Laserfiche WebLink
1 <br /> <br />Metropolitan Council <br />Water Efficiency Grant Program <br /> <br />Overview <br />The Metropolitan Council (Council) will implement a water efficiency grant program effective July 1, 2022 to <br />June 30, 2024. Grants will be awarded on a competitive basis to municipalities that are served by a municipal <br />water system. <br /> <br />The Council will provide 80% of the program cost; the municipality must provide the remaining 20%. <br />Municipalities will use the combined Council and municipality funds to run their own grant or rebate programs. <br /> <br />Grants will be made available in amounts with a minimum of $5,000 and a maximum of $50,000. Grantees will <br />be required to provide estimated water savings achieved through this program for Clean Water, Land & Legacy <br />Amendment reporting purposes. <br /> <br />Legislative Directive - Minnesota 2021 Session Law <br />$625,000 the first year and $625,000 the second year are for the water demand reduction grant program to <br />encourage municipalities in the metropolitan area to implement measures to reduce water demand to <br />ensure the reliability and protection of drinking water supplies. Fiscal year 2022 appropriations are available <br />until June 30, 2023, and fiscal year 2023 appropriations are available until June 30, 2024. <br /> <br />Grant Program Goal <br />The goal of the water efficiency grant program is to support technical and behavioral changes that improve <br />municipal water use efficiency in the seven-county metropolitan area. <br /> <br />Critical Points to Remember <br />• The applying municipality must be served by a municipal public water supply system <br />• New construction and new developments are not eligible <br />• A portion of each eligible activity’s cost must be paid by the property owner <br />• Funds are for rebates or grants only; consulting and city staff time are ineligible <br />• Grant recipients must display the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment logo and the Metropolitan <br />Council logo on program-related web pages and paper communications <br /> <br />Grant Program Structure: Administration and Funding <br />The Water Efficiency Grant Program will be administered by Metropolitan Council Environmental Services <br />(MCES) and will be funded with $1,000,000 appropriated by the 2021 Minnesota Legislature. Grant applications <br />will be reviewed and ranked by the MCES Water Supply Planning Unit staff. The remaining $250,000 of this <br />funding has been allocated to a different municipal water efficiency grant project. <br /> <br />Grants are only for water efficiency programs offering rebates or grants to property owners who are customers <br />of the municipal water supply system and who replace specified water using devices with approved devices that <br />use substantially less water. <br />