Urban Nonpoint Source & Storm Water Management Grant Program

Who can apply

Eligible applicants

Cities, villages, towns, counties, regional planning commissions, tribal governments and special purpose lake, sewage or sanitary districts may apply. The local government must have either jurisdiction over the project area or be required to control storm water discharge with an inter-governmental agreement between the municipality and the Department of Natural Resources.

• Grant Program Handout

Eligibility

Funding

For Planning grants, the total state reimbursement amount cannot exceed $85,000. For Construction grants, the total state reimbursement amount cannot exceed $150,000 for construction and engineering, plus an additional $50,000 for land acquisition.

Eligible areas

Eligible areas are urban lands with a population density of at least 1,000 people per square mile or non-permitted commercial or municipally-owned industrial use. Projects may be in areas that are expected to become urban within 20 years.

Planning grant eligible projects

• Storm water management planning for urban areas;
• Preparation of local ordinances affecting storm water discharge (construction site or post-construction erosion control, pet waste, or illicit discharge management);
• Evaluating alternatives for local financing of urban runoff control programs;
• Administrative costs for the initial establishment of local storm water management funding programs;
• Illicit discharge detection and elimination program planning;
• Public information and education activities.

Construction grant eligible projects

• Construction of structural urban best management practices (BMPs) including detention, wet, infiltration, wetland basins or infiltration trenches.
• Engineering design and construction services for BMPs installation.
• Land acquisition and easement purchase, including appraisal cost.
• Storm sewer rerouting and removal of structures.
• Streambank and shoreline stabilization.

Ineligible Projects*

Activities ineligible for grant funding include operation and maintenance of urban best management practices and projects associated with new construction or development.

* See NR 155.15 (2) Wisconsin Administrative Code [exit DNR] for a comprehensive list of ineligible projects.

Deadlines

Application materials for UNPS Construction projects beginning in 2025 are due April 15, 2024.

UNPS Planning grant applications will not be solicited in 2024. They will be solicited again in 2025.

Department of Natural Resources staff score and rank the applications, and available funds are allocated to the top-scoring applications. Grant award announcements are made in the fall.

Applying

The UNPS Construction and UNPS Planning Grant applications are available applications every other year, on alternate years. TRM Small-Scale Urban TMDL applications are currently available annually in January (see the TRM web page for more information and application forms.) To apply for a grant, choose the current application and instructions available from the chart below.

Applications must be sent electronically by April 15 of the calendar year prior to the awarded grant start year. If April 15 falls on a Saturday or Sunday, April 16/17 will be the deadline.

• Watershed lookup table [XLSX]
• Urban Nonpoint and Strom water (UNPS&SW) Construction Grant program  Application video tutorial
• Summary of Changes to UNPS&SW Construction Grant for 2025

Choosing the correct application

Be sure to download both the application and instructions. You will need the instructions when completing the application.

Reimbursement

Grant administration video tutorials and reimbursement checklist 

The UNPS grant administration video tutorials provide information about professional services agreement pre-approvals, seeking reimbursement from DNR, amending your grant, and submitting the final report. All grantees receiving grant awards should view the tutorial prior to submitting the first reimbursement request for their grant.

• Planning Grant Administration Video Tutorial
• Planning Grant Reimbursement Checklist
• Construction Grant Administration Video Tutorial (coming soon)
• Construction Grant Reimbursement Checklist

For Urban Storm water Planning grants, DNR withholds 50% of eligible state cost-share reimbursements until final grant settlement. This withholding amount is automatically calculated and deducted in the Reimbursement Request Form (Form ID 8700-336) based on the grant cost-share rate and total project costs claimed in the reimbursement request.

If you are experiencing difficulties opening or viewing Portable Document Format (PDF) documents, click here for helpful information.

Resources

Grant administration video tutorials

The UNPS grant administration video tutorials provide information about professional services agreement pre-approvals, seeking reimbursement from DNR, amending your grant, and submitting the final report. All grantees receiving grant awards should view the tutorial prior to submitting the first reimbursement request for their grant.

• Planning Grant Administration Video Tutorial
• Construction Grant Administration Video Tutorial (coming soon)

Grant agreement amendment requests

Successful grant applicants enter into a contractual agreement with the DNR to commit funds for the purpose of implementing grant-eligible best management practices (BMPs).

Grantees wishing to amend their existing grant agreement terms, including project scope, costs, and/or grant period, should contact their DNR Regional Coordinator listed on their grant agreement. Grantees interested in adding, removing, or changing the location of BMPs to be installed, as described in their grant application or current grant agreement, must also complete an Amendment Request Form (Form 8700-308) [PDF].

Cost-share Agreement Forms

Grantees providing grant funds to private landowners must enter into a cost-share agreement (CSA) between the grantee and the landowner, listing the BMPs and establishing the conditions and considerations under which a cost-share recipient agrees to install and maintain the BMPs listed. In accordance with NR 155.22(4), Wis. Adm. Code, the grantee must obtain DNR approval from their DNR Regional Nonpoint Source Coordinator prior to executing the agreement. CSA forms are provided below.

• Cost-Share Agreement (Form 3400-246)
• Satisfaction of Cost-Share Agreement (Form 3400-068B)
• Release of Cost-Share Agreement (Form 3400-068C)

Final report form

A final grant project report must be completed and submitted to the Regional Coordinator for review and approval before final grant reimbursement may be made.

Urban Nonpoint Source Construction and Urban TRM grant final reports must be submitted using the BMP Implementation Tracking System (BITS) as of December 5, 2022. Grantees may no longer use the Final Report Form (3400-189U).

• The BITS web page includes a user guide and video tutorial to aid grantees submitting their final report via BITS for the first time. DNR staff are available to answer questions and assist grantees with using BITS.

Urban Nonpoint Source Planning grants must submit final reports using the form linked below:

• Final Report - Planning (Form 3400-189P)
  • Final Report Instructions - Planning

Property acquisition and appraisal information

• Land Acquisition Guidelines for Local Governments (CF-015)
• Environmental Hazards Assessment (Form 1800-001)
• Real Estate Appraisal Guidelines (LF-048)
• Appraisal Report Checklist
• Appraiser List

Grant administration and other resources

• Sample Governmental Responsibility Resolution [Word]
• Procurement Guide for Local Governments Receiving DNR Grants
• List of Grant-eligible Best Management Practices (BMPs) [PDF]
• Help with Viewing Portable Document Format (PDF) documents

Laws

Grant related statutes and administrative codes

• s. 281.66, Wis. Stats.
• Ch. NR 151, Wis. Adm. Code
• Ch. NR 152, Wis. Adm. Code
• Ch. NR 154, Wis. Adm. Code
• Ch. NR 155, Wis. Adm. Code

Contact

Contact information

For questions about the grant application process, including project eligibility, please contact:

Joanna Griffin
Runoff Management Grants Program Coordinator

For questions about grant awards and financial administration, please contact:

Corinne Johnson
Nonpoint Source Program Grant Manager