Statewide - Eligibility Guidelines for Restoration and Flood Risk Reduction Through the Resilient Watersheds Implementation Grant Program

Public Notice

Eligibility Guidelines for Restoration and Flood Risk Reduction Through the Resilient Watersheds Grant Program

The New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation (NYS EFC) in collaboration with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) developed the following eligibility guidelines to allocate funding to support projects funded through the Resilient Watersheds Grant Program (RWG) under the Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022 (Bond Act).

The RWG builds on the success of the NYS DEC's Resilient NY Program (https://dec.ny.gov/environmental-protection/water/water-quantity/resili…), which delivers state-of-the-art studies to reduce flooding and ice jam formations and improve riparian ecology on flood-prone watersheds throughout New York State. The program uses advanced hydrologic and hydraulic modeling techniques and field assessments to identify priority projects and actions to reduce community flood and ice jam risks, while also improving riparian and aquatic habitat and water quality. These studies give communities a blueprint or path forward to abate the worst effects of future flooding.

These studies identify the causes of flooding within each watershed in close consultation with the affected communities and develop, evaluate, and recommend effective and ecologically sustainable flood and ice jam hazard-mitigation projects. Proposed flood mitigation projects identified through NYS DEC's Resilient NY Program (https://dec.ny.gov/environmental-protection/water/water-quantity/resili…) are evaluated to quantitatively determine which project recommendations will likely result in the greatest flood reduction benefits. In addition, the flood resiliency studies incorporate the latest climate change forecasts, sea level rise and storm surge predictions, where applicable, and assess ice jam hazards where they have been identified as a threat to public health and safety.

Projects identified by existing (https://dec.ny.gov/environmental-protection/water/water-quantity/resili…) and future Resilient NY Program studies are eligible to apply for the RWIG Program. Projects identified through other watershed studies must be evaluated by a licensed professional engineer using hydrologic and hydraulic modeling HEC-RAS or the equivalent, to determine their effectiveness at reducing flooding and flood risk.

Eligible project components include, but are not limited to:
• Floodplain restoration, creation, and/or reconnection to stream;
• Wetland creation and/or restoration;
• Berm removal;
• Dam removal;
• Stream culvert replacement and right-sizing;
• Culvert, bridges, and appurtenant structures (e.g., legacy abutments, approaches and/or piers, etc.) removal;
• Streambank, stream channel, or shoreline restoration and/or stabilization and establishment of riparian buffers;
• Stream daylighting; and
• Acquisition of land (i.e., fee title and/or conservation easement), including structures from willing sellers and their removal, which are necessary to complete eligible flood mitigation projects. This includes, but is not limited to, floodplain restoration, creation and/or restoration, wetland restoration and/or creation, berm and dam removal, stream daylighting, green infrastructure as a component of a larger project, and stream culvert replacement and right-sizing projects.

Eligible applicants: Municipalities as defined in Environmental Conservation Law Article 58, State agencies, Indian Nations, not-for-profits, Water Conservation Districts, and private owners partnered with other eligible entities.

The Bond Act requires that disadvantaged communities shall receive no less than 35 percent, with the goal of 40 percent, of the benefit of total Bond Act funds ($4.2 billion). Disadvantaged communities are those identified by the Climate Justice Working Group, pursuant to the Disadvantaged Communities Criteria - New York's Climate Leadership & Community Protection Act (ny.gov) (https://climate.ny.gov/Resources/Disadvantaged-Communities-Criteria). Consistent with this Bond Act requirement, NYS DEC will aim to prioritize that 40 percent of grant awards benefit disadvantaged communities.

Public comments on the guidelines are to be submitted in writing to the contact listed below and will be accepted until Friday, December 13, 2024, at 5:00 p.m.