The State Water Board will evaluate and score project proposals competitively based on the program priorities, requirements, and preferences identified in this section. In addition to the program priorities set forth in Proposition 68, the State Water Board has established eligibility requirements and preferences.
Leverage Funds – Priority will be given to projects that leverage private, federal, or local funding or produce the greatest public benefit (Pub. Resources Code, § 80001, subd. (b)(2)).
2.1.2 Workforce Opportunities – To the extent practicable, the project provides workforce education and training, contractor, and job opportunities for disadvantaged communities (Pub. Resources Code, § 80001, subd. (b)(5))
2.1.3 Proposition 68, Chapter 11.1 (Pub. Resources Code, § 80141, subd. (b)) prioritization criteria:
a. The threat posed by groundwater contamination to the affected community’s overall drinking water supplies, including an urgent need for treatment of alternative supplies or increased water imports if groundwater is not available due to contamination. For the purposes of this paragraph, treatment includes ongoing operation and maintenance of existing facilities.
b. The potential for groundwater contamination to spread and impair drinking water supply and water storage for nearby population areas.
c. The potential of the project, if fully implemented, to enhance local water supply reliability.
d. The potential of the project to maximize opportunities to recharge vulnerable, high-use groundwater basins and optimize groundwater supplies.
e. The project addresses contamination at a site for which the courts or the appropriate regulatory authority has not yet identified responsible parties, or where the identified responsible parties are unwilling or unable to pay for the total cost of cleanup, including water supply reliability improvement for critical urban water supplies in designated superfund areas with groundwater contamination listed on the National Priorities List
After accounting for administrative and bond costs, approximately $74 million is available to fund projects through the Groundwater Treatment and Remediation Grant Program. The State Water Board is setting aside $16 million for projects serving severely disadvantaged communities
There is a minimum grant amount of $500,000 and a maximum grant amount of $5 million per project and a maximum grant amount of $20 million per applicant for O&M projects. However, additional funding for capital improvements to existing facilities that will reduce long-term O&M costs may be provided as part of an award. Funding for such improvements has a maximum grant amount of $2 million per project and $5 million per applicant, which may be in addition to any funding provided for O&M activities.