New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Acting Commissioner Amanda Lefton announced the availability of funds for water quality improvement and protection projects. The funding is part of the millions of dollars now available through the Consolidated Funding Application recently announced by Governor Kathy Hochul for a wide range of programs. This year, at least $75 million is available through DEC’s Water Quality Improvement Project (WQIP) program and up to $3 million is available through DEC’s Non-Agriculture Nonpoint Source Planning and Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Mapping Grant (NPG) program.
“Protecting water quality is a top priority for New York State and the grant funding announced today will help municipalities make critical investments to safeguard drinking water supplies, reduce flood risk, improve aging water infrastructure, and enhance climate resiliency,” said Acting Commissioner Lefton. “Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, it is clear New York is committed to safeguarding and improving water quality and ensuring communities statewide have the tools and resources needed to withstand future severe storms and flooding while creating good-paying jobs and spurring economic development.”
Applications for these grants are available through the New York State’s Consolidated Funding Application (CFA) through July 31, 2025, at 4 p.m.
Water quality improvement project program
DEC’s WQIP program is a competitive, statewide reimbursement grant program that supports implementation of projects that directly improve water quality or habitat, promote flood risk reduction, restoration, and enhanced flood and climate resiliency, or protect a drinking water source. This round of available funding includes a total of at least $75 million from the following sources: State Environmental Protection Fund (EPF), Clean Water Infrastructure funding, the Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022, and geographic-specific funding provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for Long Island Sound and Lake Champlain watersheds.
In WQIP, maximum grant awards range from $100,000 to $15 million depending on the project type and population served, as identified in the application. Municipalities, including Indian Nations, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and not-for-profit corporations are eligible to apply. Nine different project types are available for implementation funding in 2025, including:
- Wastewater treatment improvement, including abatement of combined sewer overflows;
- Non-agricultural nonpoint source pollution abatement and control, including green infrastructure projects;
- Vacuum trucks for municipal separate storm sewer systems;
- Land acquisition for drinking water source water protection;
- Salt storage and road salt reduction practices;
- Dam safety repair, rehabilitation, and removal;
- Aquatic connectivity;
- Marine district habitat restoration; and
- Fish and wildlife habitat restoration and enhancement.
Last year’s $222 million in announced WQIP grants is helping support municipal wastewater treatment upgrades, abatement and control of polluted runoff, land acquisition projects for drinking water protection, salt storage construction and road salt reduction practices, aquatic connectivity restoration, fish and wildlife habitat restoration and enhancement, and marine district habitat restoration.
Non-agricultural nonpoint source planning and municipal separate storm sewer system mapping
DEC’s NPG program funds projects that help pay for the initial planning of non-agricultural nonpoint source water quality improvement projects, such as undersized culvert replacements, in-waterbody controls for nutrients, green infrastructure technologies, and State permit-required stormwater system mapping in urban areas. These projects will support subsequent work for implementation for nonpoint source water quality improvement projects and will reduce the amount of polluted stormwater and runoff entering lakes, rivers, and streams, and improve resiliency against the impacts of climate change.
In NPG, maximum grant awards range from $50,000 to $75,000 for the Nonpoint Source Planning category depending on the report type and from $75,000 to $400,000 for the MS4 Mapping category depending on whether the application is on behalf of a collaborative, as identified in the program overview. There is no minimum award amount. Municipalities, including Indian Nations, and Soil and Water Conservation Districts, are eligible to apply for this opportunity. Funding for this program is supported by the State's EPF.
