Surface Water Grants

Who is Eligible?

Counties, municipalities, natural resource agencies, tribal governing bodies, other local units of government, accredited colleges, universities, technical schools, lake districts, and town sanitary districts are automatically eligible to apply for a Surface Water Grant

Qualified lake associations, qualified surface water management organizations, qualified river management organizations, nonprofit conservation organizations, and qualified school districts must apply for eligibility before applying for a surface water grant. Under NR 193 code, nonprofit organizations will need to reapply as Surface Water Management Organizations before receiving a grant.

Eligibility application

By May 1 of each year, the applicant should establish their eligibility for grant funding by submitting Grant Eligibility Application Form 8700-380 and supporting documentation to their regional environmental grant specialist. The environmental grant specialist has the right to review an organization’s eligibility at any time, and it is best to confirm your eligibility before you apply for a grant.

Pre-application requirements

If you are thinking about applying for a grant, contact your local lake, streams or AIS biologist as early as possible.

Every applicant* must submit a project pre-application to DNRSurfaceWaterGrants@Wisconsin.gov by September 15. The pre-application is essentially a draft of sections 1, 2, 5 and 8 of the surface water grant application (Form 8700-284). Applicants should do their best to provide project information using the information they have available at that time.

Your local biologist will review your pre-application; you may be required to attend a pre-application scoping meeting prior to the final application deadline on November 15.

*If you have received a Clean Boats Clean Waters grant in the past, you are not required to submit a Clean Boats Clean Waters pre-application. If you have received a Healthy Lakes and Rivers grant in the past, you are not required to submit a Healthy Lakes and Rivers pre-application. If you have received a LMPN grant in the past, you are not required to submit a LMPN pre-application. 

Grants

The Surface Water Grant Program supports surface water management from start to finish. Whether your organization is looking for help with outreach, data collection, planning, project design or implementation, we have a grant to help you. Your regional lake, streams or AIS biologist can help determine which program(s) might be best for your project.

Education and Planning Grants

Surface Water Education

Surface Water Education projects reach people with information about how surface waters work, their importance, and how we can protect them. Eligible projects might focus on the quality of aquatic ecosystems, their beneficial uses, ecological condition, and the threats or challenges they face.

Surface Water Planning

Surface water planning grants can be used to assess surface water quality or to create a plan outlining future management actions for the benefit of surface water. Planning projects must lay the groundwork to protect or improve surface water, prevent pollution, prevent aquatic invasive species, or protect or improve aquatic ecosystems, including biological populations and habitat.

Comprehensive Planning

A comprehensive management planning project will take a hard look at a waterbody or watershed to determine condition and quality. It will identify threats, problems and causes, while providing strategic direction and timeline for implementation of management objectives. The plan will strive to understand your community, its goals, and suggest actions to accomplish them.

AIS Prevention and Management Grants

Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Prevention 

AIS Prevention grants further reduce the spread or risk of introduction of AIS. While the CBCW program is the departments flagship AIS prevention education program, there are additional (“supplemental”) prevention efforts that may bolster this effort.

Clean Boats, Clean Waters

Clean Boats, Clean Waters (CBCW) is an aquatic invasive species (AIS) prevention subprogram through which volunteer or paid staff conduct boat and trailer inspections and educate boaters on how to prevent the spread of AIS at boat landings.

AIS Population Management (Small- or Large-Scale)

When an established population of aquatic invasive species is having adverse effects on a waterbody or wetland, funding is available for control activities. Managing aquatic invasive species can be challenging, but adaptive and integrated pest management can help. Participation in the large- or small-scale control program requires an approved recommendation in an aquatic plant or aquatic invasive species management plan.

Early Detection & Response

Early Detection & Response projects should focus on education, population monitoring and early planning steps for any population of ch. NR40 classified prohibited species, or pioneering populations of ch. NR40 restricted species. Because projects occur without the guidance of a management plan, projects must be conducted in coordination with the department.

AIS Research & Demonstration

Aquatic invasive species research and development projects should have the goal of increasing scientific understanding of the ecological and economic implications of AIS and management, and to assess innovative techniques for prevention, containment and control. Projects should be cooperative activities between a grantee and the department.

Surface Water Restoration and Management Grants

Healthy Lakes & Rivers

Healthy Lakes & Rivers grants support five simple and inexpensive best practices that may be installed in the littoral, transition/buffer, and upland zones of shoreland properties. Practices must follow department guidelines published in the Healthy Lakes and Rivers Action Plan and supporting technical guidance. Detailed information is available at Healthy Lakes & Rivers.

Surface Water Restoration

Surface water restoration grants support implementation. Choose from a set of best practices to make a difference right away. Unlike plan implementation grants, these projects don’t require a comprehensive management plan.

Management Plan Implementation

Management plan implementation projects will implement an approved recommendation found in a surface water management plan. Projects will improve or protect surface water or aquatic ecosystems. Eligible activities include the actions necessary to implement the recommendation.

Ordinance Development

Ordinance Development projects help a grantee develop local regulations to support water quality, aquatic life, and habitat. Ordinances include lake use, boating, conservancy, wetland, shoreland, floodplain, construction erosion control and others.

Fee Simple Land Easement & Acquisition

Grants under this subprogram provide funding for permanent protection of land associated with lakes and rivers. Grants may be used for the acquisition of property or some property rights (also called easements) to protect lakes, rivers, and their ecosystems in perpetuity.

Wetland Restoration Incentives

Wetland Incentives are available for grantees that have completed a comprehensive land use plan that includes a recommendation for wetland enhancement or restoration. Incentive grants are $10,000 each with no cost-sharing required.

County and Tribal Government Grants

Lake Monitoring & Protection Network

The Lake Monitoring & Protection Network provides annual support to network cooperators for lake monitoring and AIS prevention activities. Eligible network cooperators include counties, federal agencies, tribal governing bodies and cooperative agents designated by a county. Detailed information on Lake Monitoring & Protection Network grants can be found in Section 4 of the guidance document.

• LMPN Cooperative Agreement Template[DOCX]
• LMPN Allocation Amounts by County
• Lake Monitoring and Protection Network Application (Form 8700-284L)
• LMPN Scope of Work Template[DOCX]

County Lake Grants

County lake grants help counties and tribes carry out a lake protection planning and implementation program. Counties should first apply for a grant to design a lake protection strategy. Subsequent grants can be used to implement the protection plan. 

Grant cycle timeline

Developing a project

Successful applicants must identify project goals and objectives, as well as begin to define activities and methods, prior to the pre-application submittal deadline, September 15. Section 5 of the Surface Water Grant Program Applicant Guide and Program Guidance provides helpful tips for conceiving and refining a project.

Developing a budget

Once your organization has defined your activities and methods, you may begin to develop a budget. Section 6 of the Surface Water Grant Program Applicant Guide and Program Guidance provides important information regarding eligible costs, cost-containment and local cost-share requirements.

Is your project competitive?

Funding priorities vary depending on the grant type. In general, strong projects will be specific, well-thought out, and include specific details. You should strive to describe your project richly, but concisely. As you develop your project, be sure to consider the appropriate ranking sheet of your grant type. Ranking sheets can be found in Appendix A: Application Ranking Sheets.

Preparing your application

To ensure eligibility for consideration of funding, you must follow all application instructions outlined in guidance. Refer to Section 7 of the Surface Water Grant Program Applicant Guide and Program Guidance for details on how to apply.

Application forms

Note: If you are having problems opening forms, visit PDF Help.

• Surface Water Grant Application Form 8700-284
• Clean Boats, Clean Waters Grant Application Form 8700-337
• Lake Monitoring and Protection Network Application (Form 8700-284L)

Other application materials

• Sample School District Authorizing Resolution
• Surface Water Grant Project Lab Costs Form 8700-360
• Professional Service Agreement Form 8700-379
• Environmental Hazards Assessment Form 1800-001 (Acquisition Projects Only)
• Grant Project Authorizing Resolution (Form 8700-388)

Submitting an application

All emailed grant applications must be sent to the department by 11:59:59 p.m. on November 15. Mailed applications must be postmarked by November 15. If an application is received after the deadline, the application will be deemed ineligible and will not be considered for funding. If November 15 falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the deadline will fall on the following Monday. (Exception: AIS early detection and response grant applications are accepted year-round).

The preferred method of application submittal is via email to DNRSurfaceWaterGrants@wisconsin.gov. In the subject line of the e-mail, enter the type of grant you are applying for, the county where the project is located and the applicant’s name (e.g., Surface Water Planning, Oneida Co., Eagle River Lake Association). All application materials should be saved in PDF format and should not exceed 15 megabytes (MB) in size. If e-mail size (including attachments) exceeds 15 MB, send documents in multiple e-mails. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure the application has been submitted by the deadline. The applicant will receive a confirmation email when the application has been received or if any additional materials are required.

If using the electronic signature option when submitting the application, the authorized representative must be the person to email in the application. If sending in an application with a wet/handwritten signature, any representative of the organization can submit the application.

If you are not able to submit an application by email, you may send the application to:

DNR Surface Water Grants — WY/3 101 S. Webster St., PO Box 7921 Madison, WI 53707-7921

Project management & financial administration

Claims for payment of project expenditures are made on a reimbursement basis. To be eligible for reimbursement, you must adhere to all conditions within your grant agreement and all generally accepted accounting principles as defined in Section 9 of the Surface Water Grant Program Applicant Guide and Program Guidance.

Partial & final payments

Eligibility for advance payments, partial payments, the maximum frequency of payments, the maximum number of partial payments allowed during the life of a grant, and the percentage of the grant award that is required to be retained for final payment vary depending upon the type of grant you received. For more information on reimbursement, refer to Section 10 of the Surface Water Grant Program Applicant Guide and Program Guidance.

Forms

• Grant Payment Request and Worksheet Form 8700-001 * Required
• Volunteer Labor Worksheet and Summary Used as Grant Match Form 8700-349A
• Volunteer Labor Worksheet Used as Grant Match Form 8700-349B
• Volunteer Labor Summary Used as Grant Match Form 8700-349C
• Donated Professional Services Worksheet Form 8700-350
• Donated Equipment or Equipment Usage Worksheet Form 8700-362
• Surface Water Grant Professional Service Provider Agreement Form 8700-379
• Grant Partner Cost Sharing or Matching Report Form 9300-230 (federally funded grants only)
• Local Government Force Account Report Form 8700-352
• Mileage Log Form 8700-012

Your local lake, streams or AIS biologist is your best contact for support and technical assistance. Email or call if you are interested in starting a project.

Resources

You might find these companion documents or partner links helpful.

Aquatic invasive species projects

Outreach and education

• Outreach and education information
• Best management practices to prevent and minimize the spread of invasives
• How to order AIS boat landing signs
• Clean angling practices for rivers
• How to begin a bait dealer outreach campaign
• How to participate in “Landing Blitz”
• AIS Drain Campaign
• Clean Boats Clean Waters Fact Sheet
• Invasive Species rule - NR 40 Information
• Reporting invasive species

Management

• Wisconsin Aquatic Invasive Species Management Plan
• Aquatic Plant Management in Wisconsin (2010)
• Strategic Analysis of Aquatic Plant Management in Wisconsin (2019)

Planning projects

Water quality

• Wisconsin Consolidated Assessment and Listing Methodology (WISCALM)

Wetlands

• How wetlands benefit your community
• Wetland assessment & monitoring tools
• Wetland assessment reports and maps

Protection & restoration

• Wetlands restoration & management
• Wetland Restoration Handbook for Wisconsin Landowners (2004)

  **Good general info on restoration practices, but please contact DNRWMSPublicInquiry@wisconsin.gov for information on current regulations and policies.

  • Wetlands by Design Tool
  • DNR Wetland Rapid Assessment Methodology — User Guidance Document
• Permitting for wetland restorations
• Floristic quality report for restored wetlands
• Wetland restoration permits

Land/Easement Acquisition

• Land Acquisition Information for DNR Grant Applicants
• Land Acquisition Guidelines for Local Governments
• Creating conservation easements
• Real Estate Contract and Appraisal Report Guidelines

Financial

• Choosing a Contractor
• Procurement Guide for Local Governments Receiving DNR Grants
• Prevailing wage handout

Helpful websites

• Healthy Lakes website
• University of Wisconsin Extension Lakes Program
• Wisconsin Lakes
• River Alliance of Wisconsin

Clean Boats, Clean Waters

Clean Boats, Clean Waters (CBCW) is a streamlined aquatic invasive species (AIS) grant through which volunteer or paid staff conduct boat and trailer inspections and educate boaters on how to prevent the spread of AIS at boat landings. CBCW grants provide funding to eligible sponsors to help with the cost of running a CBCW program that helps prevent the introduction of aquatic invasive species in Wisconsin’s surface waters or limits the spread of aquatic invasive species that may already be present.

• Clean Boats, Clean Waters Fact Sheet
• Extension Lakes CBCW Watercraft Inspection website

Application

• Clean Boats, Clean Waters Grant Application (Form 8700-337)

CBCW grant applications are due November 15. Repeat CBCW applicants do not need to notify DNR staff of intent to apply, but new CBCW grant applicants must notify DNR staff by September 15. The preferred method of application submittal is via email to DNRCBCWGrants@wisconsin.gov. Alternatively, you can mail your application to CBCW Grant Manager WY/3, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 101 S. Webster St., Madison, WI 53703. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure the application has been submitted by the deadline and to follow up in a timely manner.

Grant Cycle Timeline

Reimbursements

• Grant Payment Request & Worksheet (Form 8700-001)
• Clean Boats, Clean Waters Financial Administration Fact Sheet

Eligible expenses are strictly limited to the following:

• Payment to inspectors or in-kind donation of volunteer inspector hours
• Time spent on the administration of the program or entering hours into the Surface Water Integrated Monitoring System (SWIMS) database.
• Time spent at CBCW workshops or training
• CBCW clothing or supplies from UW-Extension Lakes

Note: Mileage, signage, trash management, port-a-potties, association dues, conference attendance, food, beverages, and supplies for decontamination are not eligible expenses and cannot be used as match.

Contact

DNRCBCWGrants@wisconsin.gov

Healthy lakes & rivers

Healthy Lakes & Rivers is a subprogram of the Surface Water Management grant program that focuses on shoreland landowners that want to install practices on their property to improve habitat and water quality. Healthy Lakes & Rivers grants support five simple and inexpensive best practices that may be installed in the littoral, transition/buffer, and upland zones of shoreland properties. Practices must follow department guidelines published in the Healthy Lakes and Rivers Action Plan and supporting technical guidance. A variety of technical and financial resources are available to assist Healthy Lakes & Rivers grant applicants and managers.

Project planning

• The 5 best practices (Factsheets, Technical Guidance, and Photos)

Applying for a grant

• Surface Water Grant Application (Form 8700-284)

Project management and reporting

• Financial Administration Fact Sheet
• Healthy Lakes and Rivers Amendment Request (Form 8700-381)
• Example Report (download fillable Word document)

Requesting reimbursement

• Grant Payment Request and Worksheet (Form 8700-001)
• Volunteer Labor Worksheet and Summary Used as Grant Match (Form 8700-349A)
• Volunteer Labor Worksheet Used as Grant Match (Form 8700-349B)
• Volunteer Labor Summary Used as Grant Match (Form 8700-349C)
• Donated Professional Services Worksheet (Form 8700-350)
• Donated Equipment or Equipment Usage Worksheet (Form 8700-362)
• Surface Water Grant Professional Service Provider Agreement (Form 8700-379)

More information

• Healthy Lakes & Rivers Website