DEQ is pleased to make available the 2019 Citizen Water Quality Monitoring Grant Program Request for Proposals (RFP).  The primary purpose of these grants is to provide funding for water quality monitoring groups and individuals to monitor the quality of Virginia’s waters.  The grant can be used in a variety of ways, including purchasing water quality monitoring equipment, training citizen volunteers, paying lab analysis costs, and promoting stream monitoring  at locations where the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is not currently collecting water quality samples.  Applicants can choose from three grant options, but may only apply for one grant. Multiple applications will be rejected.

The grant options include:

1. Mini-Grant: Maximum award up to $1,000.  Open only to applicants who have not received a DEQ citizen monitoring grant in the previous three years. The grantee must use at least one-third of the award for equipment and begin water monitoring before the end of the grant period
2. Regular Grant: Maximum award up to $5,000.  Open to any applicants who wish to apply but recommended for organizations already familiar with water quality monitoring. The grantee must submit a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP), use at least one-third of the award for equipment, and begin water monitoring before the end of the grant period.
3. Coordination Grant:  Maximum award up to $11,000.  Open only to applicants who coordinate at least three member monitoring organizations that total 35 or more volunteers. In addition, monitoring occurs at more than 50 sample sites covering at least three Virginia localities.  The grantee must submit a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP), use at least one-third of the award for equipment, and begin water monitoring before the end of the grant period.

The grant application can be downloaded from the DEQ Citizen Monitoring Program Grant web page on July 2nd:

www.deq.virginia.gov/Programs/Water/WaterQualityInformationTMDLs/WaterQualityMonitoring/CitizenMonitoring/GrantOpportunities.aspx.

In addition to offering the Citizen Water Quality Monitoring Grant Program, DEQ also provides technical assistance with developing a water quality monitoring program and/or a QAPP. Questions regarding the Citizen Water Quality Monitoring grant or technical assistance should be directed to Stuart Torbeck, Department of Environmental Quality, P.O. Box 1105, Richmond, Virginia 23218, telephone (804) 698-4461, email charles.torbeck@deq.virginia.gov.  Information is also available on the DEQ citizen monitoring website at:

www.deq.virginia.gov/Programs/Water/WaterQualityInformationTMDLs/WaterQualityMonitoring/CitizenMonitoring.aspx.