This agreement is to fund the state of maine's water quality management planning program to improve impaired water and protect unimpaired waters across the state by conducting planning that informs…

Environmental Protection Agency Region 1 awarded the State of Maine Department of Environmental Protection $334,000 under the Water Quality Management Planning program (CFDA 66.454) effective October 1, 2025, with a period of performance through December 31, 2027, to improve impaired waters and protect unimpaired waters across Maine through water quality management planning.

Regional watershed management planning agencies will develop a watershed-based plan for Northeast Creek and update the existing Trout Brook watershed-based plan, delivering final project reports, semi-annual progress reports, a quality assurance project plan, water quality data uploaded to the Water Quality Exchange, data analysis memos, watershed survey result memos, and build-out analysis memos. Maine DEP will conduct ambient water quality and biological monitoring in lakes, rivers, and streams to assess threats from emerging contaminants, determine attainment status, and identify water quality stressors and pollution sources. Deliverables from state-level monitoring activities are not fully enumerated in the source.

Maine DEP will pass through 53 percent of the award to regional public comprehensive planning organizations via request for proposals, exceeding the Clean Water Act Section 205(j)(3) requirement of at least 40 percent pass-through. Work is performed statewide in Maine.

This agreement is to fund the state of maine's water quality management planning program to improve impaired water and protect unimpaired waters across the state by conducting planning that informs and supports implementation of clean water act programs. In accordance with clean water act section 205(j)(3), unless a waiver request is approved by EPA, the recipient will jointly develop workplans with and provide at least 40% of this award to regional or interstate watershed management planning agencies. The state of maine (grant recipient) plan to provide 53% of this award to regional or interstate watershed management planning agencies (subrecipients). The subrecipients of this award will develop watershed-based plans (WBP) for northeast creek and update the existing trout brook watershed-based plan. The state of maine plans to conduct ambient water quality and biological monitoring in lakes, rivers, and streams. This work will help to assess threats from emerging contaminants, determine attainment status, and assess water quality stressors and pollution sources. Activities:the activities to be performed include the following water quality management planning activities: 1) the subrecipients of this award will develop a watershed based-plan for northeast creek and update the trout brook watershed-based plan, and 2) the state of maine will support ambient water quality monitoring in lakes, rivers, and streams.subrecipient:activities include statutorily-defined 40% pass-through of awarded funds to regional public comprehensive planning organizations via request for proposals for the goal of water quality planning.outcomes:the deliverables to be provided under this agreement include: task 1 (northeast brook): final project report; semi-annual progress reports; quality assurance project plan; water quality data uploaded to water quality exchange (WQX); data analysis memo, watershed survey result memo, build-out analysis memo, NPS site tracker spreadsheet; and final watershed-based plan. Task 1 (trout brook): final project report; semi-annual progress reports; quality assurance project plan; survey implementation plan (if needed); survey summary report for stream corridor and habitat assessment; any water quality data uploaded to WQX; stream stressor list with sources identified; revised action item table for watershed-based plan; summary of outreach and input received included in final report; and final watershed-based plan. The three passthrough grant projects will develop watershed-based management plans, which include analysis and recommendations related to climate change and resilience challenges in each watershed. The state of maine will submit a monitoring summary table with names of waterbodies sampled, sampling location, and sampling results (e.g., attainment determination). The intended beneficiaries of this program include the residents of maine.