Current Water Quality Improvement Grant Opportunities

The deadline for Water Quality Improvement Grant Cycle 18 has passed. Award decisions will be made in May 2016. Please check back to stay informed about future grant opportunities or visit http://azdeq.gov/subscribe.html to subscribe to WQIGP email alerts.

The WQIGP received a total of 11 applications for funding for Grant Cycle 18.

Grant Cycle 18 Public Information Report -- (PDF)

The ultimate vision of the Water Quality Improvement Grant Program is for all of Arizona's waters to be clean and safe. To reach this vision, the program strives to fund projects that implement sufficient, economically and scientifically sound management practices that result in quantifiable improvements to surface water quality.

Eligibility requirements include:

• Direct relation to nonpoint source pollution and water quality issues in an impaired water
• 40 percent nonfederal match
• Measurements of success
• Long-term commitment to maintenance of the project

Applications, Forms and Guidance

For more detailed information about this grant opportunity including additional eligibility requirements, workshop schedules, application formats, and submission guidelines, please see the Request for Grant Applications.

• Cycle 18 Request for Grant Applications (The WQIGP is not accepting applications at this time. Please use this information as a reference only.) -- (PDF)
• Pre-Proposal Form -- (PDF)
• Final Application Form -- (PDF)
• Budget Form -- (Excel)
• SHPO Form -- (PDF)
• Abbreviated Monitoring Plan -- (PDF)
• Apache NRCD Water Quality Improvement Project -- (PDF)

Applicants will be asked to estimate the service life of best management practices (BMPs) implemented using grant funding. The following resources can be used to assist in determining how long a given BMP can be anticipated to be functional.

BMP Service Life Estimates - These estimates are based on BMP descriptions provided by EPA’s Grant Reporting and Tracking System (GRTS) --
• (PDF)
• NRCS Field Office Technical Guide Locator – Use this tool to navigate to your county’s Field Office Technical Guide (FOTG). FOTG Section IV: Practice Standards and Specifications includes information about conservation practices that may be useful in determining the service life and maintenance needs for a given BMP.
• Arid Southwest BMPs for the Control of Nonpoint Source Pollution – This BMP guide, created by Arizona NEMO and ADEQ, provides information about BMPs that have been successful in arid environments.

For specific watershed planning documents that will be used to prioritize projects for grant funding, please visit:

• Water Quality Improvement Plans

See Also:

• Water Quality Improvement Plans
• Six Easy Steps to Finding Your 12-Digit HUC
• A Workbook for Investing In Clean Water
• Writing Effective Monitoring Plans
• Final Report Template for Project Managers
• Quarterly Report Template for Project Managers
• Project Budget for Project Managers
• Make your own maps using the NEMO Internet Map Server
• Watershed Improvement Plans (WIP): A Step-by-Step Technical Guide -- (PDF)

Targeted Watershed Improvement Plan Grants

In 2008, the WQIG Program released a Request for Grant Applications (RFGA) for projects that would develop and begin implementation of Targeted Watershed Improvement Plans (WIP). WIPs are needed to identify and prioritize water quality improvement projects critical to restore water quality. These plans are targeted at specific pollutants causing impairments within a targeted drainage area. The goal of plan implementation is to reduce pollutant loads from nonpoint sources causing surface waters to be listed as "impaired" or "not attaining," or causing ground water to not meet drinking water quality standards. WIPs allow future on-the-ground WQIG funding to be focused on priority projects identified in the plan, so that in the near future an impaired water will meet water quality standards.

Previously Awarded Grants

• Targeted Watershed Grant Awards (May 2009) -- (PDF)
• Map: San Francisco River drainage area, primarily from the Blue River to Limestone Gulch, near Clifton -- (PDF)
• Map: Granite Creek, from headwaters to Watson Lake, in the Prescott area -- (PDF)

Statewide WQIGs

The ultimate vision of the WQIG Program is for all of Arizona's waters to be clean and safe. To reach this vision, the program strives to fund projects that implement sufficient, economically and scientifically sound management practices that result in quantifiable improvements to surface water quality. Other outcomes of strong projects include education and public awareness of water quality issues, active citizen involvement, innovative approaches to problem solving, and long-term project maintenance and results.

Previously Awarded Grants

• WQIG Award Recipients (July 2010) -- (PDF)
• WQIG Award Recipients (July 2009) -- (PDF)
• WQIG Award Recipients (July 2008) -- (PDF)
• WQIG Award Recipients (June 2007) -- (PDF)
• WQIG Award Recipients (February 2006) -- (PDF)
• WQIG Award Recipients (January 2005) -- (PDF)
• WQIG Award Recipients (January 2004) -- (PDF)
• WQIG Award Recipients (January 2003) -- (PDF)
• WQIG Award Recipients (January 2002) -- (PDF)
• WQIG Award Recipients (July 2001) -- (PDF)
• WQIG Award Recipients (January 2001) -- (PDF)
• WQIG Award Recipients (July 2000) -- (PDF)

View ADEQ's Interactive GIS eMaps, where you can see all the grants awarded under our program.

For more information, please contact us.