The agreement provides funding to colorado department of public health and the environment

This Cooperative Agreement award, provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Regional Wetland Program Development Grants (CFDA 66.461) program, provides $336,626 in funding to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). The funding will support CDPHE's efforts to develop a program that authorizes and regulates discharges of dredge or fill material to wetlands and other state waters no longer considered "Waters of the United States" following a Supreme Court decision. The key deliverables include: a summary of research findings and recommendations for delineation processes, a guidance document on mitigation requirements, four training sessions for the regulated community, and four educational materials for public dissemination. The intended outcomes are to increase decision-makers' understanding, improve wetland protection, provide comprehensive jurisdictional coverage of aquatic resources, identify the scope of regulated activities, and establish compliance and enforcement mechanisms. The award period runs from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2026.

Specifically, the recipient will develop a program to authorize and regulate discharges of dredge or fill material to wetlands and other state waters that are no longer considered a 'water of the united states' following the supreme court decision in sackett v. U.S. Environmental protection agency (EPA). Activities:colorado department of public health and the environment's (cdphe) water quality control division (wqcd) plans to develop the program using a phased approach. Phase 1 consists of program planning and regulatory development activities to clearly define the scope of the program, assess program resource needs, and identify and initiate necessary regulatory proposals. In phase 2, wqcd will develop policies and guidance to implement the program. Once the program has been developed, wqcd will perform education and outreach about the program to the regulated community under phase 3.subrecipient:no subawards are included in this assistance agreement.outcomes:the anticipated deliverables include : a summary of research findings and recommendations to develop and establish delineation processes. Delineation will be a requirement of applications for dredge and fill authorizations. A guidance document that provides guidance on mitigation types, quantification, mitigation ratios, performance standards and success criteria. Four (4) trainings, including agenda, slides, recordings and handouts, covering topics such as: identifying state waters and required protections, activities that require a permit, permit application, and mitigation requirements. Includes outreach and stakeholder engagement. Four (4) educational materials (e.g., fact sheets, brochures, infographics, FAQ document), covering topics such as: importance of aquatic resources, regulatory program requirements, regulated activities, program performance, and opportunities for public participation in the protection of aquatic resources. Educational materials will be made publically available. Includes outreach. The expected outcomes include: #9679; increased decisionmaker's understanding to inform development of the state dredge and fill regulatory program regulations. #9679; improve wetland protection. #9679; provide clear and comprehensive jurisdictional coverage of aquatic resources. #9679; identify a comprehensive scope of activities to be regulated. #9679; support development of a draft regulatory package that will authorize the state to administer a dredge and fill regulatory program. Draft regulations are intended to authorize the state to administer a state dredge and fill regulatory program, define agency responsibilities, clarify the covered state waters (including exclusions), establish a procedure for delineation of wetlands, define the scope of activities subject to the program (exemptions), and describe the process for applying for authorization. #9679; increased decisionmaker's understanding of how to fund the state dredge and fill regulatory program. #9679; draft regulations to authorize the state to administer and state dredge and fill regulatory program, define agency responsibilities, clarify covered state waters, establish a procedure for delineation of wetlands, design the scope of activities subject to the program, and identify how to obtain authorization for dredge and fill activities. #9679; develop compliance and enforcement mechanisms to monitor compliance, deter violations, protect aquatic resources and vulnerable populations. #9679; establish performance standards and success criteria for mitigation to ensure mitigation results in replacement of aquatic resources with similar structural, functional, or conditional attributes. The intended beneficiaries include regulators, regulated communities, and the general public in colorado.