1) Kentucky Waterways Alliance Wins Nonpoint Source Pollution Grants

2) Breaking New Ground for Funding from Local Government

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Case Study: Kentucky Waterways Alliance Wins Nonpoint Source Pollution Grants
by Judith D. Petersen, Kentucky Waterways Alliance

The Kentucky Waterways Alliance (KWA) has received several Clean Water Act, Section 319 (h) grants through the state of Kentucky to assist in implementing the Kentucky Nonpoint Source Pollution Prevention Program. If your state allows non-profit groups to compete for these grants, this may be a valuable source of funding for you.

The Kentucky Division of Water publishes a guidance document with useful information on how they rank and evaluate projects, what type of projects they fund, and specific requirements for the grant proposals. As with any grant proposal, it is important to follow the grant guidance. Kentucky's emphasis for this program is on controlling nonpoint source pollution through the implementation of best management practices by funding projects that use an appropriate combination of educational activities, technical assistance, financial assistance, training, watershed demonstration activities, and enforcement.

KWA has concentrated on funding for educational and training activities. Perhaps our most successful effort has been to secure funding for nonpoint source educational activities, which we then offer as mini-grants to our local groups. This program strengthens our local groups and provides a great incentive for them to join KWA. To date we have funded a total of twenty- three local projects with over $85,000 in federal funds. We will soon have an additional $60,000 in mini-grant funds available for our local groups.

In 1995, using grant monies for training, we sponsored a Workshop on Bio-Engineering for Erosion Control and Flood Management. The workshop was a great opportunity for KWA to network with other private and public groups around the state and gain credibility as well as impact policy in this critical watershed protection area. Funding for a second workshop was included and approved in a subsequent grant. An additional benefit accruing from our nonpoint source grants is our ability to charge grant administration costs to the project. Since we spend a good deal of time administering these grants, this funding helps keep our organization in business!

If all this sounds too good to be true, let me convey a few of the disadvantages of this funding. The lead time between submitting the grant proposal and actually receiving approval to spend the money and implement the project can be very long. For instance, we are still awaiting the award which is funded in the state's Fiscal Year 1997 EPA funds, written and approved over two years ago! A second disadvantage is that the entire program works on a reimbursement basis. This means that we have to spend the money and then apply to the state and wait for reimbursement. KWA has found that the time it takes for reimbursements to arrive can vary from less than one month to almost four months! This is very hard for many of our local groups and is the biggest reason why some do not apply. Nonpoint source grants also require a minimum 40% match. Finally, as with any federal/state grant program, you must agree to comply with a whole host of requirements, including the Paperwork Reduction Act. By the time you've finished complying, you may want to cite your state administrator for violating that very Act!

Judy Petersen is the Executive Director of the Kentucky Waterways Alliance. She can be reached at (502) 524-1774.

Chagrin River Watershed Partners, Inc.
Case Study: Breaking New Ground for Funding from Local Government
by Thomas J. Denbow, Chagrin River Watershed Partners, Inc.

While probably not unique nationally, the Chagrin River Watershed Partners (CRWP) is breaking new ground in securing local government funding support in Ohio. Previously, Ohio watershed groups, as well as many other watershed groups nationwide, have had to rely principally on grants from state and federal agencies. However, when the Chagrin River Land Conservancy decided that a separate watershed organization was needed, it came up with a different model. To ensure the involvement of key decision-makers who could make a difference in the future of the watershed, it was determined that a model with strong participation by local government-including financial participation-was necessary.

CRWP, a 501(c)(3) corporation, was incorporated in 1996 in the State of Ohio for the purpose of preserving and enhancing the scenic and environmental quality of the ecosystem of the Chagrin River and its watershed in a manner that assures a sustainable future for people, plants, and animals.

The Chagrin River watershed is the first major watershed east of the Cleveland Metropolitan area.The watershed is spread over four counties and 37 other political subdivisions. The river supports an active steelhead fishery and a small headwaters tributary contains the last known native population of brook trout in Ohio. Due to steep topography, large institutional and private land holdings, and large lot zoning, significant open space remains. The Chagrin is truly an important local and regional resource for the estimated 400,000 residents (and growing) living within the watershed boundaries.

Unfortunately, like many watersheds located near major metropolitan areas, the watershed is experiencing the effects of urban sprawl and the resulting land use changes and practices are altering its water and natural resources base. In response, a coalition of local political subdivisions have come together to try to solve some of the problems and prevent further degradation of the watershed. In a relatively short time period (a little over a year with full-time staff), CRWP has been successful in establishing as its principal source of funding, local governmental units in the watershed. Approximately 60% of our second-year operating budget comes from local cities and villages, townships, park districts, and counties located within the 267 square-mile Chagrin River Watershed. The remaining funds come from grants. The total operating budget for 1998 is $158,000 with a full time staff of two people plus volunteers.

The organization has steadily grown from having no local government support to having a total 1998 membership base of 25 local governmental units consisting of counties, cities, villages, townships, and local park districts. Each member pays annual dues based on their location in the watershed and the assessed valuation of property or its institutional standing. Consequently, cities, villages, and townships pay dues ranging from a high of $8,000 down to $500. Park districts and counties pay a flat rate of $3,000. Fringe communities which are located at the edge of the watershed pay $500 a year while communities located along the mainstem of the river pay the higher dues amount since they stand to benefit most from the efforts of CRWP.

To achieve a strong start, we have focused on serving our members and understanding their needs and problems. We have initially targeted the flooding problem because it is the most visible problem to many of our members. Thus, fundamental to our approach is demonstrating to our members that flooding and erosion are the result of land and water dynamics that occur at the watershed level. In response, our members have come to recognize that by taking a watershed approach, local governments can cost-effectively define and solve cross-political boundary problems that cannot be resolved by local government units alone. This has had great appeal to our members because the approach:

1. leverages limited local resources by providing access to technical and financial resources which may not otherwise exist locally,
2. facilitates development of consensus from the bottom up on the most cost-effective solutions to solving local, watershed-based problems, and
3. serves to demonstrate to regulatory and resource agencies local commitment to solving priority problems.

Other important steps we have taken which have contributed to our success in our initial two years include establishing a strong governance and oversight role for the Board of Trustees, establishing clear goals and objectives through the development of a program plan, and maintaining rigorous financial controls. Each member in good standing is entitled to designate one trustee. Depending upon the governmental unit, the trustee may be either a mayor, council person, local government employee such as the service director, or a private citizen appointed by the Mayor, County Commissioners, or Township Trustees. The Board of Trustee meets quarterly while a separate Executive Committee comprised of the Officers of the Corporation meets monthly. CRWP's Program Plan sets forth our goals and objectives, establishes a road map to guide our day-to-day activities, and sets up a yard stick to measure our progress in achieving our organizational goals. The plan was reviewed and adopted by the Board of Trustees so that everyone is clear as to what our intentions and priorities are. Finally, we have established rigorous internal financial controls including hiring an independent auditor who completes the annual audit and helped set up the accounting system.

Quite frankly, we don't know if we will be successful over the long haul. We have much to do in the coming months to continue to build the confidence of our members in the value of a watershed organization. As a relatively new organization, we fully expect to experience growth pains. Over the coming months we will be undertaking the development of a watershed action plan involving watershed stakeholders in setting priorities and implementing a plan for solving priority problems. We are confident that we have created a structure and funding approach that will provide results, as our members expect, and which will potentially serve as a useful model for other watershed organizations.

Tom Denbow is the Executive Director of Chagrin River Watershed Partners, Inc., at 2750 River Road, Willoughby Hills, Ohio 44095, Phone: (440) 975-3870, Fax: (440) 975-3865; email: tjd@ix.netcom.com; website: www.crwp.org.