BLM-(MT), Water Quality Assessment and Monitoring | L17AS00200

Opportunity Information: Apply for L17AS00200

The BLM-(MT) Water Quality Assessment and Monitoring grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number L17AS00200) is a discretionary cooperative agreement offered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, focused on environmental monitoring in Montana. It is designed to support and extend statewide stream water quality monitoring, with particular emphasis on adding or strengthening monitoring in parts of eastern and northern Montana where BLM-managed lands are concentrated and where past data gaps have made it harder to manage water resources effectively. Water quality is treated as a required land health standard for BLM, so the monitoring supported through this opportunity is intended to directly inform whether that standard is being met and whether management actions are maintaining or improving stream conditions.

A central feature of the opportunity is that it builds on an existing, long-running monitoring framework in Montana rather than creating a stand-alone system. The BLM began supporting this statewide effort in 2002 specifically to stimulate additional sampling and analysis in areas that historically had less coverage. The grant continues that approach by emphasizing the need for ongoing, consistent monitoring over time, not just one-time sampling, because long-term datasets are essential for tracking trends, detecting changes associated with land use or management, and demonstrating compliance with BLM, state, and federal water quality requirements. Since the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) serves as the lead water quality monitoring agency for the state, the project places strong emphasis on producing data that meets DEQ standards and can be incorporated into Montana's statewide, publicly accessible water quality database.

The stated objectives focus on generating high-quality stream data that can be used for several practical regulatory and management purposes. First, the monitoring is meant to determine current water quality conditions in streams, establishing baseline information and identifying where conditions may be impaired or improving. Second, the data are intended to support the development or refinement of water quality standards and benchmarks that help evaluate whether land management strategies, including those used on or near BLM lands, are affecting water quality. Third, the project aims to evaluate how effective Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) implementation has been in restoring or protecting stream conditions, which is a key component of watershed restoration and compliance planning. Finally, the work is expected to improve understanding of the relationship between specific management actions and observed water quality outcomes, strengthening the ability of agencies and partners to make defensible, evidence-based decisions.

The public benefit described for this opportunity is broad, reflecting the fact that water quality conditions are influenced by entire watersheds, not just the boundaries of BLM-administered parcels. By increasing the amount and coverage of credible monitoring data, the project supports better public-land stewardship while also providing useful information to neighboring landowners, local stakeholders, and other agencies. The resulting data and analyses are expected to feed directly into water resource planning documents, technical reports, and site-specific environmental analyses. Because many common water quality measures reflect cumulative watershed processes, the monitoring results can help identify priority issues and opportunities for cooperative solutions, potentially leading to collaborative, cross-boundary restoration projects that target the problems revealed through the data.

In terms of basic grant structure, this opportunity was listed under CFDA 15.236 and was open to eligible applicants without restriction by entity type, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications contained in the full announcement. The award ceiling was $100,000, with one expected award. The opportunity was created on July 7, 2017, and originally closed on September 3, 2017.

• The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BLM-(MT), Water Quality Assessment and Monitoring" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.236.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 07, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 03, 2017. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $100,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for L17AS00200

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