Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Integrated Regional Water Management Plan (IRWMP)?
In November 2002, California voters passed Proposition 50, the Water Security, Clean Drinking Water, Coastal and Beach Protection Act of 2002. It amended the California Water Code to add, among other articles, Section 79560 et seq., authorizing the Legislature to appropriate $500 million for IRWMP projects.
PROPOSITION 84, the Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality and Supply, Flood Control, River and Costal Protection Act, passed by California voters in November 2006. Administered by DWR, the Proposition 84 includes funding for the IRWM Grant Program. See DIVISION 43. THE SAFE DRINKING WATER, WATER QUALITY AND SUPPLY, FLOOD CONTROL, RIVER AND COSTAL PROTECTION BOND ACT OF 2006 for additional information on fund source and legislative action.Who do I contact with questions about the North Coast IRWMP?
Karen Gaffney
West Coast Watershed
kgaffney@westcoastwatershed.com
707.433.7377
Is the Memorandum Of Mutual Understandings (MOMU) a binding document?
This Memorandum Of Mutual Understandings document and participation in this North Coast IRWMP effort are non-binding, and in no way suggest that an agency may not continue its own planning and undertake efforts to secure project funding from any source. An agency/organization may withdraw from participation at any time. The MOMU can be accessed in the library on the NCIRWMP website.
Where do I send the signed copy of the Memorandum Of Mutual Understandings (MOMU)?
Please send signed copies of the MOMU to: Lisa Renton, SCWA, P.O. Box 11628, Santa Rosa, CA 95406
Who administers the IRWMP Grant Program?
Under Proposition 50, the IRWM Grant Program is administered jointly by DWR and SWRCB.Under Proposition 84, the IRWM program will be administered by DWR.
How much funding is available through the IRWMP Grant Program?
Under Proposition 50, 1pproximately $380 million will be available for IRWMP grants during two funding cycles:
- First Funding Cycle – Approximately $319.6 million - 2005 & 2006
- Approximately $12.6 million for Planning Grants and
- Approximately $307 million for Implementation Grants
- Second Funding Cycle – Approximately $64.5 million - 2007 & 2008
Where will the funds be allocated?
Proposition 50, Section 79564 stipulates that not less than 40% of the IRWM Grant Program funds will be available for eligible projects in Northern California and not less than 40% will be available for eligible projects in Southern California.
What counties are considered Northern California?
All California counties excepting Counties of San Diego, Imperial, Riverside, Orange, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, and Ventura.
When are grant applications to the North Coast IRWMP due?
Project proposals are accepted when grant funds are available from the state. Check the North Coast IRWMP Home Page for information about any current funding opportunities.
Who will review the submitted proposals?
All projects submitted to the North Coast IRWMP will be subject to review by the North Coast Technical Peer Review Committee and the Policy Review Panel. The panels will be comprised of representatives from each North Coast County appointed by IRWMP participants in the North Coast Region, to compile and integrate projects and management plans for the North Coast region. Review panel members will define the process of compilation, project inclusion and integration including format, schedules and ground rules to ensure process consistency and uniformity.
What happens when a project proposal is selected?
Organizations sponsoring projects selected to be included in the North Coast IRWMP by the North Coast Technical Peer Review Committee and the Policy Review Panel will be asked to become Signatories to the North Coast IRWMP Memorandum Of Mutual Understanding, and will work with the NCIRWMP grant adminstration framework in Humboldt County to manage their project.
How much funding has been awarded to the NCIRWMP?
Humboldt County, which has been designated the lead agency by the NCIRWMP, has been awarded a $500,000 Planning Grant and a $25 million dollar Implementation Grant for NCIRWMP planning and implementation.
Are matching funds required?
The applicant is required to provide a funding match. “Funding match” means funds made available by the grant recipient from non-state sources. Funding match may include, but is not limited to, federal funds, local funding, or donated services from non-state sources. For a State agency, funding match may include state funds and services.
The requirement for funding match may be waived or reduced to the extent that applicants demonstrate that the proposal will: 1) encompass a region that includes at least one disadvantaged community, 2) include representatives of the disadvantaged communities in the planning process, and 3) be designed to provide direct benefits to the disadvantaged community(ies). Such reductions in the required funding match percentage would be in proportion to the percentage of disadvantaged population served relative to the entire population in the region.
- The required minimum funding match for a Planning Grant will be 25 percent of the total proposal costs.
- The required minimum funding match for an Implementation Grant will be 10 percent of the total proposal costs.
For Planning Grants, eligible proposals include:
- Development of new IRWM Plans or components thereof
- Completion or modification of IRWM Plans in progress
- Development of Integrated Coastal Watershed Management Plans
- Programs for water supply reliability, water conservation, and water use efficiency;
- Storm water capture, storage, treatment, and management;
- Removal of invasive non-native plants, the creation and enhancement of wetlands, and the acquisition, protection, and restoration of open space and watershed lands;
- NPS pollution reduction, management, and monitoring;
- Groundwater recharge and management projects;
- Contaminant and salt removal through reclamation, desalting, and other treatment technologies;
- Water banking, water exchange, water reclamation, and improvement of water quality;
- Planning and implementation of multipurpose flood control programs that protect property; and improve water quality, storm water capture and percolation; and protect or improve wildlife habitat;
- Watershed management planning and implementation; and
- Demonstration projects to develop new drinking water treatment and distribution methods.
What is Watershed Management Plan Consistency?
Any watershed protection activities must be consistent with the applicable, adopted, local watershed management plans and the applicable Regional Water Quality Control Plan (Basin Plan) adopted by the RWQCB.
What is meant by a Disadvantaged Community?
Disadvantaged Community – means a municipality, including, but not limited to a city, town or county, or a reasonably isolated and divisible segment of a larger municipality, that has an average median household income that is less than 80 percent of the statewide annual median household income.
What is meant by Areas of Special Biological Significance?
Areas of Special Biological Significance – means areas designated by the SWRCB as requiring protection of species or biological communities to the extent that alteration of natural water quality is undesirable. All areas of special biological significance are State Water Quality Protection Areas as defined in Public Resources Code § 36700(f). There are 34 designated areas of special biological significance, which are listed in the California Ocean Plan.
What do the acronyms listed in the IRWMP Guidelines mean?
| AB | Assembly Bill |
| CEQA | California Environmental Quality Act |
| CWC | California Water Code |
| DWR | Department of Water Resources |
| IRWM | Integrated Regional Water Management |
| NEPA | National Environmental Policy Act |
| NPS | Non-Point Source |
| PSP | Proposal Solicitation Package |
| ROD | Record of Decision |
| RWQCB | Regional Water Quality Control Board |
| SB | Senate Bill |
| SWRCB | State Water Resources Control Board |
