Stormwater Strategic Initiative Lead Request for Proposals

Click the buttons below to download the RFP and application to apply for funding from the Stormwater Strategic Initiative Lead.

Stormwater SIL Funding Opportunities

The Strategic Initiative Lead Teams provide grants to advance Puget Sound Recovery by investing in both programmatic and local actions that accelerate recovery. These recovery actions are designed to protect and restore habitat, water quality and harvestable shellfish beds. These results are intimately tied to improving conditions for humans and centering equity and climate change.

The selected investments were informed by over six years of discussions and public comment associated with Implementation Strategy development and responses to public comment regarding the Puget Sound Partnership’s Action Agenda. By investing in projects that enhance and carry forward the Implementation Strategies we can assure our work accelerates Puget Sound recovery by protecting and restoring habitat, water quality, and harvestable shellfish beds.

Funding decisions and priorities are guided by our collaborative 2023 Investment Plan.

For information regarding the Habitat or Shellfish Strategic Initiative Leads please see our Strategic Initiatives Funding page.

Stormwater Strategic Initiative Funding Schedule

Investment Priority

RFP Description

Dates

Increase Climate Resiliency in Stormwater Management (Priority B)

The objective is to increase climate resilience in local stormwater management. $1,000,000 in funding available. 

Closed February 12, 2024


Accelerate the Distribution and Effectiveness of Stormwater Parks (Priority B)

The objective is to increase the distribution and effectiveness of stormwater parks throughout Puget Sound. $1,000,000 in funding available.

Closed February 12, 2024

Second round TBA

Innovative BMP Installations in Toxic Hotspots and Transportation Areas

This investment focuses on supportive innovative techniques and pilot efforts for BMP installations in toxic chemical hotspots and transportation areas. 

Current Funding Opportunities:

Innovative BMP Installations in Toxic Hotspots and Transportation Areas

Link to More Information:

Application Questions and Answers List

Pre-Application Webinar Recording and Slide Deck.

Technical Support and Advice Opportunities:

Virtual Office Hours #1 (Calendar Invite) April 17 from 9:00-11:00am

Virtual Office Hours #2 (Calendar Invite) May 9 from 1:00-3:00pm

Benthic Index of Biotic Integrity (BIBI)

Title

Available Funding (with Grant Limits)

Timeline

Target Funding Amount

Sound Choices Comprehensive Planning (Priority A)

$600,000 for activities that support jurisdictions in developing and implementing activities from the Puget Sound Regional Council Guidance and Sound Choices Checklist. Partnering with Department of Commerce to distribute this funding. 

April 2024

$1,000,000

Increase Climate Resiliency in Stormwater Management (Priority B)

$1,000,000 (up to $250,000 per award) for stormwater infrastructure analysis, retrofit planning, and program development - to create climate resiliency.

Complete


$1,000,000


Enhanced Stormwater System Maintenance (Priority C)

$500,000 for stormwater system maintenance activities that go above and beyond municipal stormwater permit requirements. Likely will run as a contract through Ecology WEBs system.

Winter of 2023-2024

$500,000

Develop a Clearing House to Include Model Policies (Priority D)

$500,000 (single award) to develop a centralized resource to host model policies and ordinances for local jurisdictions, in combination with technical assistance, to use in improving water quality and Puget Sound recovery objectives. Partnering with Washington Stormwater Center for this priority.

Fall of 2023

$500,000

BIBI Investment Priority A – Sound Choices Comprehensive Planning

Local jurisdiction Comprehensive Planning is one of the key opportunities for protection of
critical areas and planning for smart growth alternatives. Using the best available science, local planners
are tasked with balancing multiple objectives during the Comprehensive Plan update. Using available
resources from the Department of Commerce, the Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the recovery
community, these decisions can balance the needs of the natural environment along with population
growth. This investment is intended to support the local jurisdictions and partners that are updating, or
planning to update, their Comprehensive Plans, in improving environmental outcomes. Available
frameworks for jurisdictions include the Sound Choices Checklist and Guidance on Integrating
Stormwater Solutions into Comprehensive Plans
: Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC Guidance).

  • Funding program development for jurisdictions to implement infill and concentrate
    development or density for stormwater management. This could include alternative
    development standards, transfer, and fee-in-lieu programs.
  • Funding the adoption of guidance, policies, and/or implementation of incentives for
    preserving and enhancing forest hydrology and ancillary benefits such as urban tree cover,
    including tree retention.
  • Funding engagement with underserved communities to advance equity and environmental
    justice in any Comprehensive Plan development processes.
  • Supporting integration and coordination with funding for infrastructure development and
    public works for better stormwater protection throughout the jurisdiction.

BIBI Investment Priority B – Increase Climate Resiliency in Stormwater Management

This investment is intended to support stormwater infrastructure analysis, retrofit
planning, and program development, which is important for catalyzing activities like site scale retrofits
to create climate resiliency at lower cost and be nimbler and more adaptable. Infrastructure analysis
could include vulnerability, risk, and resiliency for legacy development, new and redevelopment, or
protection to address issues including increased precipitation and flooding, water temperature,
streamflow quantity and timing, and sea level rise.

BIBI Investment Priority C – Enhanced Stormwater System Maintenance

Stormwater system maintenance activities that go above and beyond municipal
stormwater permit requirements can be an effective strategy to reduce pollution in stormwater.
Enhanced maintenance may include actions such as line, ditch, and catch basin cleaning, or building or updating decant facilities, either above the requirements of a National Pollution Discharge Elimination
System (NPDES) permit or in areas not covered under NPDES.

  • Funding development of guidance or model policies, such as an enhanced maintenance
    plan template, that go above and beyond the Washington State Municipal Stormwater
    permit requirements.
  • Funding to conduct enhanced maintenance beyond NPDES requirements (such as ditch
    maintenance, line cleaning) that lead to water quality improvements.
  • Funding a study of locations, design, and/or construction of regional decant facilities to
    increase capacity for enhanced maintenance across multiple jurisdictions.
  • The RFP for this investment will likely include a focus on vulnerable or underserved
    communities.

BIBI Investment Priority D – Develop a Clearing House to Include Model Policies

Local jurisdictions need both a centralized resource for model policies and ordinances to
improve water quality and Puget Sound recovery objectives, as well as technical support for adapting
and implementing these policies. The funding allocated through this investment will develop or enhance
a clearing house for policy resources and support, including development of model policies and
ordinances to fill environmental needs and gaps. Topics may include, but are not limited to, stormwater
code, pollution prevention, tree cover, land use, green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) and low impact
development, as well as guidance on how to write regulations that can be measured and easily
enforced. The successful applicant for this award will develop online resources and a shared space for the information, pull together an advisory team to guide the development of the clearinghouse itself,
host the resources or find a long-term host for the resources into the future, and publicize the resources
to jurisdictions.


Because of the high need for ongoing technical support to adapt and implement any model policy into
local codes and ordinances, the Stormwater Strategic Initiative Advisory Team (SIAT) will also work
through pods, focused groups associated with the SIAT, to propose legislative funding for technical
assistance to jurisdictions related to stormwater, pollution, GSI, and land use policies. The Stormwater
SIL will work with partners, including the Ecosystem Coordination Board, to encourage and incentivize
local decision-makers to develop, adopt, and implement policies and programs that improve water
quality and environmental outcomes through their codes

Toxics in Fish (TIF)

Title

Available Funding (with Grant Limits)

Timeline

Target Funding Amount

Innovative BMP Installations for Toxic Chemicals in Hotspots and Transportation Areas  (Priority A)

$1,500,000 (Up to $500,000 per award) to support innovative techniques and pilot efforts for Best Management Practice installations in toxic chemical hotspots and transportation environments. Working with Ecology to ensure this is a coordinated funding effort.

Open March 20, 2024

Closes May 22, 2024

$ 1,500,000

Accelerate the Distribution and Effectiveness of Stormwater Parks (Priority B)

$1 million (Up to $1,000,000 per award) to increase the distribution and effectiveness of stormwater parks throughout Puget Sound and building capacity in jurisdictions to maintain them.

Second round solicitations opening Spring 2024


$1,000,000

TIF Investment Priority A – Innovative BMP Installations for Toxic Chemicals in Hotspots and Transportation Areas

This investment focuses on supportive innovative techniques and pilot efforts for Best
Management Practices (BMP) installations in toxic chemical hotspots and transportation environments.
This may include hotspots for toxics including, but not limited to 6PPDQ along federal, state, and local
highways and streets, and in industrial environments. Pilot efforts may range from new technologies that have not yet been tested on the ground, techniques that have been used on a small scale in
another location or application, or a method that has not yet been included in Ecology’s regulatory
standard for emerging stormwater technologies, the Technology Approval Process for Ecology (TAPE), as
well as new techniques that are TAPE approved.

TIF Investment Priority B – Accelerate the Distribution and Effectiveness of Stormwater Parks

Stormwater parks are a widely recognized solution for improving water quality and flow at
the source of stormwater runoff. This investment focuses on increasing the distribution and
effectiveness of stormwater parks throughout Puget Sound, as well as building capacity in jurisdictions
to maintain them. This will lead to improved inundation of non-polluted water into waterways and
streams, therefore protecting the species and habitat throughout the reach of the stream while
enhancing recreational opportunities for the local communities.

  • Funding technical assistance to identify locations, conduct feasibility studies, and produce
    fundable designs for regional facilities and stormwater parks.
  • Funding development of stormwater parks prioritizing benefits to impacted and vulnerable
    communities.
  • Funding planning and training support for implementation and maintenance of stormwater
    park BMPs. 
  • Addressing barriers to stormwater parks, such as lack of grant funding for the recreation
    components and other institutional challenges.

Cross-Cutting Workshop Series

Title

Information

Timeline

Target Funding Amount

Visioning the Future of Wastewater Treatment Workshops 

Focus group discussions provided information to develop recommendations for handling waste from daily human activities including. Recommendations will be reviewed by Advisory Teams in 2024 for the next investment plan. 

August - September 2023: Complete

$1,000,000

Watershed Collaborative Compliance and Incentives Workshops

Workshop participants recommended ways to improve the use of incentives, compliance, and technical assistance to address water quality challenges. Recommendations will be reviewed by Advisory Teams in 2024 for the next investment plan. 

November 2023: Complete

$1,000,000

Integrated Watershed Land Use Planning Workshops

Focus group discussions developed recommended ways to ensure land use planning adequately protects water quality at the watershed scale. Recommendations will be reviewed by Advisory Teams in 2024 for the next investment plan. 

November-December 2023: Complete

$1,000,000

Visioning the Future of Wastewater Treatment Workshops

The Stormwater SIL and Ross Strategic will host focus group conversations including many
different communities in Puget Sound to develop recommended ways to improve the strategic planning
opportunities for water quality through engagement with Wastewater Treatment plan upgrades and
other wastewater treatment opportunities. The workshop explored opportunities for handling waste
from daily human activities including.

  • Onsite Sewage Systems (OSS) Workshop 8/24 1:00-4:00pm PT: We understand that onsite
    systems play an important role in water quality here in Puget Sound. In this workshop, we will
    be discussing OSS-specific needs and recommendations. Click here to register for this virtual
    workshop.
  • Centralized Wastewater Treatment Workshop 9/12 1:00-4:00pm PT: In this workshop, we will
    be seeking input from the community on the most important activities that we can fund to help
    improve wastewater management in Puget Sound across the entire wastewater lifecycle. Click
    here to register
    for this virtual workshop.

Watershed Collaborative Compliance and Incentives Workshops

The Stormwater SIL and Ross Strategic will host focus group conversations including many
different communities in Puget Sound to develop recommended ways to improve the use of incentives,
compliance, and technical assistance to address water quality challenges. Following the
recommendations from these engagement opportunities, this investment will fund local programs that
improve integration of compliance, incentives, and technical assistance for water quality and quantity.
Click here to register for more information.

Integrated Watershed Land Use Planning Workshops

The Stormwater SIL and Ross Strategic will host focus group conversations including many
different communities in Puget Sound to develop recommended ways to ensure land use planning
adequately protects water quality, by identifying shared goals and overall needs to address the goals using available models and information at the watershed scale.
Click here to register for more
information.

Grant Applications Open Now

When you are ready to apply for funding, use the following buttons to download the application and solicitation materials.

Stormwater Strategic Initiative Lead RFP Resources

Stormwater SIL RFP - Resources

Application Process

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

  • Derek Day – Stormwater Strategic Initiative Lead - Derek.Day (at) ecy.wa.gov

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