Section 604(b) of the CWA provides grants to determine the nature, extent, and causes of water quality issues and to develop plans to restore or protect water quality pursuant to the CWA and Massachusetts Surface Water Quality Standards.
MassDEP will prioritize Section 604(b) grant funds on NPS assessment and planning projects that result in the following:
- Development of a nine (9)-element Watershed-Based Plan (WBP) for local watershed planning and to support future Section 319 grant implementation projects.
- Development of a WBP for the Section 319 Grant’s Healthy Waters category, to guide watershed protection and management activities
- Determination of the nature, extent, and causes of water quality problems and determination of pollutant load reductions necessary to meet the Massachusetts Surface Water Quality Standards (SWQS; 314 CMR 4.00)
- Development of climate resilient designs and implementation plans that will address water quality impairments
- EJ NPS Coordinator positions that will support communities with EJ populations in conducting community needs assessments, water quality monitoring and assessment, development of WBPs, development of resilient implementation designs, and drafting and submitting grant applications
- Climate resiliency water quality planning; and/or
- Regional scale watershed planning for the restoration of nitrogen impacted areas.