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

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) received a $1.462 million formula grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 1 under the Water Quality Management Planning program (CFDA 66.454) for the period October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2029. This award, partially supported by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), funds comprehensive water quality management planning activities designed to improve impaired waters and protect unimpaired waters across Massachusetts. MassDEP will develop nine-element watershed-based plans (9-E WBPs) to support future Clean Water Act Section 319 grant projects, create alternative watershed-based plans for healthy waters initiatives, determine the nature and extent of water quality problems, and establish necessary pollutant load reductions to meet Massachusetts surface water quality standards.

Additional deliverables include the development of green infrastructure projects to manage wet weather and restore natural hydrology, preliminary designs and implementation plans for impaired watersheds, support for regional nonpoint source coordinators to assist communities with needs assessments and grant applications, long-term and severe weather water quality planning, and regional-scale watershed planning for nitrogen-impacted coastal waters. In accordance with Clean Water Act Section 205(j)(3), MassDEP will jointly develop workplans with and provide at least 40 percent of the award to regional or interstate watershed management planning agencies unless a waiver is approved by EPA. Sub-awardees will be selected through open competition via request for proposals during the grant period.

This agreement is to fund the state of massachusetts' 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. This agreement is, in part, supported by funding provided under the infrastructure investment and jobs act (IIJA) (PL 117-58).activities:the activities to be performed include the following water quality management planning activities: 1) development of nine-element watershed-based plans (9-e wbps) for local watershed planning and to support future CWA s.319 grant projects; 2) development of alternative wbps (a-wbps) for CWA s.319 grant healthy waters projects to guide watershed protection and management activities; 3) determination of the nature, extent, and causes of water quality problems and determination of pollutant load reductions necessary to meet the massachusetts surface water quality standards; 4) development of green infrastructure projects that manage wet weather to maintain or restore natural hydrology; 5) development of preliminary designs and implementation plans that will address water quality in impaired watersheds; 6) NPS regional coordinator positions that would support communities in conducting community needs assessments, project development, and drafting and submitting grant applications; 7) long-term and severe weather water quality planning; and 8) regional scale watershed planning projects for nitrogen impacted coastal waters. Subrecipient:subawards will be selected via open competition (request for proposals) during the grant period. As such, the subawardee entities are not yet known. Subawardee activities will support the goals of the massachusetts water quality management program.outcomes:the anticipated deliverables include 1) annual report including updates on all pass-through grant funded project activities and annual summary of activities completed by massdep staff funded through this agreement, (2) updated 604(b) project summaries report, and (3) final reports for pass-through projects. The projects will benefit the residents of the state in and downstream of the project areas with the expected outcomes will attribute to the protection or restoration of state waterbodies, support implementation of the massachusetts nonpoint source (NPS) management plan 2025-2029, and reduce adverse water quality impacts of NPS pollution.