Regional Water Plan Grant

The Regional Water Plan Grant is administered by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, Watershed Protection Branch, Regional Water Planning Unit, under authority provided by O.C.G.A. 28-5-120. The program uses State of Georgia funds appropriated for Regional Water Planning to support and incentivize eligible local governments and other appropriate water users as they implement activities identified in Georgia's Regional Water Plans. The applicable Regional Water Plans were updated in June 2023. Projects must specifically identify the Regional Water Plan or Plans and the management practices or other recommendations they are designed to address, and they must be consistent with the implementation priorities, vision, and goals of the applicable plan. Eligible activities include programs addressing long-term water needs through enhanced water conservation; agricultural, forestry, rural, and urban best management practices intended to improve water quality; evaluation of additional or alternative surface water and groundwater supply sources; development or updating of local utility master plans for water, wastewater, and stormwater; technical assistance supporting implementation of Regional Water Plan management practices; and other specific implementation activities identified in the Regional Water Plans. The program is associated with the 10 Regional Water Planning Councils. Projects or applicants in the Metro Water District may participate when the project benefits one or more neighboring Water Planning Council regions, addresses management practices or recommendations in the plans for those regions, and receives endorsement from the neighboring Water Planning Council or Councils. Eligible recipients include local, regional, and State units of government, including city and county governments and State agencies; local authorities operating local government service delivery programs; Regional Commissions; Resource Conservation and Development Councils; local school systems; and State colleges and universities. Local governments must have Qualified Local Government Status in compliance with the Georgia Planning Act of 1989 and the Service Delivery Strategy Law of 1997 to execute contracts with Georgia EPD. Non-governmental organizations, including private firms and nonprofit organizations, are encouraged to participate through partnerships with eligible applicants rather than being identified as direct eligible recipients. Every application must include a letter of endorsement signed by the Chair or authorized representative of the applicable Regional Water Planning Council or Councils describing the project's consistency with Council implementation priorities and the applicable Regional Water Plan vision and goals. The maximum Regional Water Plan Grant reimbursement is $150,000, and reimbursement is limited to 90 percent of total project cost. Award recipients must provide a minimum match of 10 percent of total project cost. Match may consist of cash expenditures, in-kind services or resources, or a combination. Applicants demonstrating a match commitment of 30 percent or greater may receive priority consideration. Indirect charges cannot be reimbursed with Regional Water Plan Grant funds, although eligible indirect charges may be used as match. Projects should generally be completed within 24 to 30 months and may not exceed 30 months. The required project schedule tracks project tasks, State reporting requirements, expenditure of funds, and accumulation of match. Applications must be submitted online through Georgia EPD's Grants Administration Portal. Applicants create an account, complete an organization profile, complete Application Section 1 for the Project Description, complete Application Section 2 for the Project Budget, upload required supporting attachments, and submit the completed application through the portal. Required or described application elements include project information and requested grant and match amounts, applicable Regional Water Plan management practices, project goals and background, activities and tasks, outputs and outcomes, roles and responsibilities of participating organizations, project location and area description, a project area map, the required Regional Water Plan Grant Project Schedule, the applicable Council endorsement letter, project acknowledgements, a detailed budget and narrative justification, and budget acknowledgements. Paper and email submissions are not accepted. Applications are competitively evaluated according to requirements, ranking criteria, and additional priorities. Proposals should clearly connect the project to identified Regional Water Plan management practices and recommendations; demonstrate consistency with applicable implementation priorities, vision, and goals; show meaningful coordination with the Council or Councils and EPD; demonstrate State, regional, or local benefits; explain how the project enables new or continued implementation; and describe how project effectiveness will be evaluated, using numerical measures where appropriate. Additional competitiveness may result from a match of at least 30 percent, collaboration across Councils or governmental and implementation partners, qualifying infrastructure or structural best management practice projects, coordination with other watershed projects and activities, cross-jurisdictional work, additional environmental benefits, and projects in planning regions that have not received grants in more than two fiscal years. Applicants with unsuccessful administration of previous grant-funded projects may receive reduced review points. The application period was announced as open on July 31, 2026, and completed applications and supporting attachments must be submitted through the Grants Administration Portal by midnight on October 31, 2026. Pre-application meetings are not required but are strongly recommended, especially for first-time applicants, and must be completed by October 9, 2026; applicants seeking a meeting must provide a one-page project abstract beforehand. For project questions or pre-application meetings, applicants may contact Russell Nix at russell.nix@dnr.ga.gov or 470-572-4273. The guidelines also list Tim Fields at timothy.fields@dnr.ga.gov, 470-384-0905, and Parris Maguire at parris.maguire@dnr.ga.gov, 470-384-0995. The materials do not state an award notification date.

Explicitly connect the project to management practices or recommendations in the applicable Regional Water Plan and explain consistency with its vision, goals and implementation priorities. Demonstrate coordination with the Council and EPD, quantify project effectiveness where appropriate, and clearly show state, regional or local benefits. A match commitment of 30% or greater may improve competitiveness. Collaboration across Councils and partners, infrastructure or structural BMP projects, watershed and cross-jurisdictional coordination, and additional environmental benefits may also receive priority. Document match so it is verifiable, project-related and auditable.