds of the United States that the Interagency Coastal Wetlands Workgroup (ICWWG) recently released. This webinar will provide an introduction to and background on the Recommendations report and share efforts by agencies and partners to implement specific recommendations. To register for the webinar, click here.

New! 2023 National Brownfields Training Conference — Call for Ideas due February 6, 2023; Conference to be held August 8-11, 2023 in Detroit — Submit your ideas for dynamic educational sessions that encourage conversation and participation from your fellow attendees. A great session will motivate brownfields stakeholders to engage, learn, and share their experiences and knowledge of community revitalization challenges and solutions. If you have a brownfields success story or knowledge and experience in brownfields topics, this is your chance to share it with your colleagues. Submit your ideas here. Learn more about the conference here.

New! National Association of Conservation Districts Annual Meeting — February 11-15, 2023 — The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) is the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that represents America’s 3,000 conservation districts. Conservation districts are local units of government established under state law to carry out natural resource management programs at the local level. Districts work with millions of cooperating landowners and operators to help them manage and protect land and water resources on private and public lands. The 2023 annual meeting will be held in New Orleans, LA. Breakout session topics include natural resource management and climate resilience and equity, access, and outreach. To learn more about NACD or register for the meeting, click here.

EPA Office of Water National Forum on Contaminants in Fish — February 28, March 2, March 7, and March 9, 2023 — EPA Office of Water, will hold a virtual National Forum on Contaminants in Fish (Fish Forum) to bring together interested stakeholders to discuss the many issues related to human health and contaminants in fish. The Forum will be all virtual and will take place for four days. Questions about the Fish Forum can be directed to frey.sharon@epa.gov

National Environmental Justice Conference and Training Program and Race Forward’s “Justice and Equity: From the Inside Out” Training Program for Civil Servants — March 7-9, 2023 — The 2023 National Environmental Justice Conference and Training Program will be held March 7-9, 2023, in conjunction with Race Forward’s “Justice and Equity: From the Inside Out” Training Program for Civil Servants. Leaders from various sectors will engage in three days of free exchange of ideas and approaches to achieving environmental justice. These interactive training sessions will feature voices of experience, research, discussions, and thought-provoking dialogue. The program format will feature the needs and challenges of communities, governments, municipalities, tribes, faith-based organizations, and others with an interest in environmental justice. It will highlight programs and collaborations that work, as well as initiatives that have not proven successful. Program speakers will feature representatives from Federal and state agencies, local governments, tribes, community groups, business and industry, public interest groups, academia, and other entities. To register, click here.

New! River Network River Rally — May 13-16, 2024 — The next River Rally will take place in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 2024. During River Rally 2024, the Grand River restoration project will be underway to restore the city’s namesake rapids and revitalize the urban waterfront, and attendees will have front-row seats to this Urban Waters Partnership project-in-progress from the venue: Grand Valley State University. Expect outstanding local field trips, stimulating sessions, amazing venues and opportunities to enjoy the riverfront with old and new friends from across the network. To learn more about the next River Rally, click here.

RESOURCES

National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Nature-Based Solutions Funding Database — The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) has an interactive database for communities interested in pursuing federal funding or technical assistance for nature-based solutions. One of the goals of this database is to raise awareness of the number of federal programs available for nature-based project assistance, particularly those that may not immediately be considered or are lesser known. The site allows users to search and sort the more than 70 types of federal grants that fund nature-based restoration solutions based on factors such as eligible recipients, project purpose and the match required. It also provides information about the typical application cycles and contact information for each program. To view the site, click here.

National Association of Wetland Managers Hot Topics Webinars — The National Association of Wetland Managers (NAWM) offers a Hot Topics Webinar Series that focuses on timely issues and studies such as new and emerging wetland policy and law, innovative tools and technology and state-of-the-art practices. Past webinar slides and recordings are available to view online. Topics include the Clean Water Act, the importance of wetlands to tribal communities and flooding. To view presentations and recordings, click here.

River Network State Revolving Fund Advocacy Toolkit — The Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (CWSRF and DWSRF) represent the largest source of federal funding for water infrastructure. The SRFs are intended to support communities across the country by increasing their financial capacity to take on large water infrastructure projects, addressing everything from outdated and leaking pipes to increasing the storage capacity of their water treatment plant to ensure continuous delivery of safe and clean water to their residents. River Network developed the State Revolving Fund Advocacy Toolkit to support state and local advocates interested in water infrastructure investment who are seeking to better understand the State Revolving Fund (SRF) process. To view the toolkit, click here.

The White House Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Guidebook — This guidebook provides an overview of the clean energy, climate mitigation and resilience, agriculture, and conservation-related tax incentives and investment programs in President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, including who is eligible to apply for funding and for what activities. To access the guidebook, click here.

EPA State Energy and Environment Guide to Action: Overview of Electric Utility Policies — The EPA State Energy and Environment Guide to Action offers real world best practices to help states design and implement policies that reduce emissions associated with electricity generation and energy consumption. First published in 2006 and then updated in 2015, the Guide is a longstanding EPA resource designed to help state officials draw insights from other states’ policy innovations and implementation experiences to help meet their own state’s climate, environment, energy, and equity goals. Each chapter covers a unique policy topic, provides descriptions and a regulatory landscape of the featured policy and explains its environmental, energy, health and equity benefits. To view the guide, click here.

Message of the Month: Assistant Secretary of the Department of the Interior Tanya Trujillo Visited Southern California! A former resident of Los Angeles, Assistant Secretary Trujillo recently visited for a regional Southern California tour and was able to meet with the Los Angeles River Urban Waters Partnership’s federal, state and local partners. She has a particular interest in the Urban Waters Federal Partnership (UWFP) Program and has visited with a few other locations around the country. She was very excited to hear about local programs and expressed that she will remain an advocate for the LA River UWFP Program and hopes to go kayaking! 

SPOTLIGHT

Julie Edmiston, Associate Executive Director of Wilderness Inquiry (a UWFP NGO Partner), shared the following:

Wilderness Inquiry’s current priorities: Wilderness Inquiry connects people of all ages, backgrounds, identities and abilities through shared outdoor adventures so that all people can equitably experience the benefits of time spent in nature. Our Canoemobile program brings a fleet of 24-foot, 10-person canoes to public waterways across the country, providing day paddling experiences for more than 20,000 youth and families annually.

Geographic areas Wilderness Inquiry works in: Based in the Midwest, Wilderness Inquiry serves communities from coast to coast and specifically provides programs in the following watersheds located in the UWFP:

• Anacostia River

• Bronx and Harlem Rivers

• Grand River/Grand Rapids

• Greater Philadelphia Area/Delaware River

• Northwest Indiana Area

• Passaic River/Newark

How Urban Waters locations can connect with Wilderness Inquiry initiatives: We are always exploring new locations and partnerships for programming on public waterways. We’d love to hear from you! Please contact canoemobile@wildernessinquiry.org to get involved and learn more. We recently began working with the Urban Waters Federal Partnership Ambassador for the Mystic River to bring Canoemobile to the Boston area.

Favorite part(s) of the watershed: Each watershed is unique in its own way, but our favorite part is always the people. Wilderness Inquiry’s Canoemobile program connects people to their local waterways through immersive paddling experiences that create long-lasting connections between individuals and the watershed where they live.

Favorite accomplishment to date: Wilderness Inquiry programmed on the Passaic River near Newark, New Jersey, in October 2022, partnering with the City of Passaic and UWFP agencies. Over one weekend, 265 people paddled on the Passaic River as part of a large community event. The community was welcoming and enthusiastic about the paddling opportunity, with many folks returning to bring their friends and family. There was even local press coverage of the event!

UPDATES FROM URBAN WATERS LOCATIONS

Blue River (Kansas City, MO) — Congratulations to the Blue River Urban Waters Partners who were awarded a $5 million Missouri American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Stormwater Infrastructure grant! Blue River Ambassador Logan Heley convened the following partners and helped to write the grant application: the Missouri Parks and Recreation Department; the City of Kansas City, MO; Jackson County, MO; the Mid-America Regional Council; and other nonprofits. The funded project seeks to restore 200-270 acres of riparian habitat along the Blue River, restore green infrastructure in three nodes along the Blue River corridor and plant 2,000-2,500 trees in neighborhoods and business districts adjacent to the corridor. The work will be led by the Kansas City, MO, Parks and Recreation Department, in collaboration with diverse community and nonprofit partners. Read Missouri Governor Parson’s press release here.

Bronx & Harlem Rivers (NY) — The Bronx and Harlem Rivers location met on October 25, 2022. Urban Waters Ambassador Christina Carrero and Shawn Fisher, U.S. Geological Survey, led the meeting. Partners were updated about water quality monitoring in the Harlem River and the Trash and Floatable project in the Bronx River, among other topics.

Grand River/Grand Rapids (MI) — The Grand River Urban Waters Partnership welcomes new Ambassador Robert Cloy! Robert works on behalf of the Lower Grand River Organization of Watersheds (LGROW).

Grand River/Grand Rapids (MI) — The City of Grand Rapids, in partnership with Grand Rapids Whitewater, submitted a permit request for work related to the Lower Reach of the Grand River Revitalization Project. On September 29, 2022, Michigan Department of Environment Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) hosted a public hearing for that permit request, followed by a period of accepting submitted public comments that closed October 9, 2022. Throughout the month of October, Grand River Voices, a community engagement nonprofit hosted several “Report Out and Feedback Sessions” to gather community input to finalize their equity framework for the Grand Rapids River Revitalization Project.

Greater Philadelphia Area/Delaware River Watershed (PA, NJ, DE) — On November 14, 2022, the Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed held the tenth annual Delaware River Watershed Forum. Over 275 attended the forum, which had the theme “Reflection on Yesterday, a Vision for Tomorrow.” The event was staffed by New Jersey Audubon and executed in partnership with the National Wildlife Federation.

Greater Philadelphia Area/Delaware River Watershed (PA, NJ, DE) — This year, the Delaware River Urban Waters location established a Community Fund to help financially support local partners doing on-the-ground water equity and restoration work. The Partnership for the Delaware Estuary awarded $11,943 to eight grantees across four cities for projects such as environmental education, youth corps and tree and native pollinator plantings. Each grantee is a local non-profit working with environmental justice community members and youth. They have secured additional funding to continue the fund moving forward.

Los Angeles River Watershed (CA) — On December 8, 2022, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hosted a public, virtual webinar “Los Angeles River Flood Risk Awareness Workshop.” The webinar covered the Homeless Encampment Program, FY23 River and operations and management activities and the hydraulic and biological conditions of the Los Angeles River, and Whittier Narrows dam safety.   

Lake Pontchartrain Area/New Orleans (LA) — Nikole Witt and Travis Tucker, both within the EPA Water Division’s Assistance Programs Branch, will be co-leading EPA Region 6’s efforts in the Urban Waters Program. Witt has leadership and experience in grants management. Travis has led a team of engineers and scientists within the Superfund Division at Air Force Civil Engineer Center in San Antonio.  

Middle Rio Grande/Albuquerque (NM) — The Middle Rio Grande/Albuquerque Urban Waters Partnership has a new website, which includes a calendar of upcoming events and links to past newsletters. To view the website, click here.

Mystic River Watershed (MA) — The Mystic River Watershed Urban Waters Partnership hosted the Building a Common Foundation for Racial Equity in the Mystic River Watershed workshop on October 13, 2022. The workshop provided an introduction to how racism surfaces in the context of water issues and to racial equity. A second workshop that builds on the foundations of this first one is scheduled for December 1, 2022.

Mystic River Watershed (MA) — The Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) held its second Environmental Justice Workshop on December 1, 2022. MyRWA partnered with the EPA, Groundwork USA, GreenRoots, One Everett and others to deliver the free environmental justice workshops. The three-hour in-person workshop highlighted equity issues raised by the Mystic River Watershed community members and environmental justice organizations.

Northwest Indiana Area (IN) — The Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, Purdue Extension, Purdue Forestry and Natural Resources, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) hosted Dr. Peter Euclide for a free Fisheries Workshop on November 16, 2022. Euclide presented on lake trout spawning reef structure, fish assemblages and the latest Indiana Department of Natural Resources report on the fish population in Southern Lake Michigan.  

Passaic River/Newark (NJ) — This year is the 10-year anniversary of the Lower Passaic River Urban Waters Federal Partnership. The Partnership is proud and excited to celebrate this milestone by recommitting to their mission of reconnecting our communities to the Passaic by revitalizing urban waters and the communities that surround them. To learn more about the Partnership, click here.

Passaic River/Newark (NJ) —The NY-NJ Harbor and Estuary Program supported a special screening of the film “AMERICAN RIVER”, which blends memoir, adventure, history and science to tell the story of the Passaic River. To learn more about the film, click here.

Passaic River/Newark (NJ) — The Great Swamp Watershed Association held a Veteran’s Day paddle on the central portion of the Passaic River. Children (ages 8+) were welcome, and paddlers learned about the wildlife in the river ecosystem including the blue heron, salamanders, turtles, mink and muskrat.

Rio Reimagined-Rio Salado Project — The State of Arizona tapped Arizona State University (ASU) to lead the Arizona Water Innovation Initiative and will provide ASU with a $40 million dollar investment for the initiative. The multi-year Arizona Water Innovation Initiative to provide immediate, actionable and evidence-based solutions to ensure Arizona will thrive with a secure future water supply. ASU will work with industrial, municipal, agricultural, tribal and international partners to accelerate and deploy new approaches for water conversation, desalination, efficiency, infrastructure and reuse.

South Platte Watershed (CO) — The South Platte River Urban Waters Partnership held the 32nd annual South Platte Forum on December 8, 2022. The theme for this year was “The Bigger Picture: Seeing the Basin through the River Lens.” The keynote address was given by Phil Weiser, Colorado Attorney General. Panelists discussed policy, climate change, community efforts to protect water, agriculture and conservation. The 2022 Friend of the South Platte Award was also presented.

South Platte Watershed (CO) — On November 15, the South Platte River Urban Waters Partnership held a Partnership meeting. Boyd Wright from Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Maddy Castro from the EPA presented on the state’s greenback cutthroat trout restoration effort and the results of the EPA’s trash assessment project, respectively.

$ FUNDING ANNOUNCEMENTS $

New! National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Grant Program Request for Proposals — Proposals due January 31, 2023 — The Environmental Justice Data Fund (EJDF) is an $8 million fund created and seeded by Google. EJDF aims to help frontline communities that have been historically underserved and disproportionately impacted by climate change and environmental injustice. The Fund will consider a range of approaches to using data to advocate for environmental justice at the local and regional level. EJDF will make one-time grants to 60-100 organizations in 2022 through an open request for proposals. EJDF encourages grantees to leverage grant funds for matching opportunities. To view the application, click here. 

EVENTS AND TRAININGS

New! EPA Webinars on Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funding Opportunities — December 19 & 20, 2022 — EPA will conduct multiple webinars to discuss new opportunities from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Sessions will cover an overview of the program, procurement, subawards and other elements of the opportunities. Each session will be presented twice. All sessions will be recorded and posted online. To register for sessions, click here.

New! EPA Office of Water National Forum on Contaminants in Fish — February 28, March 2, March 7, and March 9, 2023 — EPA Office of Water, will hold a virtual National Forum on Contaminants in Fish (Fish Forum) to bring together interested stakeholders to discuss the many issues related to human health and contaminants in fish. The Forum will be all virtual and will take place for four days. Questions about the Fish Forum can be directed to frey.sharon@epa.gov

New! National Environmental Justice Conference and Training Program and Race Forward’s “Justice and Equity: From the Inside Out” Training Program for Civil Servants — March 7-9, 2022 — The 2023 National Environmental Justice Conference and Training Program will be held March 7-9, 2023, in conjunction with Race Forward’s “Justice and Equity: From the Inside Out” Training Program for Civil Servants. Leaders from various sectors will engage in three days of free exchange of ideas and approaches to achieving environmental justice. These interactive training sessions will feature voices of experience, research, discussions, and thought-provoking dialogue. The program format will feature the needs and challenges of communities, governments, municipalities, tribes, faith-based organizations, and others with an interest in environmental justice. It will highlight programs and collaborations that work, as well as initiatives that have not proven successful. Program speakers will feature representatives from Federal and state agencies, local governments, tribes, community groups, business and industry, public interest groups, academia, and other entities. To register, click here.

RESOURCES

White House Council on Environmental Quality Climate & Economic Justice Screening Tool — The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) launched version 1.0 of the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST). CEJST is an essential step in implementing the Biden Administration’s Justice40 Initiative. CEJST identifies over 20,000 communities as disadvantaged or partially disadvantaged. To launch CEJST, click here.

U.S. Water Alliance Racial Equity Toolkit — Guided by the U.S. Water Alliance Racial Equity Advisory Group, US Water Alliance staff and the consulting team at Water Savvy Solutions, developed the Racial Equity Toolkit to enable water utilities to work to improve their racial equity practices and outcomes both internally and externally. The Toolkit encourages utilities to start wherever they are to find entry points and strategic levers to improve equity outcomes. To view the Racial Equity Toolkit, click here.

EPA Clean Water Act 50th Anniversary StoryMap — The Association of Clean Water Administrators (ACWA) is celebrating 50 years of the Clean Water Act with a StoryMap. The ACWA is the independent, nonpartisan, national organization of state, interstate and territorial water program managers who implement the water quality programs of the Clean Water Act. To view the map, click here.

River Network Clean Water Act Owner’s Manual — River Network has updated its transformational Clean Water Act Owner’s Manual to commemorate the 50-year anniversary of the legislation. Over the two decades since its original publication, this tool has galvanized local groups, grassroots advocates and diverse stakeholders to protect their local waters by identifying the many ways that every person can track, influence, and change the way the law is implemented at the federal, state and local levels. To view the manual, click here.

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Hurricanes & Floods Webpage — The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Worker Training Program created resources aimed at protecting the health and safety of those responding to the aftermath of a hurricane or flood, including emergency responders, skilled support personnel and homeowners. Several resources are available in several languages. To view the resources, click here.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Resilience Guide — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric released “Implementing the Steps to Resilience: A Practitioner’s Guide” to support resilience and adaptation professionals. The book, with accompanying online resources, is designed to help climate adaptation practitioners work with local governments and community organizations to incorporate climate risk into equitable, long-term decision-making. To access the resource, click here.

AmeriCorps 2023 Martin Luther King, Jr. Social Press Kit — AmeriCorps created a social press kit with helpful tips, resources and materials that organizations can use to encourage service. The it includes communication resources, messaging, sample social media and graphics. To view the kit, click here.

Message of the Month:  The Urban Waters Federal Partnership was featured in a September 23, 2022 Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), within the Executive Office of the President, fact sheet highlighting federal programs that are working to create more equitable access to parks and nature in communities. To view the fact sheet, click here. 

SPOTLIGHT

Christina Carrero, Urban Waters Ambassador shared the following:

Location and sponsoring agency/organization: Bronx & Harlem Rivers Watershed, sponsored by the Hudson River Foundation and NY/NJ Harbor & Estuary Program

Favorite part of the watershed: I don’t have one single favorite part of the watershed as I’m still getting to know all its different aspects. However, I had the opportunity to take a bike tour around the Bronx to see parts of the Harlem River watershed which was very exciting and enlightening. We’re gaining a better understanding of the transportation and access along the Harlem River as we look toward planning for the Harlem River Greenway.

Current priorities: Our primary Partnership priorities are wrapping up our current workplan projects and planning for the 2023/2024 workplan revision.

Best accomplishment to date: I’ve spent most of my time getting to know my partners and local community organizers, but I’m looking forward to our first full partnership meeting in late October.

UPDATES FROM URBAN WATERS LOCATIONS

Anacostia Watershed (DC/MD) — On September 27, 2022, the Anacostia Watershed Society (AWS) hit a huge milestone in the #MusselPower program: releasing the 35,000th freshwater mussel to the Anacostia River! AWS President Chris Williams was joined by Tommy Wells, Director of the DC Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE), who then put on their waders to gently release the last 400 freshwater mussels in this project. Restoring the Anacostia River's natural systems increases the river's health and makes the region more resilient to climate change and other challenges. Increasing the freshwater mussel population aligns with other AWS work for the river such as wetland restoration, replanting riverside forests and cultivating healthy meadows.

Bronx & Harlem Rivers (NY) — Wilderness Inquiry’s Canoemobile program provides outdoor education and programming for the whole community with canoes. Canoemobile returned to the New York area this fall on the Harlem River at Roberto Clemente State Park on October 10, 2022.

Caño Martín Peña (PR) —The San Juan Bay National Estuary Partnership celebrated world birding on October Big Day on October 8, 2022. Bird enthusiasts were encouraged to learn about the migratory birds in the Estuary Basin and monitor real time migration on www.ebird.org. 

Los Angeles River Watershed (CA) — The Los Angeles River Urban Waters Partnership held a partnership meeting on September 28, 2022. Partners learned about federal funding and technical assistance programs. Noemi Emeric-Ford, Brownfields Project Manager, presented on the EPA Brownfields Grant Program. Morgan Capelli, Environmental Justice Coordinator in EPA Region 9, presented on the EPA Environmental Justice Program and Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers Program (TCTAC). Cindy Tejeda, Watershed and Floodplain Program Manager in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) South Pacific Division, presented on USACE Tribal and other partnership programs.  

Middle Rio Grande/Albuquerque (NM) — EPA announced more than $26 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to the New Mexico Environment Department and the New Mexico Finance Authority for water infrastructure improvements. The New Mexico Drinking Water State Revolving Fund capitalization grant is being awarded to the New Mexico Finance Authority in the amount of $17,992,00 for their drinking water program. The New Mexico Clean Water State Revolving Fund capitalization grant is being awarded to the New Mexico Environment Department in the amount of $8,738,000. Nearly half of this grant will focus on assisting disadvantaged communities across the state.

Mystic River Watershed (MA) — The Mystic River Watershed Urban Waters Partnership hosted the Building a Common Foundation for Racial Equity in the Mystic River Watershed workshop on October 13, 2022. The workshop provided an introduction to how racism surfaces in the context of water issues and to racial equity.  A second workshop that builds on the foundations of this first one is scheduled for December 1, 2022.

Mystic River Watershed (MA) — The Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) celebrated the Mystic and volunteers at the ‘Mystic at 50’ annual meeting and celebration on October 12, 2022. MyRWA highlighted successes of the past year, elected new Board members and honored Community Award recipients. The celebration included a raffle and visual interactive presentations.

Northwest Indiana Area (IN) — CommuniTree, the Student Conservation Association (SCA), the Wetlands Initiative (TWI) and other partners hosted a volunteer tree planting event at the Bethune Early Childhood Development Center in Gary, Indiana on October 6, 2022. Volunteers planted 28 native trees to help increase the green canopy in Gary.

Patapsco Watershed/Baltimore Region (MD) — The Patapsco River Watershed/Baltimore Urban Waters Partnership welcomes its new Ambassador, Claire Cambardella! Claire is the University of Maryland Sea Grant Extension's Northern Maryland Watershed Restoration Specialist, where she works with local stakeholders to implement best management practices for improving water quality and quantity issues. Coming from a long career in Chesapeake Bay restoration education, she has managed education programs for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, taught at Notre Dame of Maryland University and spent time researching cultural influences on climate change policy perspectives as well as the effects of beavers in eastern U.S. streams and rivers. She is passionate about bringing people together to experience and learn about their local waterways, how to have a positive impact on water quality and simply to enjoy the outdoors. Claire lives with her partner, Chris, and her dog, Robot, in Baltimore County, just north of the city line.

Patapsco Watershed/Baltimore Region (MD) — The Baltimore Urban Waters Partnership met on September 28, 2022. The meeting included a presentation from Dexter Locke, USDA Forest Service, on stewardship mapping and assessment. The Baltimore City Department of Public Works gave an update on Green Resources and Outreach for Watersheds (GROW) Centers. GROW Centers are neighborhood greening resource hubs that have engaged 1,900+ residents in 100+ neighborhoods on planting trees and other greening efforts. Additional speakers highlighted artists and activities working at the intersection of art, science and social/environmental justice. 

$ FUNDING ANNOUNCEMENTS $

Environmental Justice Data Fund — Applications due October 31, 2022 — The Environmental Justice Data Fund (EJDF) is an $8 million fund created and seeded by Google. EJDF aims to help frontline communities that have been historically underserved and disproportionately impacted by climate change and environmental injustice. The Fund will consider a range of approaches to using data to advocate for environmental justice at the local and regional level. EJDF will make one-time grants to 60-100 organizations in 2022 through an open request for proposals. EJDF encourages grantees to leverage grant funds for matching opportunities. To view the application, click here.

Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers Program — Applications due November 1, 2022 — The EPA Office of Environmental Justice will fund 5-10 Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers (EJ TCTAC) through cooperative agreements. The centers will serve as a resource for program participants interested in environmental and energy programs and policy development, and understanding and utilizing environmental and energy grant programs to advance environmental and energy justice. EJ TCTAC will provide training, assistance and capacity building on writing grant proposals, navigating federal systems such as Grants.gov and SAM.gov, and effectively managing grant funding. These centers will also provide guidance on community engagement, meeting facilitation, and translation and interpretation services for limited English-speaking participants. Awards will be up to $6 million over three years. To view the full Request for Applications, click here.

New! EPA Brownfields Grants — Applications due November 22, 2022 — The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law boosted funding for EPA Brownfields Grants. For the Fiscal Year 2023 grant competitions, $169 million is available for Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund and Cleanup Grants. EPA anticipates awarding approximately 198 grants nationwide at amounts ranging from $500,000 to $2 million per award. To learn more about these FY23 grant opportunities, click here.

New! Department of Interior (DOI) Bureau of Reclamation (DOR) Water Conservation Field Services Program: Financial Assistance for Fiscal Years 2023 and 2024 — Applications due December 9, 2022 — The U.S. Department of the Interior (Department), through the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) administers the Small Surface and Groundwater Storage Program (Small Storage Program) to promote Federal assistance to enhance water storage opportunities for future generations. Surface water and groundwater storage are essential tools in stretching the limited water supplies in the Western United States. Water storage projects enhance and make more reliable municipal and irrigation water supplies as well as provide opportunities to enhance groundwater management abilities and to provide water quality improvements and ecosystem benefits. To learn more, click here.

EVENTS AND TRAININGS

New! 2022 State of the One Water Field National Survey — Survey Closes November 2, 2022 — The US Water Alliance is kicking off the inaugural survey of the State of the One Water Field. Findings will support the water sector in achieving an equitable and sustainable water future for all.   If you work for a city, utility, or organization that owns, manages, advocates for, or benefits from water systems, you are encouraged to respond. To take the survey, click here.

New! The Nuts and Bolts of NGO Budgeting: Part 1 of 2 — November 9, 2022 — In the first of a two-part series, River Network will host The Fellows Group to discuss approaches to develop a base budget and how to make changes to the base budget as the funding environment changes due to challenges driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, shifting funder priorities, stimulus money and more. To register, click here.

New! EPA EJScreen 2.1 Office Hours and Trainings — November 2 and November 16, 2022 — EPA is holding office hours and trainings for users on EJScreen 2.1. EJScreen office hours are a chance for the public to talk with EPA EJScreen experts about how to use and apply the tool, technical issues, and other questions. Trainings provide an overview of EJScreen, its new features, a demonstration and a Q&A session. Registration is not required for office hours or trainings. To join the next office hour on November 2 or the training on November 16, click here.

Partners in Community Forestry Conference — November 16-17, 2022 — The Partners in Community Forestry conference is the largest international gathering of urban forestry practitioners, advocates, researchers and government leaders. At this year's conference in Seattle, Washington, participants will be among fellow attendees who are passionate about all things trees — from planting and tending to the latest research. Everyone comes together to share their best practices and find new ideas to bring home. For more information, click here.

RESOURCES

EPA EJScreen — EJScreen is EPA’s publicly available environmental justice screening and mapping tool. EPA has updated and added new capabilities to EJScreen. EJScreen 2.1 includes the addition of new territories, supplemental indexes, threshold maps, and updated demographic and environmental data. The new indexes highlight vulnerable populations that may be disproportionately impacted by pollution. Threshold maps allow EJScreen users to look across all indexes at once. To launch EJScreen, click here.

EPA Climate Adaptation Plans — EPA’s major offices, including the National Program and Regional Offices and the Office of Policy, have each developed a Climate Adaption Implementation Plan. The 20 Implementation Plans provide a roadmap for the specific actions EPA will take over the next four years with other federal agencies and its partners across the nation to continue to protect human health and the environment under future climate conditions, with a particular focus on advancing environmental justice. To view the Climate Adaptation Plans, click here.

Types of EPA Brownfield Grant Funding Webpage — This EPA webpage provides a summary of EPA's Brownfields Program grants. The grants discussed provide direct funding for brownfields assessment, cleanup, revolving loans, environmental job training, technical assistance, training or research. To view the webpage, click here.

U.S. Water Alliance — The Power of Arts and Culture: One Water Partnerships for Change — This report shares the approaches of four utility and artist partnerships, the transformations that occurred, the outcomes achieved, and considerations for future partnerships. To read the report, click here.

Harvard Federal Environmental Justice Tracker — The Harvard Environmental and Energy Law Program runs a Federal Environmental Justice Tracker webpage which provides up-to-date information on the progress of the Biden Administration’s environmental justice commitments. To view the webpage, click here.

Message of the Month:  The Middle Rio Grande Urban Waters Partnership was pleased to host Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary for Water and Science, Tanya Trujillo, at its Urban Waters Partnership location on September 20, 2022, at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) New Mexico Water Science Center in Albuquerque. USGS work in the region was highlighted at the visit along with updates from other active Partnership members.  

SPOTLIGHT

Logan Heley, Blue River Kansas City, MO Urban Waters Ambassador shared the following:

Location and sponsoring agency/organization: I am executive director of Heartland Conservation Alliance, the sponsoring organization for the Blue River Urban Waters Partnership in the Kansas City, MO area. The Blue River begins in the quickly developing suburbs and greenfields in the southwest of the Kansas City Metro and flows 42 miles through the heart of the city to the Missouri River.

Favorite part of the watershed: Our mountain bike and hike trails along the river are some of the best in the nation! When you get on the river, either hiking, biking or kayaking, you can see its beauty and potential.

Current priorities: The Blue River Urban Waters Partnership (previously known as the Middle Blue River Partnership) is focusing on three areas: restoring riparian forests, upland habitats and wetlands; connecting the river to the revitalization of brownfields and urban neighborhoods; and engaging the community to connect people to the river – especially river neighbors.

Best accomplishment to date: The community engagement achieved for our Palestine East neighborhood vacant lots project funded by an EPA Environmental Justice grant. We’re working to create and adopt a re-use and maintenance plan for about 20 acres of vacant land. The plan includes long-term programming and strategies for community ownership. We aim to reduce illegal dumping, improve home values and build pride in and beautify the neighborhood. It is our hope that the restored forest will increase the natural functions of the watershed and urban canopy resulting in cleaner water and cleaner air. This project presents a unique opportunity to restore critical wildlife habitat in an urban core, and leverage the restoration to provide opportunities for outreach and engagement for improved community health and safety. It also addresses serious environmental justice issues.

UPDATES FROM URBAN WATERS LOCATIONS

Bronx & Harlem Rivers (NY) — The Bronx & Harlem Rivers Urban Waters Partnership will meet on October 25, 2022. Partners will review the current partnership workplan and begin to think about plans for the update. Participants will also hear from two interns who participated in the Natural and Nature-based Features Monitoring Framework project in collaboration with the Natural Areas Conservancy, NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, Science and Resilience Institute at Jamaica Bay, New York Sea Grant and the New York State Department of State.

Caño Martín Peña (PR) —The Caño Martín Peña Urban Waters Partnership held a meeting on August 31, 2022. During the meeting, the Corporación del Proyecto ENLACE del Caño Martín Peña (ENLACE) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) gave presentations. ENLACE presented on the ecosystem restoration project and USGS presented on water quality monitoring and coastal hazard assessments. USGS also shared a geonarrative “Shoreline Changes in Puerto Rico.” To view the geonarrative, click here. 

Delaware River Watershed (DE, NJ, PA) — The Partnership for the Delaware Estuary (PDE) received a $92,500 National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) grant to build capacity for cities in the watershed to plan additional habitat and water quality projects with local community groups. Additionally, from September 24 – October 1, 2022, PDE, in collaboration with urban partners and community members, is hosting river festivals in three of the four cities in the Partnership.

Grand River/Grand Rapids (MI) — USGS and the city of Grand Rapids installed an interactive water quality station at the Sixth Street Bridge. Residents can scan a QR code on the monitoring station to view real-time data on water quality indicators like temperature and oxygen levels. 

Middle Rio Grande/Albuquerque (NM) — The Middle Rio Grande Urban Waters Partnership held a quarterly Urban Waters meeting on September 13, 2022, to hear from partners on a variety of subjects, including a presentation from the state Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department about fire impacts, prevention, remediation and resources and a presentation from a local expert about farming training and restoration. There was also presentation on the use of goats as a sustainable vegetation management strategy.

Mystic River Watershed (MA) — The Mystic River Watershed Urban Waters Partnership has been developing and sharing information regarding funding for clean water with municipalities. The Partnership met on September 8, 2022, and discussed the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF), lead pipe removal and a case study on how one city in the watershed, Revere, MA, has been using the SRF funds.

Northwest Indiana Area (IN) — The Northwest Indiana Urban Waters Partnership will support the city of Whiting, IN, in its plans to plant 5,000 trees in the next five years through a collaborative effort with partners including the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission (NIRPC), the Student Conservation Association, BP America, USDA Forest Service, Indiana DNR Urban Forestry Program, Northern Indiana Public Service Company, the Wildlife Habitat Council and others. The NWI Partnership is celebrating the 10,000th tree planted this year.

Patapsco Watershed/Baltimore Region (MD) — The Baltimore Urban Waters Partnership welcomes Claire Cambardella as a new Ambassador in the Baltimore location! 

Patapsco Watershed/Baltimore Region (MD) — The Baltimore Urban Waters Partnership is hosting the Baltimore Urban Waters Flood Science and Policy Workshop: Maidens Choice Watershed on September 22, 2022. The workshop brings together stormwater and flooding experts to discuss an interjurisdictional watershed approach to reducing flooding. The event is a follow-on workshop to the 2020 Baltimore regional flood mitigation workshop. 

$ FUNDING ANNOUNCEMENTS $

New! Pisces Foundation’s Urban Water RFP – Applications due September 30, 2022 - The Pisces Foundation prioritizes a “One Water” future because they believe that integrated and equitable water management is essential to delivering clean water, sufficient supply, flood protection and greener shared spaces for urban communities throughout the US. from water reuse and efficiency to green stormwater infrastructure, and community-driven water planning. To help achieve that future, their 2022 Urban Water Request for Proposals seeks to support a specific set of work to drive durable change – namely, organizations in US cities that are working toward a timely and specific One Water policy or program and are on the cusp of securing substantive change through integrated policy or regulation, innovative funding or financing, and/or inclusive governance and planning. To learn more about this grant opportunity, click here.

Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Coastal Program 2022 — Applications due September 30, 2022 — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Coastal Program is a voluntary, community-based program that provides technical and financial assistance through cooperative agreements to coastal communities, conservation partners and landowners to restore and protect fish and wildlife habitat on public and private lands. The Coastal Program staff coordinates with partners, stakeholders and other FWS programs to identify geographic focus areas and develop habitat conservation goals and priorities within these focus areas. Coastal Program habitat improvement projects strive to increase coastal resiliency by improving the ability of coastal ecosystems to adapt to environmental changes and supporting natural and nature-based infrastructure projects to protect and enhance coastal habitats. To learn more about this grant opportunity, click here.

New! The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Program – Applications due October 5, 2022 – The NOAA Marine Debris Program will award up to $56 million to fund projects that remove marine debris to benefit marine and Great Lakes habitats and communities. This competition focuses on two priorities: removing large marine debris and using proven interception technologies to capture marine debris throughout the coastal United States, Great Lakes, territories, and Freely Associated States. To view the application, click here.

NOAA Coastal Habitat Restoration and Resilience Grants for Underserved Communities — Applications due October 5, 2022 — NOAA has up to $10 million in funding available from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) for habitat restoration and resilience awards for underserved communities through FY2022. Through this funding, NOAA will engage underserved communities in habitat restoration activities that promote resilient ecosystems and communities. Projects selected may include capacity building activities like participation in municipal or regional-scale and restoration activities. NOAA will accept proposals between $75,000 to $1 million over the award period. To learn more about this opportunity, click here.

U.S. Department of Transportation Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program – Planning Grants and Capital Construction Grants — Applications due October 13, 2022 — The BIL established the Reconnecting Communities Pilot (RCP) discretionary grant program, funded with $1 billion over the next five years. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) will award RCP Program grants on a competitive basis.  The RCP Program will fund projects that reconnect communities by removing, retrofitting or mitigating highways or other transportation facilities that create barriers to community connectivity, including to mobility, access or economic development. To view the Notice of Funding Opportunity, click here.  

Environmental Justice Data Fund — Applications due October 31, 2022 — The Environmental Justice Data Fund (EJDF) is an $8 million fund created and seeded by Google. EJDF aims to help frontline communities that have been historically underserved and disproportionately impacted by climate change and environmental injustice. The Fund will consider a range of approaches to using data to advocate for environmental justice at the local and regional level. EJDF will make one-time grants to 60-100 organizations in 2022 through an open request for proposals. EJDF encourages grantees to leverage grant funds for matching opportunities. To view the application, click here.

Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers Program – Applications due November 1, 2022 — The EPA Office of Environmental Justice will fund 5-10 Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers (EJ TCTAC) through cooperative agreements. The centers will serve as a resource for program participants interested in environmental and energy programs and policy development, and understanding and utilizing environmental and energy grant programs to advance environmental and energy justice. EJ TCTAC will provide training, assistance and capacity building on writing grant proposals, navigating federal systems such as Grants.gov and SAM.gov, and effectively managing grant funding. These centers will also provide guidance on community engagement, meeting facilitation, and translation and interpretation services for limited English-speaking participants. Awards will be up to $6 million over three years. To view the full Request for Applications, click here.

EVENTS AND TRAININGS

Water Training: Allyship with Tribal Communities — September 14 and 21, 2022 — Sacred Places Institute for Indigenous Peoples and TreePeople are hosting a training led by local indigenous tribal community leaders focused on water and geared to agencies, institutions, nonprofits and businesses who work in the Los Angeles water sector. To register for one of the webinar sessions, click here.

New! Sustainable Cities Network Virtual Seminar: City Forward — September 21, 2022 — Matt Enstice, President & CEO of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, will discuss his book “City Forward: How Innovation Districts Can Embrace Risk and Strengthen Community” and offer insight into how innovation districts can speak about equity in an inclusive manner and keep underrepresented voices at the decision-making table. To register, click here.

New! EPA Seeks Input on New EJ-Focused Pollution Prevention Grant Opportunity Funded by $100 Million Investment from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law — September 21 and 29, 2022 — A listening session on September 21, 2022, will seek input from Tribes on this new grant opportunity. Another session on September 29, 2022, is for all potential applicants and stakeholders. For both listening sessions, EPA is interested in understanding how these grants can be most accessible and useful to applicants. EPA will also seek additional insight into how funded projects can help businesses adopt P2 approaches to address environmental problems in underserved/overburdened communities. Additionally, the agency is also interested in feedback on which projects would best support the grant’s goals and which barriers exist to potential applicants and what can be done to minimize those barriers. To register for the first of the webinar sessions, click here. To register for the second webinar session, click here.

National Environmental Justice Advisory Council Public Comment Period — Comment Period ends October 12, 2022 — The National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC) is receiving public comments on the EPA’s administrative priorities and recommendations. NEJAC would like comments about what the NEJAC should advise EPA to do as it relates to environmental justice. Submitting written comments for the record is strongly suggested. To submit a comment, click here.

2022 Water & Health Conference: Research, Policy and Practice — October 24-28, 2022 — Founded in 2009 at UNC Chapel-Hill, the Water Institute is committed to improving public health by achieving universal access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) services that are safe, affordable and sustainable. The 2022 Conference will include plenaries and presentations. To learn more about this year’s conference click here. To view resources from last year’s conference, click here.

New! National Adaptation Forum — October 25-27, 2022 — The goal of the National Adaptation Forum is to provide guidance through the steps of the adaptation process. This year’s forum will be hosted in Baltimore, MD. Training sessions, symposiums, and webinars aim to be cross-sectoral in an effort to demonstrate the integrated nature of successful adaptation. The activities during the forum engage perspectives across private, non-profit and government sectors. To learn more about the forum and register, click here.

Partners in Community Forestry Conference — November 16-17, 2022 — The Partners in Community Forestry conference is the largest international gathering of urban forestry practitioners, advocates, researchers and government leaders. At this year's conference in Seattle, Washington, participants will be among fellow attendees who are passionate about all things trees — from planting and tending to the latest research. Everyone comes together to share their best practices and find new ideas to bring home. For more information, click here.

RESOURCES

Environmental Protection Agency Resources for Homeowners with Septic Systems — The EPA hosts SepticSmart Week annually during the third week of September. SepticSmart Week is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. EPA has a webpage with fact sheets and resourcess for homeowners, local and state government and environmental groups. To learn more about SepticSmart Week, click here.

Climate Mapping for Resilience and Adaptation — Climate Mapping for Resilience and Adaptation (CMRA) integrates information from across the federal government to help people consider their local exposure to climate-related hazards. Community organizations and local, Tribal, state or Federal government agencies can use the site to help develop equitable climate resilience plans to protect people, property and infrastructure. The CMRA website also directs visitors to Federal grant funds for climate resilience projects, including those available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. To view the CMRA, click here.

USGS Coastal Change Hazards Portal — The Coastal Change Hazards Portal provides interactive access to coastal change science and data for our Nation’s coasts. Information and products are organized within three coastal change hazard themes: 1) extreme storms, 2) shoreline change, and 3) sea-level rise. Displays probabilities of coastal erosion. To enter the portal, click here.

EPA GLIMPSE — GLIMPSE is a decision support modeling tool being developed by EPA that will assist states with energy and environmental planning through the year 2050. A key feature is that users can specify energy, air quality and water use goals within GLIMPSE, which then identifies cost-effective strategies for meeting those goals.  States could use GLIMPSE to develop air quality management strategies that also meet renewable electricity targets, energy security objectives and factor in how droughts could affect power plant operations. To learn more about GLIMPSE, click here.

Seattle Times urban forestry article, “U.S. towns may grow millions more trees with $1.5 billion for urban forestry,” — click here to read.

Addressing Racial Equity — Urban Waters Learning Network Webinar Series —In this short video series, Jennifer Arnold (Reciprocity Consulting, LLC) and Darryl Haddock (West Atlanta Watershed Alliance) lay a helpful foundation for organizations exploring the nexus between water, equity and race. Over the course of 4 brief videos, Arnold and Haddock walk the viewer through basic concepts of equity, equality and justice, make the case for the need to focus on anti-racism in water equity work, offer guidelines for engaging in dialogue about racism, present the four levels of racism, and introduce how dominant white culture is reflected and valued in organizations. View the videos here.

White House Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Tribal Playbook — The White House Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Tribal Playbook is a roadmap for delivering opportunity and investments in Tribal communities. The law provides more than $13 billion in funding to directly support Tribal communities and makes Tribes eligible to apply for or request billions in discretionary, formula, and other funding. In total, this funding represents the single largest investment in Tribal infrastructure ever. To view, the playbook click here.

Message of the Month: EPA’s National Estuary Program received an unprecedented investment of $132 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law over the next five years for important work to protect and restore 28 estuaries of national significance, funding projects to address climate resilience, prioritize equity and manage other key water quality and habitat challenges. EPA Administrator Michael Regan highlighted the historic investment during a visit to Caño Martín Peña tidal channel in the San Juan Bay Estuary system as part of his Journey to Justice tour visit to Puerto Rico. The Urban Waters Federal Partnership was cited in the National Estuary Program Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funding Implementation Memorandum for Fiscal Years 2022-2026 to connect and outline complementary collaborative efforts. 

SPOTLIGHT

Xavier Brown, Anacostia Watershed Ambassador, shared the following:

Location and sponsoring agency/organization: I am the Ambassador for the Anacostia River location in Washington D.C. The University of the District of Columbia (UDC) is the sponsoring organization. 

Favorite part of the watershed: My favorite part of the watershed is Anacostia Park. I ride my bike on the trail 3-4 days a week and there is a roller skating rink that brings people together. The river is always active and is a safe space for Black love and joy.

Current priorities: One of our current Partnership priorities is finding creative ways to connect our federal partners to the Anacostia High School.

Best accomplishment to date: Our Partnership completed the first year of a Justice40 internship for Anacostia High School students in collaboration with UDC and the Department of the Interior.

UPDATES FROM URBAN WATERS LOCATIONS

Blue River (Kansas City, MO) — The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation has approved an award of $49,609.30 to the Heartland Conservation Alliance to support the Training Youth in Environmental Stewardship in the Blue River Watershed (KS) project. The project will train 18 youth and employ a crew of five to seven youth to steward 220 acres of land in the Blue River Watershed. This project will address needs for improved watershed health, improved community health and a natural resource management workforce.

Bronx and Harlem River Watersheds (NY) — The Bronx and Harlem River Watershed Urban Waters Partnership is excited to welcome Christina Carrero as the new Ambassador! Christina began serving as Ambassador this August. Her undergraduate degree is in biology with a focus on ecology and conservation and she is currently completing her master’s degree in environmental policy. Prior to becoming Ambassador, Carrero was a research assistant at the Morton Arboretum in Chicago where she supported community conservation efforts.

Los Angeles River Watershed (CA) — The California Silver Jackets Team and Floodplain Management Association hosted a leadership webinar on August 16, 2022. The event, “What Makes a Great Leader,” was led by leaders from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Tambour Eller, Interim Acting Chief of the Interagency & International Services Division, and Melissa Weymiller, Tribal Programs Manager, discussed qualities of successful leaders.   

Meramec/Big River Watershed (MO) — The Meramec/Big River Urban Waters Partnership was featured in an American Planning Association Hazard Mitigation Division Webinar, “Untold Stories: How a watershed partnership has resulted in flood hazard reduction and so much more!” The webinar highlighted the role that the Ambassador, Mary Grace Lewandowski, plays in establishing Partnership projects and moving them forward. To view the webinar, click here.

Mystic River Watershed/Greater Boston (MA) — The Mystic River Water Quality report card shows that the Mystic River is a clean urban river (grade of B+ to A), though there are continued sources of wastewater contamination. The Mystic River Watershed Association will use data from the report to continue to improve the Mystic River’s water quality.

Mystic River Watershed/Greater Boston (MA) — The Mystic River Watershed Association and GreenRoots ECO Youth co-hosted a Mystic Youth Celebration along the river on August 3, 2022. Youth enjoyed ice cream, art and games, and could participate in an environmental justice workshop led by GreenRoots ECO Youth.

Patapsco Watershed/Baltimore Region (MD) — The Baltimore Urban Waters Partnership (BUWP) will host a workshop on September 22 for stormwater and flooding experts to discuss inter-jurisdictional flood management. BUWP will hold a Partnership meeting on September 28, 2022.

Patapsco Watershed/Baltimore Region (MD) — On August 19, 2022, Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Tanya Trujillo visited the Patapsco River UWFP location in Baltimore, MD. Assistant Secretary Trujillo met with a wide range of UWFP partners, including Stillmeadow Community Fellowship, Baltimore Green Space, Temple X Schools, Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake, University of Maryland Extension/Sea Grant, the Baltimore Department of Public Works and representatives from USDA-Forest Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the EPA Urban Waters Team. The Assistant Secretary toured the 10-acre Stillmeadow PeacePark and Forest with partners and learned about the flooding resiliency, environmental education and green infrastructure efforts the partners are coordinating on the site. This is the Assistant Secretary’s sixth Urban Waters site visit.

Rio Reimagined – Salt / Gila River Corridor (Tempe, AZ) — Arizona State University’s Sustainable Cities Network (SCN) Green Infrastructure (GI) Workgroup and Southern Arizona LID hosted a joint webinar on August 16, 2022, to introduce partners in different regions, discuss common needs and potential joint efforts.

South Platte River Urban Waters Partnership (Denver, CO) — The South Platte River Urban Waters Partnership held a full Partnership meeting virtually on August 16, 2022.  Casey Davenhill from the Colorado Watershed Assembly presented on the Colorado Water Plan and the South Platte River Basin Implementation Plan. Mike McHugh from Aurora Water presented on Aurora Water’s source water protection efforts.

$ FUNDING ANNOUNCEMENTS $

New! U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Transformational Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resilience Grants — Applications due September 6, 2022 — The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) makes up to $85 million in funding available for habitat restoration and coastal resilience. Funding will support transformational projects that restore habitat for the nation’s fisheries and protected resources, while also strengthening the resilience of coastal communities and ecosystems. Projects selected through this opportunity may help restore marine, estuarine, coastal and Great Lakes ecosystems; support clean drinking water and industries like boating, fishing and tourism; and other restoration projects including natural infrastructure to reduce damage from flooding and storms. NOAA will accept proposals between $1 million and $15 million total over the award period.  To learn more, click here.

New! Partners for Places Mini Grants — Applications due September 15, 2022 — The Funders Network and the Urban Sustainability Directors Network have announced a fifth round of grants from the Partners for Places (P4P) fund. Partners for Places supports the building of collaborative partnerships to advance equitable, sustainable climate action or green stormwater infrastructure projects. P4P addresses frontline community priorities by applying a racial equity approach to collaborative relationship building, planning and implementation. To learn more about eligibility and apply, click here.  To learn about recent P4P grant-funded projects, click here.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Youth Engagement, Education, and Employment — Applications due September 15, 2022 — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has a variety of programs engaging diverse youth in wildlife conservation and public land management. The Service enters into cooperative agreements with member organizations of the FWS Youth Corps to engage with youth and veterans in projects under the Authority of the Public Lands Corps Act (PLC). Under this grant opportunity, the award floor is $2,000 and the ceiling is $2 million. To learn more about this grant, click here.

New! Environmental Justice Data Fund — Applications due September 16, 2022 — The Environmental Justice Data Fund (EJDF) is an $8 million fund created and seeded by Google. EJDF aims to help frontline communities that have been historically underserved and disproportionately impacted by climate change and environmental injustice. The Fund will consider a range of approaches to using data to advocate for environmental justice at the local and regional level. EJDF will make one-time grants to 60-100 organizations in 2022 through an open request for proposals. EJDF encourages grantees to leverage grant funds for matching opportunities. To view the application, click here.

Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Coastal Program 2022 — Applications due September 22, 2022 — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Coastal Program is a voluntary, community-based program that provides technical and financial assistance through cooperative agreements to coastal communities, conservation partners and landowners to restore and protect fish and wildlife habitat on public and private lands. The Coastal Program staff coordinates with partners, stakeholders and other FWS programs to identify geographic focus areas and develop habitat conservation goals and priorities within these focus areas. Coastal Program habitat improvement projects strive to increase coastal resiliency by improving the ability of coastal ecosystems to adapt to environmental changes and supporting natural and nature-based infrastructure projects to protect and enhance coastal habitats. To learn more about this grant opportunity, click here.

New! EPA Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers Program — Applications due October 4, 2022 — The EPA Office of Environmental Justice will fund 5-10 Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers (EJ TCTAC) through cooperative agreements. The centers will serve as a resource for program participants interested in environmental and energy programs and policy development, and understanding and utilizing environmental and energy grant programs to advance environmental and energy justice. EJ TCTAC will provide training, assistance and capacity building on writing grant proposals, navigating federal systems such as Grants.gov and SAM.gov, and effectively managing grant funding. These centers will also provide guidance on community engagement, meeting facilitation, and translation and interpretation services for limited English-speaking participants. Awards will be up to $6 million over three years. To view the full Request for Applications, click here.

New! U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Coastal Habitat Restoration and Resilience Grants for Underserved Communities — Applications due October 5, 2022 — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has up to $10 million in funding available from BIL for habitat restoration and resilience awards for underserved communities through FY2022. Through this funding, NOAA will engage underserved communities in habitat restoration activities that promote resilient ecosystems and communities. Projects selected may include capacity building activities like participation in municipal or regional-scale and restoration activities. NOAA will accept proposals between $75,000 to $1 million over the award period. To learn more about this opportunity, click here.

New! U.S. Department of Transportation Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program – Planning Grants and Capital Construction Grants — Applications due October 13, 2022 — The BIL established the Reconnecting Communities Pilot (RCP) discretionary grant program, funded with $1 billion over the next five years. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) will award RCP Program grants on a competitive basis.  The RCP Program will fund projects that reconnect communities by removing, retrofitting or mitigating highways or other transportation facilities that create barriers to community connectivity, including to mobility, access or economic development. To view the Notice of Funding Opportunity, click here.  

EVENTS AND TRAININGS

New! One Water Summit 2022 — September 13-15, 2022  — The U.S. Water Alliance's One Water Summit gathers the most diverse group of water stakeholders in the country for a completely unique and urgent conversation about the future of water through engaging plenaries and workshops, dynamic institutes and site-visits, and plenty of networking time between individuals, organizations and delegations. The 2022 Summit will be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. To register, click here.

New! Water Training: Allyship with Tribal Communities — September 7, 14 and 21, 2022 — Sacred Places Institute for Indigenous Peoples and TreePeople are hosting a training led by local indigenous tribal community leaders focused on water and geared to agencies, institutions, nonprofits and businesses who work in the Los Angeles water sector. To register for one of the webinar sessions, click here.

New! Regional Reflections on Green Infrastructure and Nature-Based Solutions: Southwest Region — September 1, 2022 — EPA Office of Water, the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Center for Scientific Evidence in Public Issues (AAAS EPI Center) and the White House are hosting a webinar series to highlight regional examples of green infrastructure and nature-based solutions. The September 1 webinar will focus on the Southwest and is the fourth in this series. Expert panelists will share challenges, barriers and lessons from the design to implementation of green infrastructure and nature-based solutions. To register for the webinar, click here.

New! National Environmental Justice Advisory Council Public Comment Period — Comment Period ends October 12, 2022 — The National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC) is receiving public comments on the EPA’s administrative priorities and recommendations. NEJAC would like comments about what the NEJAC should advise EPA to do as it relates to environmental justice. Submitting written comments for the record is strongly suggested. To submit a comment, click here.

2022 Water & Health Conference: Research, Policy and Practice — October 24-28, 2022 — Founded in 2009 at UNC Chapel-Hill, the Water Institute is committed to improving public health by achieving universal access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) services that are safe, affordable and sustainable. The 2022 Conference will include plenaries and presentations. To learn more about this year’s conference click here. To view resources from last year’s conference, click here.

RESOURCES

White House Fact Sheet: Inflation Reduction Act Advances Environmental Justice — The White House has released a series of fact sheets about the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). This fact sheet discusses key measures in the Act that advance environmental justice. The IRA includes several new environmental justice grant programs, including climate and environmental justice block grants and a grant program for improving energy efficiency, water efficiency or climate resilience of affordable housing. To read the fact sheet, click here.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Essential Principles of Climate Literacy Guide — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) created “Climate Literacy: The Essential Principles of Climate Science” to present information important for individuals and communities to know about Earth’s climate, the impact of climate change and adaptation or mitigation approaches. The guide aims to promote climate science literacy and can be used by educators who teach climate science to K-12 students. To view the guide, click here.

Urban Forest Management: A Primer to Strategic Planning for Municipal Governments — This book, “Urban Forest Management: A Primer to Strategic Planning for Municipal Governments,” is for people responsible for the initiation or redesign of an urban forest management program. It presents a flexible methodology that can be adapted for town, city, county and state urban forest management program development. The sections present how to create a citizen-based vision for the urban forest by covering the “what, who, how and why’s” of plan development, implementation and accountability.  To download a copy of this book, click here. 

National Integrated Heat Health Information System website — The National Integrated Heat Health Information System has a new website: HEAT.gov. The website includes tools and information for preparing for extreme heat to reduce its health, economic and infrastructure impacts.  To view the webpage, click here.

U.S. Department of Education Online Grants Training Courses — The U.S. Department of Education has a series of online training modules about topics related to federal grants. Topics include managing the procurement process, cash management, and key laws and regulations that guide the use of federal funds for grant costs and activities. To view the modules, click here.

Message of the Month: The Urban Waters Federal Partnership senior agency managers will hold a steering committee meeting on July 25, 2022. 

SPOTLIGHT

Julio Beltran, San Antonio River Basin Ambassador, shared the following:

Location and sponsoring agency/organization: I am the Ambassador for the San Antonio River Basin and a hydrologist at the U.S. Geological Survey.

Favorite part of the watershed: My favorite part of the watershed is the Leon Creek Greenway because it's a beautiful trail right by my house that I visit often! This greenway has 20 miles of paved, multi-use trails and connects several parks and trails.

Current priorities: The current Partnership priority is integrating the feedback from the Water Reuse Action Plan (WRAP) project into the Partnership workplan.

Best accomplishment to date: Our biggest accomplishment to date is having so many partners participate in the WRAP project which we just presented to the whole Partnership earlier this June.

UPDATES FROM URBAN WATERS LOCATIONS

Blue River (Kansas City, MO) — Heartland Conservation Alliance developed the 2021 Blue River Report Card and the 2022 Blue River Action Plan to increase awareness and improve the health of the Blue River. To view the report card and action plan, click here.

Bronx and Harlem River Watersheds (NY) — The New York-New Jersey Harbor & Estuary Program, the Waterfront Alliance and other partners celebrated City of Water Day on July 16, 2022. City of Water Day offered educational activities and recreational boating and fishing at dozens of waterfronts in New York and New Jersey. City of Water Day also included online events. The theme of this year’s event was “In Your Neighborhood” and focused on how creative arts can help address the climate crisis. For more info click here.

Caño Martín Peña (CMP)/San Juan (PR) —The San Juan Bay Estuary Program held the Estuarine Summer Workshop with the Entrepreneurial Support Youth Group of Península de Cantera, Inc. on June 20-24, 2022. Youth participated in water quality monitoring, participatory bird censuses, kayaking and other activities related to water, birds and the estuary ecosystem.

Greater Philadelphia Area/Delaware River Watershed (PA, NJ, DE) — The Coalition for the Delaware Estuary is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year. On November 3-4, 2022, the Coalition will host its tenth Annual Forum in Philadelphia. To read about the Coalition’s accomplishments over the years, click here.

Green-Duwamish Watershed (WA) — The Green-Duwamish Urban Waters Partnership is excited to announce the formal integration of the UWFP work with the Puget Sound Partnership (PSP). PSP is a Washington State agency charged with leading the recovery and protection of the Puget Sound and its contributing watersheds. PSP will join EPA and founding lead partners the USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station and Forest Service Region 6 Urban and Community Forestry as part of the Core Team guiding the Green-Duwamish UWFP. This lead agency role has been designated under state legislation, EPA's National Estuary Program and Endangered Species Act Salmon Recovery efforts. New funding by both EPA and PSP adds support to the UWFP Ambassador in the Green-Duwamish Watershed. The Ambassador’s additional work involves enhancing and connecting community groups in the Green-Duwamish to the goals of the 2022-2026 Action Agenda. The agenda is focused on recovery objectives benefiting both the biophysical conditions and beneficial uses of the watershed and estuary, and improving the health and vibrancy of communities in the watershed that have been disproportionality impacted through previous environmental decisions.

Meramec/Big River Watershed (MO) — The Meramec/Big River Urban Waters Partnership location was featured on a July 8, 2022, American Planning Association – Hazard Mitigation Division Webinar “Untold Stories: How a watershed partnership has resulted in flood hazard reduction and so much more!”  In addition to highlighting the role that the Urban Waters Ambassador plays in establishing partnerships and moving project forward, the webinar also highlighted hazard mitigation planning, the Lower Meramec Floodplain Management Plan and the Healthy Watershed Options Cost-Benefit Analysis. 

Meramec/Big River Watershed (MO) — The Partnership has regular meetings on source water protection projects with the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. EPA, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Missouri Department of Conservation and The Nature Conservancy to identify projects and funding sources.

Middle Rio Grande/Albuquerque (NM) — The Middle Rio Grande/Albuquerque Urban Waters Partnership held a quarterly meeting on June 14, 2022. During the meeting, partners discussed the EJScreen tool developed by EPA and the President of Friends of Candelaria Nature Preserve gave a presentation. The Middle Rio Grande location, in partnership with the Arid Low Impact Development (Arid LID) Coalition, is also wrapping up a series of training videos and a manual on Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) maintenance for maintenance professionals.

Mystic River Watershed/Greater Boston (MA) — The Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) and Everett Community Growers (ECG) were awarded an EPA Environmental Justice Grant. MyRWA and ECG will use the grant to study residents’ experience with extreme heat and develop resident-led solutions in Everett, MA.

Mystic River Watershed/Greater Boston (MA) — MyRWA and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) used funding from the Barr Foundation to launch a COVID-Safe Cooling Strategies program in the summer of 2020. The program provides grants and technical assistance to mitigate heat impacts in seven communities most impacted by COVID-19 and extreme heat. In June 2022, MyRWA and MAPC awarded $750,000 in grants to six municipalities and 12 community-based organizations in the Boston area. To learn more about the program grantees, click here.

Northwest Indiana Area (IN) — On July 13, 2022, the Northwest Indiana Area Partnership held a virtual Partnership meeting. During the meeting, Daniel Suarez, Audubon Great Lakes and Harry Kuttner, Wetlands Initiative, presented on marsh restoration and community engagement along the West Branch of the Little Calumet River. Mark Bouman, Field Museum, presented on the Chicago Wilderness Mapping Hub.

Rio Reimagined – Salt / Gila River Corridor (Tempe, AZ) — Arizona State University’s Sustainable Cities Network (SCN) hosted a workshop with community-based organization partnerships to discuss guiding principles that make partnerships successful on June 28, 2022. This workshop was a fifth in a series on Regional Infrastructure Exchange.

South Platte River Urban Waters Partnership (Denver, CO) — The City of Englewood, CO, will receive $38 million from EPA’s Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation (WIFIA) Program to support Englewood’s drinking water initiative. The initiative, One Water Modernization Program, works to protect the drinking water system from the impacts of extreme weather events and to reduce exposure to lead while promoting regulatory compliance. To learn about the City of Englewood project, click here.

$ FUNDING ANNOUNCEMENTS $

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) America the Beautiful Challenge — Proposals due July 21, 2022 — NFWF announced the 2022 Request for Proposals for the America the Beautiful Challenge, a public-private grant program designed to support locally-led, voluntary ecosystem restoration projects. The NFWF program will invest in the restoration of watersheds, forests and grasslands while also working toward other goals consistent with the America the Beautiful Initiative. Approximately $85 million in grant funding is available. For more information, click here.

Department of the Interior (DOI) WaterSMART: Water and Energy Efficiency Grants — Applications due July 28, 2022 — DOI’s WaterSMART Water and Energy Efficiency Grants will fund projects that result in quantifiable water savings, implement renewable energy components and support broader sustainability benefits. These projects conserve and use water more efficiently; increase the production of renewable energy; mitigate conflict risk in areas at a high risk of future water conflict; and accomplish other benefits that contribute to sustainability in the Western United States. To learn more about the opportunity, click here.

EPA Brownfields Job Training Grants — Applications due August 2, 2022 — EPA recently announced that funding for environmental job training grants is now available under the Fiscal Year 2023 Brownfields Job Training Program. EPA anticipates awarding approximately 25 grants nationwide at amounts up to $500,000 per award. Funding supports the organizations to deliver Brownfields Job Training programs that recruit, train and retain a local, skilled workforce by prioritizing unemployed and under-employed residents to obtain the skills and credentials needed for pathways into full-time employment in the environmental field. To learn more, click here.

Department of Commerce (DOC): NSF Disaster Resilience Research Grants — Applications due August 19, 2022 — With this joint solicitation, the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Commerce National Institute for Standards and Technology call for proposals for research to advance fundamental understanding of disaster resilience in support of improved, science-based planning, policy, decisions, design, codes and standards. For more information, click here.

New! EPA Training and Technical Assistance for Rural, Small and Tribal Municipalities and Wastewater Treatment Systems for Clean Water Act Prevention, Reduction and Elimination of Pollution — Applications due August 22, 2022 — EPA is soliciting applications to provide training and technical assistance to rural, small and tribal municipalities, publicly owned wastewater treatment works and decentralized wastewater treatment systems for the prevention, reduction and elimination of pollution. Eligible activities include training and technical assistance only. Infrastructure construction projects such as repairing water or sewer lines, adding new equipment or upgrading, retrofitting or rehabilitating existing equipment are not eligible for funding under this announcement. To learn more, click here.

New! U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Youth Engagement, Education, and Employment — Applications due September 15, 2022 — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has a variety of programs engaging diverse youth in wildlife conservation and public land management. The Service enters into cooperative agreements with member organizations of the FWS Youth Corps to engage with youth and veterans in projects under the Authority of the Public Lands Corps Act (PLC). Under this grant opportunity the award floor is $2,000 and the ceiling is $2 million. To learn more about this grant, click here. 

Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Coastal Program 2022 — Applications due September 22, 2022 — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) Coastal Program is a voluntary, community-based program that provides technical and financial assistance through cooperative agreements to coastal communities, conservation partners and landowners to restore and protect fish and wildlife habitat on public and private lands. The Coastal Program staff coordinates with partners, stakeholders and other Service programs to identify geographic focus areas and develop habitat conservation goals and priorities within these focus areas. Coastal Program habitat improvement projects strive to increase coastal resiliency by improving the ability of coastal ecosystems to adapt to environmental changes and supporting natural and nature-based infrastructure projects to protect and enhance coastal habitats. To learn more about this grant opportunity, click here.

EVENTS AND TRAININGS

New! Shovel Worthy, Not Just Shovel Ready – Wise Use of the Federal Infrastructure Funding in Rural Southwest America — July 21, 2022 — LightWorks at Arizona State University and the Security and Sustainability Forum are hosting a 90-minute conversation about the challenges and strategies for federal and state infrastructure spending in rural communities. The panel includes leaders from the Water Finance Exchange, CoBank, ASU’s Kyl Center and the National Cooperative Business Association. To register for the webinar, click here.

EPA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric (NOAA) One Water Approach to Stormwater Management Webinars — July 26 and July 28, 2022 — EPA and NOAA will host two workshops for applying the One Water approach to flood planning. The first workshop is aimed for communities to learn how to incorporate the One Water approach when using flood data and management tools and the second workshop will include case studies of using One Water approaches for flooding and storm water management. To register for the online webinars, click here and here.

Brownfields 2022: Sustainable Communities Start Here — August 16-19, 2022 — The Brownfields Conference features a dynamic educational program of speakers, discussions, mobile workshops, films and other learning formats that are calibrated to provide useful strategies for meeting brownfield challenges directly.  This year, Oklahoma City was chosen for the site of the Brownfields Conference due to exciting brownfields redevelopment. The site of the conference, the new Oklahoma City Convention Center, was itself built on a redeveloped brownfield site. To learn more about the conference, click here.

New! 2022 Water & Health Conference: Research, Policy and Practice — October 24-28, 2022 — Founded in 2009 at UNC Chapel-Hill, the Water Institute is committed to improving public health by achieving universal access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) services that are safe, affordable and sustainable. The 2022 Conference will include plenaries and presentations. To learn more about this year’s conference click here. To view resources from last year’s conference, click here.

RESOURCES

Plastic Free Foundation Plastic Free July — Plastic Free July® is a key initiative of the Plastic Free Foundation, which has marked this month since 2011. Started in Australia, the campaign is now one of the most influential environmental campaigns worldwide.  Cities, schools, and individuals participate in the campaign to reduce plastic waste. To learn how other communities mark Plastic Free July®, click here.

Google Environmental Insights Explorer Tree Canopy Lab — Google is mapping tree canopy cover using images collected by planes around the globe for the Tree Canopy Lab initiative. Images are collected from spring, summer and fall seasons and the Tree Canopy Lab also includes imported public data. The Lab includes heat and population data. To view the Tree Canopy Lab, click here. 

River Network Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Webpage — The River Network webpage on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes webinar recordings, slides and resources from the water community and federal government on the new infrastructure funding.  To view the webpage, click here.

Arizona State University Sustainable Cities Network Workshop: Data for Grant Writing & Equity — In this workshop hosted by Arizona State University Sustainable Cities Network, participants are given an overview of data sources that can be used to support resilience building in communities and in grant applications for resilience infrastructure. The City of Phoenix describes how they use data to reduce heat vulnerabilities. To view the workshop recording, click here.

U.S. Water Alliance Blog: Onsite Water Reuse and Affordable Housing — The US Water Alliance blog on onsite water reuse and affordable housing summarizes the findings of the National Wildlife Federation from a series of interviews with developers, housing advocates and city officials. The main finding is that onsite water reuse can provide lasting benefits to affordable housing residents. Affordable housing developments are an opportunity to apply One Water equity principles into action. To read the blog, click here.

Urban Waters Learning Network Equitable Development and Anti-Displacement Collaborative — The Urban Waters Learning Network surveyed network members to collect blog posts, webinars, impact stories and other resources about gentrification and displacement onto one page for the Equitable Development and Anti-Displacement Collaborative. To view the resources, click here.

Message of the Month: Congratulations to the 2022 River Heroes! River Network, an Urban Waters partner, created the River Heroes Award in 2001 to recognize and celebrate individuals whose efforts to protect and restore their local rivers and waters have been extraordinary in scope, scale, impact and heart. All too frequently, river and water champions fail to celebrate their hard-won successes as important victories are allowed to be overshadowed by the next issue or threat. River Network takes time each year to celebrate our achievements and the people who make them possible. 

SPOTLIGHT

Victoria Wittig, the Northwest Indiana Area Ambassador, shared the following:

Location and sponsoring agency/organization: I am wrapping up my second month as the Urban Waters Ambassador for Northwest Indiana (NWI), which includes northern portions of Lake, Porter and LaPorte Counties in the Lake Michigan Watershed. My Ambassador position is sponsored by U.S. EPA and U.S. Forest Service and I’m housed at Purdue University.

Favorite part of the watershed: The Urban Waters Partnership has been active in NWI since 2011 and includes more than 70 regional, state and federal partners. These partners are engaged in numerous working groups that focus on river systems and/or sub-watersheds that all flow into Lake Michigan. This aspect of the NWI Urban Waters Partnership presents exciting opportunities for collaborative projects that can be sustained with federal funding support. 

Current priorities: Current Partnership priorities include sustaining collaborative momentum and continuing to unlock federal funding for projects led by working groups in several focus areas including the Deep River, Grand Calumet River Area of Concern, the West Branch of the Little Calumet River, the East Branch of the Little Calumet River, the Ecosystems of the Indiana Dunes, Hobart Marsh and Trail Creek.

Best accomplishment to date: The most inspiring aspect of the NWI Urban Waters Partnership is that so many diverse partners are actively engaged in meaningful work that collectively contributes to enhanced water quality, environmental restoration and community revitalization across the Lake Michigan Watershed.

Project (i.e., trash pickup, tree planting) or activity (i.e., watershed planning, grant writing) you would like to talk to another Ambassador about: I am eager to connect with another Ambassador that has insight and perspective on addressing pollution from industrial point sources with a lens on climate adaptation and environmental justice.

UPDATES FROM URBAN WATERS LOCATIONS

Anacostia River Watershed (DC/MD) — The Anacostia Riverkeeper, Trey Sherard, was recognized as a 2022 River Hero by River Network. Trey serves as a community organizer and a voice for the Anacostia River. In addition to coordinating Anacostia Riverkeeper’s Clean Waterways cleanup series, he manages several Bandalong litter traps and ARK’s green infrastructure program. Most recently, Trey used volunteer-collected data to advocate for and unanimously pass the polystyrene foam ban in Washington, DC. His gifts of inspiration and education make him a powerful advocate for a fishable and swimmable Anacostia.

Caño Martín Peña (CMP) / San Juan (PR) —The San Juan Bay Estuary Program was visited by EPA during the week of June 10, 2022. EPA officials visited Estuario’s Visitor Center in Old San Juan and heard updates about the progress of the Work Plan. EPA also met with different communities including the Community of Puente Blanco in Cataño, where they met with civic leaders.

Los Angeles River (Los Angeles, CA) — LA River Urban Waters Partnership members will participate in LA Walks of Resilience and Accountability hosted by Walking Water in August in order to reflect and connect with community members about water issues including sustainability, equity and scarcity.

Middle Rio Grande/Albuquerque (New Mexico) — The Middle Rio Grande/Albuquerque Urban Waters Partnership held a quarterly meeting on June 14, 2022.

Mystic River Watershed/Greater Boston (MA) — Two Mystic River Watershed Association staff members, Melanie Gárate, Climate Resiliency Manager, and Andy Hrycyna, Watershed Scientist, received Urban Waters Learning Network awards at this year’s River Rally in Washington, D.C. Melanie received an Expert Award in the category of Environmental Justice & Equity and Andy received an Expert Award in the category of Water Quality & Monitoring.

Passaic River (Newark, NJ) — On May 31, 2022, the Passaic River Partnership celebrated its 10-year anniversary. Partnership leaders hosted a press conference near the Passaic River and gave an overview of priorities for the next 10 years including water quality monitoring and infrastructure improvements to continue to revitalize the river and reconnect local communities to the river for education and recreation. To read more about the anniversary event, click here.

Passaic River (Newark, NJ) — On May 31 and June 1, 2022, Wilderness Inquiry’s Canoemobile visited Newark Riverfront Park. Wilderness Inquiry’s Canoemobile program is a non-profit “floating classroom” that is open to all ages. While on the canoe, participants learn about the science, history, geography and culture of local waterways. 

Patapsco Watershed/Baltimore Region (MD) — The quarterly Partnership meeting was held on June 9, 2022. During the meeting partners gave updates on research and projects including a U.S. Geological Survey report on polychlorinated biphenyls in the Back River Watershed in Baltimore. To view the report, click here.

Rio Reimagined – Salt / Gila River Corridor (Tempe, AZ) — Arizona State University’s Sustainable Cities Network (SCN) hosted a workgroup meeting on Arizona heat resilience on the first and third Thursday of June. These meetings bring together public, private and NGO stakeholders involved in extreme heat mitigation. SCN will also host a Climate & Resilience Workgroup Meeting.

South Platte River Urban Waters Partnership (Denver, CO) — The South Platte River Partnership  is happy to share a video about the South Platte River produced by the Metro and South Platte Basin Roundtable. To view the video, click here. The next full Partnership meeting will be on August 16, 2022.

$ FUNDING ANNOUNCEMENTS $

EPA Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WINN) Grant: Small, Underserved and Disadvantaged Communities Grant Program — Applications due June 30, 2022 — The Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act establishes the Small, Underserved and Disadvantaged Communities grant to award funding to states, territories and tribes to assist public water systems in meeting Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) requirements. Grants will be awarded as non‐competitive grants. EPA will award approximately $25.8 million for the Small, Underserved and Disadvantaged Communities Grant Program from the FY21 appropriations. To view the application and learn more, click here.

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) America the Beautiful Challenge — Proposals due July 21, 2022 — NFWF announced the 2022 Request for Proposals for the America the Beautiful Challenge, a public-private grant program designed to support locally-led, voluntary ecosystem restoration projects. The NFWF program will invest in the restoration of watersheds, forests and grasslands while also working toward other goals consistent with the America the Beautiful Initiative.   Approximately $85 million in grant funding is available. For more information, click here.

Department of the Interior (DOI) WaterSMART: Water and Energy Efficiency Grants — Applications due July 28, 2022 — DOI’s WaterSMART Water and Energy Efficiency Grants will fund projects that result in quantifiable water savings, implement renewable energy components and support broader sustainability benefits. These projects conserve and use water more efficiently; increase the production of renewable energy; mitigate conflict risk in areas at a high risk of future water conflict; and accomplish other benefits that contribute to sustainability in the Western United States. To learn more about the opportunity, click here.

New! EPA Brownfields Job Training Grants — Applications due August 2, 2022 — EPA recently announced that funding for environmental job training grants is now available under the Fiscal Year 2023 Brownfields Job Training Program. EPA anticipates awarding approximately 25 grants nationwide at amounts up to $500,000 per award. Funding supports the organizations to deliver Brownfields Job Training programs that recruit, train and retain a local, skilled workforce by prioritizing unemployed and under-employed residents to obtain the skills and credentials needed for pathways into full-time employment in the environmental field. To learn more, click here.

Department of Commerce (DOC): NSF Disaster Resilience Research Grants — Applications due August 19, 2022 — With this joint solicitation, the National Science Foundation and the U.S Department of Commerce National Institute for Standards and Technology call for proposals for research to advance fundamental understanding of disaster resilience in support of improved, science-based planning, policy, decisions, design, codes, and standards. For more information, click here.

Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Coastal Program 2022 — Applications due September 22, 2022 — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) Coastal Program is a voluntary, community-based program that provides technical and financial assistance through cooperative agreements to coastal communities, conservation partners and landowners to restore and protect fish and wildlife habitat on public and private lands. The Coastal Program staff coordinates with partners, stakeholders and other Service programs to identify geographic focus areas and develop habitat conservation goals and priorities within these focus areas. Coastal Program habitat improvement projects strive to increase coastal resiliency by improving the ability of coastal ecosystems to adapt to environmental changes and supporting natural and nature-based infrastructure projects to protect and enhance coastal habitats. To learn more about this grant opportunity, click here.

EVENTS AND TRAININGS

New! EPA Let’s Talk About Heat Challenge — June 22, 2022 — Extreme heat is affecting rural, suburban and urban areas in the United States. Increasing temperatures due to climate change are intensifying already higher temperatures in heat island areas, where buildings and other infrastructure absorb and re-emit the sun’s heat more than natural landscapes. Communities need clear messages about the risks of extreme heat and actions people can take to stay safe. To address the need for clear communication, EPA and co-sponsors have launched the Let's Talk About Heat Challenge, a national competition to identify innovative and effective communication strategies that inform people of the risks of extreme heat and ways to keep safe during the hottest days. Winning solutions will include identification of and engagement with people known to be most susceptible to extreme heat risks, including but not limited to underserved and overburdened communities. Submissions are due July 22, 2022, and up to 10 prizes from a total prize pool of $120,000 will be awarded this fall. To register for the informational webinar about the challenge on June 22, 2022, click here. To learn more about the challenge, click here.

New! EPA Small Drinking Water Systems Webinar Series: Water Security — June 28, 2022 — EPA's Office of Research and Development and Office of Water host the Small Drinking Water Systems webinar series to communicate the latest information on solutions for challenges facing small drinking water systems. The next webinar will focus on water security. To register for the upcoming webinar or view recordings of prior webinars in the series, click here.  

New! EPA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric (NOAA) One Water Approach to Stormwater Management Webinars — July 26 and July 28, 2022 — EPA and NOAA will host two workshops for applying the One Water approach to flood planning. The first workshop is aimed for communities to learn how to incorporate the One Water approach when using flood data and management tools and the second workshop will include case studies of using One Water approaches for flooding and storm water management. To register for the online webinars, click here and here.

Conservation Finance Boot Camp — June 27 to July 1, 2022 — The Conservation Finance Network will host the 16th annual Conservation Finance Boot Camp at Colorado State University (CSU) in Fort Collins, CO, in partnership with the CSU Center for Collaborative Conservation and the University of Wyoming Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources. The week-long bootcamp workshop helps mid-career professionals utilize effective financing strategies to increase social and ecological resilience. The boot camp will have a hybrid participation option for core sessions and there is no application process for virtual participation.  To register for the virtual sessions, click here. To view the application for the in-person events, click here.

Brownfields 2022: Sustainable Communities Start Here — August 16-19, 2022 — The Brownfields Conference features a dynamic educational program of speakers, discussions, mobile workshops, films and other learning formats that are calibrated to provide useful strategies for meeting brownfield challenges directly.  This year, Oklahoma City was chosen for the site of the Brownfields Conference due to exciting brownfields redevelopment. The site of the conference, the new Oklahoma City Convention Center, was itself built on a redeveloped brownfield site. To learn more about the conference, click here.

RESOURCES

Emerald Cities Collaborative’s The People’s Justice40+ Community Benefit Playbook — This advocacy and organizing toolkit from the Emerald Cities Collaborative, a network of nonprofit organizations working to create a sustainable and inclusive environment and economy, provides an overview of Justice40 and other federal funding initiatives that communities could use to support energy, water, economic, environmental, and transportation equity and justice efforts. To view the continuously updated guide, click here.

EPA Clean Water Act Municipal Ombudsman— The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Municipal Ombudsman is an independent, impartial and confidential resource to assist municipalities in navigating EPA’s Clean Water Act programs. The Municipal Ombudsman also serves internally as a liaison across the agency, provides an impartial perspective, acts in an advisory capacity on Agency activities and helps to promote innovative Agency policies. To learn more about the function of the Municipal Ombudsman, click here. To receive a list of federal clean water resources with a municipal focus, please subscribe to the Ombudsman mailing list by sending an email with the word “subscribe” in the subject line to municipalombudsman@epa.gov  

EPA’s Re-Powering Mapper 3.0 — EPA’s RE-Powering Mapper is an interactive web application that allows users to identify contaminated lands, landfills and mine sites for renewable energy development. These sites include Superfund, Brownfields, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Corrective Action and Landfill Methane Outreach sites.  To learn more about how to use the Re-Powering Mapper, click here.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 2022 Hurricane Awareness Webinars — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Southeast and Caribbean Regional Collaboration Team hosted a Hurricane Awareness webinar series. The series covers preparedness, response and recovery, how to inform the public about hazardous events and hurricane forecasting. To view recordings and slides from this series, click here.

USDA Forest Service State Forest Action Plans Report 2020 — The Forest Service 2020 State Forest Action Plans Report provides an overview of available state forest action plans and identifies common themes across plans from 21 states. To view the report, click here.

Message of the Month: In early May, EPA announced 265 communities will receive Brownfields Cleanup, Assessment and Revolving Loan Fund Grants totaling $254.5 million to help build a better America while advancing environmental justice. To view the list of selected applicants, click here. EPA also announced an additional $1.9 Billion in State Revolving Loan Funds for water infrastructure upgrades through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law 2022. 

UPDATES FROM URBAN WATERS LOCATIONS

Anacostia River (Washington, DC) - On April 5, Department of the Interior (DOI) Assistant Secretary Tanya Trujillo and Assistant Secretary Shannon Estenoz announced Xavier Brown as the new Anacostia River Watershed Urban Waters Ambassador. Xavier will work to help restore the Anacostia River and improve STEM career opportunities, with a focus on the Anacostia High School in Ward 8 of Washington, DC. 

Blue River (Kansas City, KS) — Heartland Conservation Alliance (HCA), which hosts the Urban Waters Ambassador, was recently awarded $198,195 for a Brownfields Job Training Grant. The funding will provide workforce training and job opportunities for over 50 young Kansas Citians aging out of foster care. Meg McCollister, EPA Region 7 Administrator, presented a novelty check to Heartland Conservation Alliance on April 20 to celebrate the grant. HCA plans to train 54 students and place at least 27 of them in environmental jobs.

Bronx River and Harlem River (New York, NY) — The Bronx and Harlem Rivers Urban Waters location is looking to hire a new Urban Waters Ambassador, hosted by the Hudson River Foundation. To view the posting, click here.

Caño Martín Peña (CMP) / San Juan (PR) —The CMP Urban Waters Partnership met on April 27, 2022. During the meeting, Carmen Guerrero, U.S. EPA Caribbean Environmental Protection Division Director, and Ingrid Vila Biaggi, Urban Waters Ambassador, gave welcoming remarks. Partners were updated on the CMP Ecosystem Restoration Project and on the CMP Comprehensive Infrastructure Master Plan final report.

Delaware River Basin (Philadelphia, PA) — The Delaware River Partnership has begun a community fund to support local leaders in the four Partnership cities to implement community greening and engagement projects. $3,000 has already been allocated to help PowerCorps members in Camden, NJ, plant trees and native rain gardens and to help youth in Chester, PA, receive stipends for environmental stewardship work. The location is also supporting local groups by offering letters of support for grant applications that align with the goals of Urban Waters.

Los Angeles River (Los Angeles, CA) — The next LA River Urban Waters Partnership meeting will be held May 26, 2022. During this meeting, the South Coast Chapter of Trout Unlimited will present on its mentorship of seniors from the Odyssey STEM Academy in completing a capstone project related to landscape design, engineering, outreach and environmental justice in the LA River community. Alan Backock, EPA Region 9 Environmental Justice Coordinator, will give a live demonstration of EJScreen 2.0. 

Northwest Indiana Area (IN) — The Partnership welcomes Dr. Victoria Wittig as the new Ambassador for the Northwest Indiana Partnership. Victoria led the Partnership meeting on April 28, 2022. During the meeting, Ben O’Neil, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Environmental Engineer, gave an update on the remediation of the middle section of Lake George Canal. Drew Hart, U.S. Forest Service, and Jennifer Birchfield, Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission and former Ambassador, gave updates on CommuniTree efforts.

Mystic River Watershed/Greater Boston (MA) — The Mystic River Watershed Steering Committee met on May 5, 2022. During the meeting, local and regional experts presented on rainfall projections and flood resiliency. The committee also discussed 2022-2024 joint mission and priorities.    

Rio Reimagined – Salt / Gila River Corridor (Tempe, AZ) — Rio Reimagined held an Earth Day cleanup event on April 23, 2022, to clean up the Salt River and invited volunteers to help remove items from an area of the river often used as a dumping ground. Public and private-sector partners in Rio Reimagined provided equipment to remove larger items like couches, mattresses or auto parts.

South Platte River Urban Waters Partnership (Denver, CO) — The South Platte River Partnership met on May 17, 2022. During the meeting, Kris Wahlers, Colorado Parks & Wildlife, presented on the Keep Colorado Wild legislation and how state parks in the South Platte River Watershed will use revenue for restoration projects. Mike Nye, U.S. EPA, presented on the Regional Sustainability and Environmental Sciences (RESES) project occurring in Sun Valley. Partners also discussed strategic planning and steps to begin implementing the Strategic Plan.

$ FUNDING ANNOUNCEMENTS $

New! Land Trust Alliance and Open Space Institute Land and Climate Grant Program — Applications accepted April 18 – June 8, 2022 —  The Land Trust Alliance and Open Space Institute’s Land and Climate Grant Program will support the development of climate-informed land conservation, stewardship or communications plans that address one or more of the following issues: habitat resilience, carbon mitigation or community adaptation to climate impacts such as stronger storms, flooding, drought, fire or extreme heat. Land Trust Alliance and Open Space Institute will award $300,000 to support projects and/or provide technical support to qualified applicants. To learn more, click here.

New! Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) Build to Scale Program — Applications due June 13, 2022 — EDA’s Build to Scale (B2S) Program is designed to invest in regional economies through scalable business startups. EDA invites organizations who are aiding companies in developing the next generation of technologies to apply for funding. These organizations may be operating initiatives to unlock investment capital across a region or sector, operating programs to accelerate company growth, empowering the next generation of entrepreneurs, and/or enabling technology commercialization. To learn more about this opportunity, click here.

New! EPA Environmental Finance Center Grant Program — Applications due June 17, 2022 — EPA is requesting applications for the Environmental Finance Center Grant Program from eligible applicants until June 17, 2022, to establish regional and national Environmental Finance Centers (EFCs). Questions and answers about the EFC grant program can be viewed on the EFC Grant Program Frequent Questions website here.

EPA Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WINN) Grant: Small, Underserved and Disadvantaged Communities Grant Program — Applications due June 30, 2022 — The Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act establishes the Small, Underserved and Disadvantaged Communities grant to award funding to states, territories and tribes to assist public water systems in meeting Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) requirements. Grants will be awarded as non‐competitive grants. EPA will award approximately $25.8 million for the Small, Underserved and Disadvantaged Communities Grant Program from the FY21 appropriations. To view the application and learn more, click here.

New! National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) America the Beautiful Challenge — Proposals due July 21, 2022 — NFWF announced the 2022 Request for Proposals for the America the Beautiful Challenge, a public-private grant program designed to support locally-led, voluntary ecosystem restoration projects. The NFWF program will invest in the restoration of watersheds, forests and grasslands while also working toward other goals consistent with the America the Beautiful Initiative.   Approximately $85 million in grant funding is available. For more information, click here.

New! Department of the Interior (DOI) WaterSMART: Water and Energy Efficiency Grants — Applications due July 28, 2022 — DOI’s WaterSMART Water and Energy Efficiency Grants will fund projects that result in quantifiable water savings, implement renewable energy components and support broader sustainability benefits. These projects conserve and use water more efficiently; increase the production of renewable energy; mitigate conflict risk in areas at a high risk of future water conflict; and accomplish other benefits that contribute to sustainability in the Western United States. To learn more about the opportunity, click here.

New! Department of Commerce (DOC): NSF Disaster Resilience Research Grants —

Applications due August 19, 2022 — With this joint solicitation, the NSF and the U.S Department of Commerce (DOC) National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) call for proposals for research to advance fundamental understanding of disaster resilience in support of improved, science-based planning, policy, decisions, design, codes, and standards. For more information, click here.

Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Coastal Program 2022 — Applications due September 22, 2022 — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) Coastal Program is a voluntary, community-based program that provides technical and financial assistance through cooperative agreements to coastal communities, conservation partners and landowners to restore and protect fish and wildlife habitat on public and private lands. The Coastal Program staff coordinates with partners, stakeholders and other Service programs to identify geographic focus areas and develop habitat conservation goals and priorities within these focus areas. Coastal Program habitat improvement projects strive to increase coastal resiliency by improving the ability of coastal ecosystems to adapt to environmental changes and supporting natural and nature-based infrastructure projects to protect and enhance coastal habitats. To learn more about this grant opportunity, click here.

EVENTS AND TRAININGS

River Rally — June 4-7, 2022 — River Rally, the nation’s largest annual conference for water professionals, is in-person for 2022. River Rally will be on the banks of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., to mark the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act. The River Rally 2022 program will feature speakers celebrating this and other clean water victories and center equity across all topics, while illuminating today’s most urgent challenge: climate change. To view the save-the-date, click here.

Sustainable Urban Forests Coalition Networking Event — June 7, 2022 — The Sustainable Urban Forests Coalition is planning a networking event with SUFC Member Organizations and Policy Experts in Washington, D.C. Venue information and additional information is forthcoming.

Conservation Finance Boot Camp — June 27 to July 1, 2022 — The Conservation Finance Network will host the 16th annual Conservation Finance Boot Camp at Colorado State University (CSU) in Fort Collins, CO, in partnership with the CSU Center for Collaborative Conservation and the University of Wyoming Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources. The week-long bootcamp workshop helps mid-career professionals utilize effective financing strategies to increase social and ecological resilience. The boot camp will have a hybrid participation option for core sessions and there is no application process for virtual participation.  To register for the virtual sessions, click here. To view the application for the in-person events, click here.

Brownfields 2022: Sustainable Communities Start Here — August 16-19, 2022 — The Brownfields Conference features a dynamic educational program of speakers, discussions, mobile workshops, films and other learning formats that are calibrated to provide useful strategies for meeting brownfield challenges directly.  This year, Oklahoma City was chosen for the site of the Brownfields Conference due to exciting brownfields redevelopment. The site of the conference, the new Oklahoma City Convention Center, was itself built on a redeveloped brownfield site. To learn more about the conference, click here.

RESOURCES

EPA FY 2022 Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) and Cleanup Grant Applications — In concert with EPA’s commitment to conducting business in an open and transparent manner, copies of applications submitted under the FY 2022 Assessment, RLF, and Cleanup Grant solicitation are publicly available until August 31, 2022. To view the applications and their funding status, click here.

U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station Webinar: Homelessness on Public Lands — The April 2022 installment of the Pacific Northwest webinar features social scientists Drs. Lee Cerveny and Monika Derrien discussing their research in Washington state and Oregon about homelessness and public lands management across the urban-wildland gradient. To view the webinar, click here.

EPA EJScreen: Environmental Justice Screening and Mapping Tool — The environmental justice (EJ) mapping and screening tool from EPA is based on nationally consistent data and an approach that combines environmental and demographic indicators in maps and reports. To learn more about how to use EJScreen, click here.

U.S. Geological Survey Water Data for the Nation — U.S. Geological Survey investigates the occurrence, quantity, quality, distribution and movement of surface and underground waters and disseminates the data to the public, state and local governments, public and private utilities and other Federal agencies involved with managing our water resources. To view the publicly available data on areas like water quality and water use, click here.

International Water Association (IWA) Climate Resilient Water Safety Planning Webinar — Water Safety Plans are recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) and IWA as the most effective means of ensuring the safety and acceptability of drinking water supply. Addressing climate hazards using a Water Safety Plan enables utilities to increase flexibility and become more responsive to hazardous events such as floods and drought before they threaten the water supply. Panelists in this webinar from WHO and IWA discuss how to integrate climate information into water safety planning. To view the webinar, click here.