Nonpoint Source Implementation Projects (Clean Water Act Section 319(h) Grant Funding)

Nonpoint Source Implementation Projects (Clean Water Act Section 319(h) Grant Funding) is sponsored by Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). This opportunity supports mission-aligned projects and measurable outcomes.

319 Grant Program | NC DEQ Fiscal Year 2026 319(h) Grant RFP The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Division of Water Resources (DWR) solicited proposals for Fiscal Year 2026 Clean Water Act Section 319(h) Nonpoint Source Grant Funding from March 9- May 29, 2026. Applications are now under review.

Eligible projects must implement a DWR‑approved watershed restoration plan to improve waters impaired by nonpoint source (NPS) pollution. Funding is provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under Section 319(h) of the Clean Water Act.

Eligible applicants include state and local governments, interstate agencies, public and private nonprofit organizations (including academic institutions), and Tribal entities with a current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency‑approved Tribal NPS management program plan. Grant awards and funding amounts are contingent upon the availability of funds.

DWR reserves the right to fully fund, partially fund, or decline to fund any proposal or any component of a Section 319 grant proposal. Grant Schedule and Application Materials Through Section 319(h) of the Clean Water Act, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provides states with funding to reduce nonpoint source pollution.

North Carolina typically receives around $1 million for competitive funding of watershed restoration projects. Funds may be used to conduct watershed restoration projects such as stormwater and agricultural best management practices and restoration of impaired streams. Section 319 grant projects must be used to help restore waterbodies currently impaired by nonpoint source pollution in areas with approved watershed restoration plans.

( map ) ( list ) State and local governments, interstate and intrastate agencies, public and private nonprofit organizations, and educational institutions are all eligible to apply for 319 funding. An interagency workgroup reviews the proposals and selects those of merit to be funded.

ArcGIS StoryMap: An Overview of the 319 grant program in North Carolina 2026 Grant Schedule & Application Materials Annual 319(h) Grant Schedule 319 Project Contractor Reporting Requirements Watershed Planning Guidance Watershed Restoration Success Stories 2026 Grant Schedule & Application Materials 2026 Grant Schedule and Materials Request for proposals (RFP) is released Deadline for draft proposals or 9-Element Plans seeking preliminary staff review Deadline for final proposals; must be received electronically by midnight Applicants notified whether they will be invited for interviews DWR announces selected projects.

Move forward with contracting, dependent upon receipt of EPA grant funding to North Carolina. Contracts executed; projects may start. (Estimated, depending on grant award date to NCDEQ and time for contract preparation.)

FY2026 319(h) Application FY2026 319(h) Review Criteria Annual 319(h) Grant Schedule Late January: Request for Proposals released Early May: 319 Grant Application deadline Early June: Applicants notified whether they will be invited for in-person interviews Late June: Notified applicants interviewed in Raleigh; selected projects announced January of following year: Projects may start (estimated, depending on grant award date to NCDEQ and time for contract preparation) 319 Project Contractor Reporting Requirements All selected 319 grant projects are required to submit quarterly reports along with invoices in order to receive reimbursement.

In addition, project contractors should note that they must submit the final invoice for the project within 45 days of contract expiration in order to be reimbursed. At the expiration of the 319 Grant Project, project contractors must submit a final report, to include all project data, findings, maps, monitoring and photographs.

Please see links below for further information on these required reporting products: Quarterly Report Template (Updated) Invoice Template (Updated) Extension Request Form (Updated) Final Report Template (Updated) Load Reduction Report Template (New) Watershed Planning Guidance If you are writing a 9-Element Plan for the first time, please refer to the following presentation, Introduction to the 9 Elements of a Watershed Restoration Plan .

The 319 grant program recommends developing plans at the scale of a 12-digit HUC or smaller watershed. Previously approved 9-Element plans that cover a larger watershed remain eligible for 319 grant funding, but must evidence knowledge of local watershed issues where proposed project is located when applying.

Qualities of good 9-Element plans include: Being succinct but comprehensive Using maps to clearly show political and watershed boundaries Organizing the plan in subsections like watershed overview, pollution causes and sources, management measures and evaluation criteria Including a few specific projects that are "shovel-ready" Using tables to organize the following information: Pollution causes and sources, and the management measures designed to address them Indicators of how you will measure the impact of management measures on pollution sources Costs and technical assistance needed to implement management measures Two plans that particularly exemplify these qualities: Fines Creek Watershed Action Plan East Fork -- South Fork New River Watershed Plan (written using a 205(j) grant ) Watershed Restoration Success Stories A primary objective of the 319 Grant program is to enable actors statewide to successfully recover the quality of their local waterbodies, to restore them to fully support their intended uses.

Nonpoint source impairments are generally very challenging to reverse. When watershed restoration initiatives do achieve success, it is important to share their stories with others. The following stories feature waterbodies identified as being primarily nonpoint source-impaired and having achieved documented water quality improvements through restoration efforts.

These projects have received funding from EPA Section 319 (h) Nonpoint Source (NPS) Pollution Control Grant Program , and in many cases, other funding sources dedicated to solving nonpoint source impairments. These success stories demonstrate the achievement of water quality standards (and removal from North Carolina’s section 303 (d) list of impaired waters) for one or more pollutants.

In addition, these stories also capture the innovative strategies used, resources leveraged and the multi-stakeholder partnerships required to repair the degraded waterbodies.

Success Story Year Success Story Watershed 2024 Fines Creek 2023 Hewletts Creek 2022 McDowell Creek 2021 Naked Creek 2020 Bald Creek 2019 Smith Creek 2018 Mud Creek 2017 Smith Creek- Lower Segment 2016 Dan River 2015 Crowders Creek 2014 Cullasaja River 2012 Clear Creek 2012 Richland Creek 2011 Swannanoa River 2010 Fourth Creek 2009 Little Ivy Creek 2009 Smith Creek 2007 Brasstown Creek 2006 Mills River 2005 Neuse River 2005 Tar-Pamlico Basin rishi.

bastakoti@deq. nc. gov