North Dakota Department Of Environmental Quality

The North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality, a U.S. state government entity based in Bismarck, North Dakota, is a prime recipient of federal grants (99% of awards) from the Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies, delivering water quality and environmental protection services across the state and subordinate North Dakota communities.

NDDEQ operates almost entirely within the EPA grant ecosystem, with EPA Region 8 accounting for the overwhelming majority of its award count (86 of 98 prime awards). The agency receives formula grants, project grants, and cooperative agreements—no federal contracts—channeling federal capitalization grants and program funding to implement delegated state environmental programs. Recent activity spans drinking water infrastructure financing, clean water and nonpoint source pollution management, air quality monitoring, underground storage tank remediation, brownfields assessment, radon testing and mitigation, and related environmental compliance and data management.

The agency's concrete capability set centers on operating state revolving loan funds (SRF) for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, administering low-interest financing to communities for planning, design, and construction of eligible water quality and public health projects. Representative recent work includes a $29.88 million Drinking Water State Revolving Fund capitalization grant from EPA Region 8 (July 2025) to finance lead service line replacement and emerging contaminant remediation across North Dakota public water systems; a $14.5 million Clean Water State Revolving Fund grant (May 2025) to capitalize financing for wastewater treatment and stormwater management projects; a $6.49 million Nonpoint Source Implementation Grants award (October 2025, CFDA 66.460) funding ten subawards to soil conservation districts and universities for agricultural best management practices and water quality restoration in targeted watersheds; and a $9.457 million Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Emerging Contaminants grant (September 2025, CFDA 66.442) for PFAS and emerging contaminant monitoring and infrastructure improvements in small and disadvantaged communities. On the contract side, NDDEQ holds a $111.5 thousand firm fixed-price purchase order from the Department of Interior for laboratory water-quality analysis services (trace metals, nutrients, E. coli, dissolved organic carbon) and a $442.6 thousand Definitive Contract with the FDA for mammography quality standards services.

NDDEQ also performs direct implementation of environmental programs through cooperative agreements and project grants, including air monitoring equipment upgrades and maintenance, LUST and underground storage tank program management, brownfields site assessment and remediation, solid waste data management infrastructure for recycling, radon awareness and mitigation outreach in low-income communities, and state-level water quality management planning coordinating with local watershed agencies. The Performance Partnership Grant (PPG) from EPA Region 8 funds delegated activities spanning clean air, clean water, hazardous waste, drinking water, underground storage tanks, and radon programs, with subawards to local health districts and plumbing boards for professional services.

Customer concentration is nearly complete within the EPA: EPA Region 8 holds 86 awards; the broader EPA carries 6 more; and the EPA Office of Administration and Resource Management funds 3 additional awards. Two minor exceptions—a $201 thousand combined potential value from the Department of Interior US Geological Survey for water-quality sample analysis, and a $443 thousand FDA contract for mammography quality standards—account for the remaining award count. Over the next twenty-four months, 21 awards carrying $554 thousand in combined potential value reach ultimate completion and face recompete.

Recent award volume has held steady to slightly declining (13–15 awards per year from 2022 through 2025; 6 awards in 2026 year-to-date). The agency's obligated federal dollars ($672.7 million) substantially exceed the combined potential value of documented awards ($644 thousand), reflecting EPA's practice of obligating lump-sum SRF capitalization grants upfront against individual community subawards deployed over multi-year periods. NDDEQ acts as the financial intermediary and program administrator for these state-level revolving funds, issuing subawards and loans to municipalities, water districts, soil conservation districts, universities, and nonprofits across North Dakota to implement the underlying environmental and infrastructure work.