ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF

As specified under Section 604(b) of the Clean Water Act, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) will focus ARRA funds on implementing planning and assessment-type grant projects and supporting Department staff assessment activities. MassDEP's ARRA goals include: 1) Conduct projects that will improve wetland and water quality monitoring programs; 2) Conduct water quality assessment activities; and 3) Support local planning projects by releasing a Request for Responses to solicit proposals from Regional Public Comprehensive Planning Organizations (RPCPOs) for pass-through funds. While States are required to allocate at least 40% of the amount granted to RPCPOs, MassDEP proposes to increase the amount available for pass-through projects to 56%. The remaining funds, 44%, will be used to carry out the following projects and activities. MassDEP intends to fund two projects with the University of Massachusetts (UMASS) -Amherst to improve wetland and water quality monitoring programs: 1) design a probabilistic water quality monitoring program that would provide sufficient data on the overall quality of freshwaters and provide information on the condition of lakes and rivers to meet section 303d obligations; and 2) continue efforts to calibrate the Conservation Assessment and Prioritization System (CAPS) developed by UMASS. MassDEP also will fund five staff positions for FFY 09 through FFY 10 to support water quality assessments. MassDEP will conduct water quality-related nonpoint and point source pollution assessment activities in priority watersheds including: Cape Cod, Boston Harbor, and Narragansett/Mt. Hope Bay watersheds in FFY09. Monitoring in FFY10 will be limited to a statistically valid water quality survey of wade-able streams in the northeastern portion of Massachusetts, lake sampling in southeastern Massachusetts to support total maximum daily load (TMDL) and nutrient criteria development, and fish toxics monitoring at public-requested sites. Approximately 56% of the ARRA funds will be dedicated to the pass thru project pool for local Water Quality Management Planning grants. MassDEP will seek proposals from eligible entities (RPCPOs) and fund projects statewide to improve water quality assessment and management. MassDEP will seek project proposals that will identify water quality problems and provide preliminary or final designs for Best Management Practices (BMPs) to address these problems. MassDEP provided EPA New England with a copy of the Request for Responses as well as copies of each project proposal submitted. Upon completion of the rating and ranking process, the selection criteria and a list of the projects selected for ARRA funding was forwarded to EPA. Project work plans including their objectives, results, and approaches were submitted to EPA for approval prior to issuing contracts. For pass-thru projects, the following 11 projects were selected from the 41 proposals received. The pass-through projects include: 1) Amesbury, Lake Gardner: Powow River Bacteriological Investigation $46,550 2) Brewster, Paines Creek and Stony Brook Stormwater Mitigation $58,000 3) Cambridge, Improving Water-Quality in Urban Watersheds $150,000 4) Duxbury, Stormwater Mitigation: Kingston Bay $53,600 5) Marshfield, Bacterial Source Assessment in the South River $49,430 6) North Reading, Identifying Stormwater Remediation Upper Ipswich River Basin $26,000 7) Pembroke, Furnace and Oldham Pond Watershed Restoration Plan $47,150 8) Pittsfield, Water Quality Assessment of Windsor & Cady Brooks $69,300 9) Provincetown, Provincetown Harbor Stormwater Mitigation $90,240 10) Sharon, Three Town Pathogen BMP Development Project $82,790 11) Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, Connecticut River Water Quality Monitoring & Source Tracking $77,206

Clarification of Codes