Grand Isle, VT – The Patrick Leahy Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP)/NEIWPCC and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will hold a pre-application workshop to discuss ideas for potential projects and help applicants prepare Letters of Request for Lake Champlain Watershed Environmental Assistance Program consideration. The workshop will be held on January 31 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM at the Vermont League of Cities and Towns office at 89 Main Street in Montpelier, Vermont. RSVP to Kerry Crowningshield at kcrowningshield@lcbp.org.
The Lake Champlain Watershed Environmental Assistance Program awards design and construction services provided by the New York District of the Corps for planning, designing and implementation of projects that protect and enhance water quality, water supply, ecosystem integrity and other water related issues within the watershed.
Project awards consist of federal services (not cash) equal to 65% of the total project cost for the projects. The local sponsor must provide a match of 35% in non-federal funds, through cash or in-kind services. A provision in the 2024 update of the Water Resources Development Act allows for federal services equal to 90% of the total project cost for projects located in USACE-identified economically disadvantaged communities, with a local sponsor match requirement of 10% in non-federal funds.
The LCBP and USACE accept Letters of Request for watershed restoration projects on an ongoing basis for determination of a project’s eligibility. The LCBP reviews projects throughout the year. The Program administrators host periodic information sessions to keep management partners updated and make communities aware of the opportunity.
Any municipal entity, state or interstate agency, Native American nation, or qualifying nonprofit organization within the Lake Champlain watershed is eligible. The emphasis of the Invitation for Letters of Request is on water quality protection for projects too large to be funded at the local, municipal or state level.
Dr. Eric Howe, NEIWPCC Program Director for the LCBP, said, “We’re pleased to work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to make this support available to communities in the Lake Champlain Basin. The services offered through the program can help fill funding gaps for large, critical projects to improve water quality and habitat. I am hopeful that the new provision to reduce the local sponsor share of the project cost for economically disadvantaged communities will increase enrollment in this critical program for the Lake Champlain watershed.”
If a project is deemed eligible based on the Letter of Request, the applicant will develop a project summary in coordination with the Corps. The LCBP reviews and ranks project summaries. Approved projects will be selected for implementation.
The workshops are free of charge, and representatives from any eligible organization are encouraged to attend. USACE and LCBP staff will review the application process, types of projects that are typically successful under the Section 542 program, and the typical timeline.
The assistance program is administered in accordance with the Lake Champlain General Management Plan authorized under Section 542 of the Water Resources Development Act of 2000. Selected projects will help to further the goals of the Lake Champlain management plan Opportunities for Action.
More information and the Invitation for Letters of Request is available from the LCBP website, www.lcbp.org/about-us/grants-rfps/partner-grants/#envasst, or by calling the LCBP office at (802) 372-3213 or toll free at (800) 468-LCBP.
Background: The Patrick Leahy Lake Champlain Basin Program coordinates and funds efforts that benefit the Lake Champlain Basin’s water quality, fisheries, wetlands, wildlife, recreation, and cultural resources. The program works in partnership with federal agencies, state and provincial agencies from New York, Vermont, and Québec, local communities, businesses, and citizen groups. NEIWPCC—a regional commission that helps the states of the Northeast preserve and advance water quality—serves as the primary program administrator of LCBP at the request of the Lake Champlain Steering Committee and administers the program’s personnel, finances, quality assurance, and contracts. NEIWPCC is a program partner of LCBP. For further information, contact the Lake Champlain Basin Program, 54 West Shore Road, Grand Isle, VT at (802) 372-3213 / (800) 468-5227 or visit https://www.lcbp.org/.