Kansas Water Office Director Connie Owen is encouraging municipalities and water-related special districts to apply for several special grants for a range of projects and ventures.
The application deadline is Dec. 29.
The programs were approved by the Legislature and Governor Laura Kelly earlier this year through Senate Substitute for House Bill 2302, effectively increasing the available funds for the State Water Plan Fund created in 1989 to offer money for activities, programs and projects as recommended in the Kansas Water Plan.
Owen says there are two new grant programs this year:
*Water Projects Grants are for repairs, maintenance and upgrades. They can also be used as a cost share to leverage funding for other projects — and they can pay loan balances for certain programs through the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
*Technical Assistance Fund Grants can pay for engineering, planning or grant writers.
These programs do not involve a cost share, so municipalities, rural water districts and other special districts connected to water do not need to set aside funds to apply. Owen says municipalities or water districts can apply for both grants simultaneously.
There is also the Water Plan Partnership Initiative, which is designed to conserve and protect the High Plains Aquifer — but also to improve water quality statewide, increase awareness of water resources and curtail concerns about extreme water-related events. There is a 50 percent cost share attached with this grant, but the list of eligible applicants is broader — including non-profits, agriculture commodities, higher education, conservation groups and private sector partners.
