Brownfields Funding and Training Opportunities

We are encouraging Washingtonians to apply for two opportunities offered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Grants – Apply by June 10, 2019

Environmental contractors investigating contamination at the
Palouse Producers brownfield site that received Integrated
Planning Grant funding from Ecology.

EPA is accepting proposals from eligible entities, including nonprofit organizations, to deliver
Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training (EWDJT) programs that recruit, train, and place local, unemployed, and under-employed residents with the skills needed to secure full-time employment in the environmental field.

A critical part of EPA’s EWDJT program is to further environmental justice by ensuring that residents living in communities historically affected by economic disinvestment, health disparities, and environmental contamination, including low-income, minority, and tribal communities, have an opportunity to reap the benefits of revitalization and environmental cleanup.

Recreation Economy for Rural Communities planning assistance – Apply by May 31, 2019

Communities are invited to apply for planning assistance from Recreation Economy for Rural Communities. Successful applicants will work with a planning team to help their communities bring together local residents and other stakeholders to decide on strategies and an action plan to grow the local outdoor recreation economy. The planning assistance process will take place over a period of four to six months, with a focal point being a two-day, facilitated community workshop. Participants will work together to identify a vision, goals, and specific actions to realize the locally set goals.

Partner communities are encouraged to pursue activities that foster environmentally friendly community development and Main Street revitalization through the conservation and sustainable use of public or private forests or other natural resources.

Washington communities are invited to apply for federal assistance to increase local sustainability

Our Brownfields Program staff are encouraging Washington communities to take advantage of the Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities Program. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) created the program for communities that are relatively new to environmentally sustainable approaches but have a basic understanding of smart growth principles and how they apply locally.

EPA enacts this program by providing technical assistance workshops in selected communities. Their workshops are focusing on two tools this year.

1. Communities with Superfund and/or brownfield properties are invited to apply for the Strategies for Neighborhood Reinvestment tool. A brownfield is a formerly abandoned property whose redevelopment may be complicated by actual or perceived environmental contamination. The tool will help them enact policies to increase the redevelopment potential of contaminated properties by creating better conditions for real estate investment in the neighborhoods surrounding them.
2. Communities digging up and reconstructing streets are invited to apply for the Green and Complete Streets tool. The tool will help them capitalize on water infrastructure upgrades as an opportunity to rebuild more pedestrian and bike-friendly streets that better manage stormwater on-site.

How to Apply

Submit a letter of interest no longer than two pages. The applicant can be a local, county, or tribal government, or a nonprofit organization that has the support of the local government on whose behalf they are applying. Communities can submit multiple letters of interest, but the nature of the challenge should correspond with each tool requested. Each letter should:

1. Select one of the tools described above.
2. Describe the nature of the smart growth or sustainable communities-related challenge(s) facing your community, including any relevant data to demonstrate the challenge. If applicable, describe how this challenge affects low-income, minority, tribal, and/or other communities facing disproportionate environmental or health risks.
3. Explain the relevance of the selected tool to the challenge(s), being as specific as possible. Applicants must describe how the community’s issues can be addressed through the technical assistance workshop, focusing on why the requested tool will help with a specific challenge. Specifically:
• For Strategies for Neighborhood Reinvestment, indicate what, if any, economic development is occurring in your community and steps your community has already taken to encourage infill development, including policies, code changes, partnerships, or other strategies.
• For Green and Complete Streets, preference will be given to communities that already have a Complete Streets policy in place and want to add the “green” element, so indicate how familiar your community is with Complete Streets practices as well as green infrastructure for stormwater management. Include local examples, if any.
4. Describe your plan for engaging underrepresented communities, including low-income, minority, tribal, and/or overburdened communities, in the technical assistance workshop.
5. Identify your preferred timing for the workshop. The proposed timeframe for these workshops is between March and September 2019. Please provide a preliminary idea of the best dates for your community.
6. Describe the community’s expected capacity for implementation, for example, local policy change, additional consideration for physical improvements, new incentives, etc. EPA generally looks to assist communities that are ready to implement once the Building Blocks workshop and next steps memo are complete.
7. If applicable, describe how this assistance would complement work being done in the community using other federal funding (EPA brownfields grants, U.S. HUD Community Development Block Grants, U.S. DOT TIGER/BUILD grants) and/or how this workshop would align with a local or regional planning process.
8. Affirm that the community can provide the information or materials listed in the “What the Community Provides” section of each tool description.
9. List the primary point of contact and other key stakeholders who would be involved in the technical assistance work, including title, address, email, and phone number of the primary contact.

The letter must be signed by a mayor, city manager, elected official, or other representative of the community. This signature represents the community’s support and commitment to this program and assistance.

The letter of interest must be submitted in an attachment (Microsoft Word or PDF file) by email to BuildingBlocks@epa.gov no later than November 16, 2018, at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.
Please save your file using the following format: Name of Jurisdiction Name of State and corresponding tool number (#x) based on the following list. For example: Catonsville Maryland #1.

• Tool #1: Neighborhood Reinvestment
• Tool #2: Green and Complete Streets

If you have questions about this request for letters of interest, please see EPA’s Frequently Asked Questions webpage. If your question is not answered there, please contact Chip Gurkin at Gurkin.Charles@epa.gov or 202-564-2778.

Recently passed capital budget unlocks 2018 funds to support clean water

Ecology is offering nearly $220 million in financial assistance for 163 high-priority clean water projects across Washington state. This funding, for the last fiscal year 2018 (July 2017 through June 2018), was held up when the capital budget was not passed during the previous legislative session. Now, these projects can move forward to support jobs and water quality projects in local communities.

Our funding supports local communities by helping them upgrade sewage treatment systems, manage polluted stormwater runoff, and complete a variety of projects to prevent pollution.

We also recently ended a public comment period for this fiscal year’s (2019) funding.

Water quality grants help communities in need of funding protect Washington's waters.

Here are a few project highlights

Nonpoint pollution projects

Thirty-five projects are receiving $16 million in grants and loans to address nonpoint pollution that comes from widespread, hard-to-trace activities. Two projects will also receive $9 million to repair or replace on-site sewage systems.

Examples of these projects include:

• Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, Pierce County
  We have offered Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department in association with the nonprofit lender, Craft3, and 15 other counties a $1.5 million grant, a $1.5 million forgivable loan (funding that does not need to be paid back), and a $5 million low-interest-rate loan to expand the Regional Septic Program. The program provides affordable loans to homeowners and small businesses to repair failing onsite septic systems.

• Spokane Conservation District, Spokane County
  Spokane Conservation District will receive a $500,000 grant and a $3.3 million loan to reduce soil erosion through direct-seeding, creating riparian buffers, and implementing the Farmed Smart Sustainable Agriculture certification. Spokane Conservation District will partner with Pacific Northwest Direct Seed Association and Palouse Rock Lake Conservation District for this project.

Wastewater projects 

Thirty wastewater treatment projects are receiving $110 million in funding. Thirteen of the projects qualify for special hardship financial assistance due to their potential impact on residential sewer bills.

High-priority wastewater hardship projects include:

• Warden, Grant County
  City of Warden will receive a $500,000 grant and a $1 million loan to extend its sewer system to include homes who currently discharge waste to an unlined lagoon. The project will decommission the lagoon which will help protect the city’s drinking water from contamination. 

• Carbonado, Pierce County
  Town of Carbonado will receive a $4.7 million grant and a $3 million loan to replace its old, failing sewer system that was installed in the early 1900s. This failing system is a threat to public health and the environment. If the system fails, it would risk raw sewage entering the environment and coming into contact with the public. Also, replacing this system will improve the water quality in the upper Carbon River.

Stormwater projects

Ninety-six communities across the state are receiving a total of $45 million in grants and loans to implement projects that focus on reducing stormwater pollution. In addition, 67 stormwater projects from fiscal year 2016 and fiscal year 2017 that were in “delayed” status are offered about $39 million in grants.

The highest-priority stormwater projects include:

• Tacoma, Pierce County
  City of Tacoma will receive a $5 million grant and a $3.2 million loan to improve water quality in the Flett Creek Watershed. The project will improve water quality by installing permeable pavement, providing basic treatment, and reducing stormwater flows from 17 blocks in the Tacoma Mall Neighborhood

• Spokane Valley, Spokane County
  City of Spokane Valley will receive a $654,732 grant for a low-impact development project. The project will design and install bio-infiltration swales to treat stormwater runoff along a major street and eliminate three acres of street runoff.

More information

Find out more about clean water financial assistance on our website. See the full funding offer list.

Find projects in your area using our interactive map online.

By Daniel Thompson and Stacy Galleher, Water Quality Program

Wanted: Old, polluting wood stoves

While gathering around a fire has been a traditional means of keeping warm in the winter months for thousands of years, it’s a problem for many of our communities today. 

Wood smoke is one of the main sources of air pollution in Washington and our communities often suffer with poor air quality because of it. One of the ways Ecology is working to improve air quality is through wood stove buy-back programs. 

Smoke pollution still a problem despite improved technology

Newer wood stove technology has greatly improved and exceeded older wood stoves in efficiency and smoke reduction. For example, an old, uncertified wood stove produces about 252 pounds per year of smoke while a certified wood stove produces about 50 pounds per year. Comparatively, pellet, gas, or electric home heating makes much less smoke if any at all.

Even with improved technology standards since 1995, wood smoke is one of the main sources of air pollution in Washington. In winter, more than half of our fine particle pollution comes from wood burning devices for home heating. These tiny particles are small enough to make it past our natural defenses and lodge deep in the lung tissue where they have long lasting effects on respiratory and cardiovascular functions. As you might imagine, these pollution particles are in greatest concentration where the smoke is produced, our residential neighborhoods. 

Say “Hello” to wood stove buy-back events!

In order to improve air quality, Ecology developed incentive programs to reduce the number of uncertified wood stoves. Residents can upgrade their home heating device to a less polluting option. Old, uncertified stoves can be turned in for a cash reward, about $200.

Wood stove buy-back events are usually held in communities which have had a few seasons of elevated levels of fine particle pollution (particulate matter, PM 2.5) and received funding from the Washington Legislature. When funding is available, Ecology partners with local communities to work out event details, like location, advertising, and metal recycling.

On the day of the event, wood stoves are inspected to ensure they meet minimum standards as set in the advertising. The wood stoves must have been removed from a residence in the designated community or county of the event.

From 2012-2017, eight events resulted in 748 old wood stoves turned in by Eastern Washington residents. Those old wood stoves were destroyed and the metal recycled, removing future smoke from that stove, permanently. That translates to about three tons of wood smoke prevention per event. Eleven tons total so far! 

These programs have been well received by participants. Positive feedback has come from the public in comments such as:

“This will help with the smoke in the winter.” 

“This is awesome I hate my woodstove.”

Funding for buy-back programs

On Jan. 19, 2018, Gov. Jay Inslee signed the 2018 Supplemental Capital Budget which included $2 million in funding to Ecology to provide wood stove grants and programs.  Ecology expects to begin soliciting proposals in the late spring of 2018.

By Camille Bennett | Air Quality

Funding supports jobs and clean water in Washington's communities

This year, Ecology is proposing to award nearly $154 million in financial assistance for 69 high-priority clean-water projects across the state. Our funding supports local communities by helping them upgrade sewage treatment systems, manage polluted stormwater runoff, and complete a variety of projects to prevent pollution.

Nearly 70% of the funding we manage goes to local communities for environmental projects. Our clean water funding comes from a mix of state and federal funds dedicated for water quality improvements and protection. State financial managers calculate that 11 direct and indirect jobs are created in Washington for every $1 million spent on building clean water infrastructure. Using this calculation, the funding will support almost 1,700 jobs, with one-third of them as construction jobs.

The proposed funding is contingent on the Washington state capital budget and federal budgets. Projects on the list can begin as soon as July 1, if we have secured the funding.

Give input on the proposed funding list

We invite comments on our draft list of projects until Feb. 19, 2018. Send comments to Daniel Thompson at daniel.thompson@ecy.wa.gov. Also, see below for more information on our public meeting.

Here are a few highlights

Twenty projects are slated to receive about $21 million in grants and loans to address nonpoint pollution that comes from widespread, hard-to-trace activities.

Examples of these projects include:

Beaver Dam Analogues placed in a stream to slow down
and clean water which also creates better habitat. 

• Myers Creek, Cheesaw, Okanogan CountyThe nonprofit, Okanogan Highlands Alliance, is proposed to receive nearly $175,000 for the second phase of a project to re-establish the floodplain in Myers Creek, near Chesaw. The project includes the construction and enhancement of Beaver Dam Analogues (see picture), the planting of native plants, and to raise awareness about this critical habitat.
• Nisqually Watershed, Pierce County
  The Nisqually Indian Tribe would receive more than $14 million in a low interest rate loan to help buy and protect 5,221 acres of forest with 42 miles of shoreline in the Mashel River sub-basin and 2,560 acres of forest with 26 miles of shoreline in the watershed’s Ohop Creek sub-basin.

Twenty-six wastewater treatment projects are proposed to receive approximately $99 million. Seven of the projects qualify for hardship financial assistance due to their potential impact on residential sewer bills. These hardship projects may receive a combination of grants, forgivable loans (loans that do not need to be paid back), and low interest rate loans.

High priority wastewater hardship projects include:

• Pine Creek, Rosalia, Whitman County
  The Town of Rosalia is proposed to receive nearly $7 million in grant and loans to improve water quality in Pine Creek and reduce impacts on public health by fixing its failing sewer collection system.

• Long Beach, Pacific County
  The City of Long Beach may receive $7 million in grants and loans to design and build a Regional Biosolids Treatment Facility. The facility will compost biosolids from several locations and turn it into highly-treated compost. Residents, businesses, and the city could use this compost for landscaping projects.

Twenty-one communities across the state are proposed to split about $27 million in grants to implement projects that focus on reducing stormwater pollution. The highest-priority stormwater projects include:

A completed stormwater pollution reduction
project, a planted swale.

• Johns Creek, Renton, King County
  The City of Renton could receive more than $1.5 million for a project to improve water quality in Johns Creek (a tributary to Lake Washington). They propose to design and construct new bio-retention facilities and permeable sidewalks. The project will reduce toxic pollutants in stormwater runoff.
• Ellensburg, Kittitas County
  The City of Ellensburg is proposed to receive about $2.7 million to treat stormwater runoff from a busy street before discharging into Mercer, Whiskey, and Wilson Creeks. Treatment will include Low Impact Development (LID) practices like building rock-lined swales and permeable sidewalks.

Unfortunately, due to insufficient funds there are 41 projects eligible for more than $17.5 million in Centennial Clean Water Program grant and 20 projects eligible for $225 million in Clean Water State Revolving Fund loan that may not receive full funding.

Example of a wetland habitat education project. 

Let us know what you think

We invite comments on this draft proposal list.

Submit comments by Feb. 19 at 5:00 p.m. Email Daniel Thompson at daniel.thompson@ecy.wa.gov.

Public meeting
Join us for a meeting to discuss the proposed funding list.

Feb. 1, Thursday at 1:00 p.m.
Pierce County Library
Processing and Administrative Center
3005 112th Street E
Tacoma, WA, 98446

After Feb. 19 we will respond to any comments received in the Final List document. We expect to publish the Final List by June 29, 2018, after the passage of the state 2017-19 Biennial Capital Budget.

More information

Find out more about clean water financial assistance on our website.

By Stacy Galleher, Water Quality Program