Funding Your Best Management Practices, J.B. Dixon, CISEC, CPESC – Lower Platte South Natural Resources District and Lori Laster, CFM – Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District
As budgets are stretched to their limits, superfluous projects can often be pushed aside. Unfortunately this sometimes means environmental projects, such as stormwater treatment. However, there are programs that can assist with the cost of designing and installing these projects.
The Papio-Missouri River and Lower Platte South Natural Resources Districts both have programs which provide funding for stormwater best management practices (BMP). Several projects have been completed utilizing these funding sources.
The Papio-Missouri River NRD (P-MRNRD) has a Stormwater Best Management Practices program. This program provides 50 percent cost share ($10,000 maximum District share) to install innovative BMPs to control stormwater and improve water quality. Since the program began in 2009, sixteen projects have been approved and ten have been completed.
Douglas County Environmental Services received two grants to fund a green roof and a rain garden for the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging. Each project received $10,000 from P-MRNRD. However, after analysis from a structural engineer, it was determined that the existing roof could not support the weight of a green roof without extensive renovation. Douglas County and P-MRNRD agreed that disconnecting the downspouts from the building and routing stormwater from the roof to a bio-retention area met the same goals and Douglas County was able to use both grants. Both the downspout disconnection and the bio-retention cell were completed in 2010.
The Lower Platte South NRD (LPSNRD) created their Urban Water Quality BMP Cost-Share Program in 2010; also providing 50% cost-share ($10,000 Maximum District Share) to landowners to install BMP’s to promote stormwater infiltration & water quality. Their first project, a long, linear bio-retention cell located at the new Child Advocacy Center building, manages parking lot and rooftop drainage, and will be one of the largest examples of bio-retention in the area. The project was unique, as the entire Child Advocacy Center project was funded entirely by monetary and in-kind service donations. The District cost-shared at a special 75% rate, with their share of the overall cost being $36,000 for design and construction of the project. More projects are being planned for 2011 in the Lincoln area, with goals to also reach out to smaller communities in the District.
Learning Objectives:
1. Potential funding sources.
Local project examples.
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