Update: Ecology awarded an additional $10 million in stormwater grants bringing the total to $226.9 million in grants and loans that could support more than 2,500 jobs and improve water quality for communities across the state. Specifically, in the central region, we're offering $16.6 million for 20 high-priority clean water projects.
Supporting communities
Our Water Quality Combined Funding Program supports local communities by helping those receiving the funds to:
- Upgrade wastewater treatment systems and sewer systems.
- Manage polluted stormwater.
- Prevent and clean up harder to identify sources of pollution, nonpoint pollution. Nonpoint pollution comes from activities that are usually widespread across an area without a single pollution source.
For more information about the statewide awards please see our press release.
Projects in the cental region
Here are a few projects highlighting our areas of work. For the full list of projects, visit our grants webpage or view our interactive map.
Wastewater
We’re offering $8.5 million for six wastewater projects. Two of the projects qualified for hardship financial assistance due to their potential impact on residential sewer bills. Hardship financial assistance can be awarded to small and financially challenged communities to ensure wastewater projects can move forward without unduly raising residential sewer bill rates. These hardship projects may receive a combination of grants, forgivable loans that do not have to be repaid, and low interest rate loans. The Oroville project described below and the Town of Twisp Collection System and Biosolids Improvement project qualified for hardship assistance.
Oroville Housing Authority
We’re offering the Oroville Housing Authority $97,829 in a forgivable loan and a low interest loan to remove an old septic system and connect to the City of Oroville’s sewer system. Our funding will complement funding from other agencies to fully fund the project. The goal of the project is to avoid contamination of Tonasket Creek that occasionally floods the current septic system’s drain field. Tonasket Creek drains to the Okanogan River.
$7.5 million in grants and loans for 10 stormwater projects
City of Roslyn
We’re offering the City of Rosyln in Kittitas County a $156,984 grant to develop a plan for reducing stormwater impacts to Crystal Creek, an impaired waterbody. The project will evaluate options for low impact development and best management practices to guide future design and implementation of capital improvement projects to improve water quality.
Example of riparian forest restoration method that can be used to enhance riparian buffers on the Upper Yakima River.
$600,000 in grants to four nonpoint projects
Mid-Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group
We’re offering the Mid-Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group a $250,000 grant to reduce sediment, fecal coliform, and temperature in the Upper Yakima River through riparian buffer restoration and protection. This project will install riparian trees in eight acres along 900 stream feet, exclude livestock on 25 acres along 2,700 stream feet, and maintain plants along the stream.