Clean Water Service Provider projects in western Rutland County

How it works

The Clean Water Service Provider (CWSP) for the South Lake Champlain basin is a partnership of the Rutland Regional Planning Commission (RRPC) and the Poultney Mettowee Natural Resources Conservation District (PMNRCD). Together they allocate clean-water funding from the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) under Vermont’s Clean Water Service Delivery Act (Act 76). The program exists to fund clean-water projects that meet pollution reduction targets. In Lake Champlain, the pollutant of concern is phosphorus.

What the money covers

The page says CWSP funding is available for non-regulatory projects only, meaning projects that are not required by a state permit. Approved project types include:

• Green infrastructure stormwater practices
• Natural resources restoration projects on farm and forestland
• Stream restoration projects
• Conservation easements
• Wetland and floodplain restoration
• Practices that intercept and infiltrate stormwater in developed areas

The page also says staff can help identify and develop projects, conduct site visits, determine phosphorus efficiencies, prepare project applications, and assist in managing projects.

Amounts and matching

The page does not give a homeowner grant amount or a fixed maximum award. It does say project eligibility must meet phosphorus reduction targets within standardized cost parameters.

DEC set the phosphorus reduction goal for the South Lake Watershed at 78.1 kg/phosphorus per year. Projects within each sector — stormwater, agriculture, forestry, and streams — have a cost-per-kilogram target, and the cost per kilogram of all projects in the South Lake Watershed must average around $9,000 per kilogram of phosphorus mitigated.

How to apply

The South Lake CWSP issues a Request for Projects round every three to four months. The Basin Water Quality Council (BWQC) reviews and votes on proposed projects shortly after each round.

The page also says the CWSP is pre-approving potential subgrantees and subcontractors through a request-for-qualifications process, and qualifications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Timing and deadlines

• Request for Projects rounds: every three to four months
• Qualifications for pre-approval: accepted on a rolling basis
• The page states there are no vendors opportunities at this time and asks users to check back for future opportunities