Section 319 Grants

Section 319 Grants are part of North Dakota's Nonpoint Source Pollution Management Program and are supported through Section 319 of the Clean Water Act. The national nonpoint source program is administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which oversees the appropriation of Section 319 funding to state nonpoint source programs. In North Dakota, applications for local projects are submitted to the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality and reviewed by the Nonpoint Source Task Force. The program's mission is to implement a voluntary, incentive-based approach that protects and restores the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of waters where beneficial uses are threatened or impaired by nonpoint sources of pollution. The program addresses contaminants such as sediment, nutrients, E. coli bacteria, and pesticides that are delivered to surface waters through runoff or leached into groundwater. Section 319 funding can support watershed-based or statewide work. Project types identified in the supplied program materials include watershed projects involving Best Management Practice implementation, information and education projects, assessment projects, support projects, and demonstration or pilot projects. Assessment activities examine sources, causes, and impacts of nonpoint source pollution through water-quality sample collection. Watershed projects implement practices that reduce or prevent pollution, with examples including buffer strips, exclusion fencing, and cover crops. Information and education projects increase public and stakeholder awareness of nonpoint source issues and solutions, while support projects provide technical, engineering, planning, and financial assistance. Section 319 funds support 60 percent of project costs, and recipients are subject to a 40 percent non-federal match requirement. The supplied sources do not state a minimum award, maximum award, total amount available for the fiscal year 2027 competition, or expected number of awards. Implementation resources include Best Management Practice guidelines. The program also provides annual reporting guidelines and separate final report guidelines for watershed projects and information and education projects. No project performance-period length, indirect-cost limitation, or individual subaward ceiling is stated in the supplied materials. Eligible applicants identified by the program include Soil Conservation Districts, Local Water Boards, City Councils, Agricultural Groups, State Agencies, Park Boards, Non-Governmental Organizations, Universities, and non-federal entities such as Tribal NPS programs. The supplied materials describe applications as requests for funding for local projects submitted to the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality. No narrower county, municipality, ZIP code, or other sub-state service-area restriction is identified, so the opportunity is treated as statewide within North Dakota rather than nationwide. For the fiscal year 2027 cycle, the Request for Proposals was issued in July 2026. A Draft Project Proposal is due November 1, 2026 and must be submitted by email to Emilee Novak at ejnovak@nd.gov; Word or PDF formats are acceptable. Application materials supplied for the program include a Watershed and Support Project PIP Guide and PIP Template, an Information and Education Project Work Plan Guide and Work Plan Template, and a Budget Tables Excel Form. The timeline establishes a staged review process rather than a single submission event. After draft proposals are submitted, the Nonpoint Source Task Force conducts a proposal review and comment period in December 2026. Task Force comments are provided to sponsors in January 2027, after which final proposals are completed. Final Project Proposals are due in March 2027, although the supplied timeline does not provide a specific day in March. Final proposal review and approval by the North Dakota Nonpoint Source Task Force is scheduled for April 2027, followed by submission of the grant application and Task Force-approved project plans to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The fiscal year 2027 grant award is expected to be issued to the state in May or June 2027, after which funds are allocated to project sponsors. The timeline states that it is subject to change and will be updated for each fiscal year grant cycle, supporting treatment of the program as recurring. The next cycle is therefore anticipated around July 2027 based on the current cycle's July Request for Proposals. The supplied materials do not identify previous recipients, a question-and-answer deadline, a specific final-proposal day in March, or a stated project performance period.

Submit the draft proposal by the November 1 deadline in Word or PDF format and plan to incorporate NPS Task Force comments before completing the final proposal.