St. Paul, Minn. – The Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) is now accepting applications for water storage grants to help make landscapes more resilient to severe weather events. Eligible applicants include soil and water conservation districts, watershed districts, counties, watershed management organizations, and tribal governments with a state-approved, locally adopted water management plan.
The state is experiencing more frequent and intense rainfall events, resulting in negative impacts to agriculture and infrastructure, significant erosion along riverbanks, and declining water quality. The state Legislature passed bipartisan legislation this year allocating $2 million to BWSR to develop a water quality and storage pilot program to address these challenges. Approximately $1 million is available for the first round of grants opening this week.
“Water storage projects offer multiple benefits to communities and farmers, such as protecting infrastructure, improving water quality and controlling water rates,” BWSR Executive Director John Jaschke said. “Investing in water storage projects will help prepare Minnesota communities to handle the effects of these increasingly heavy rainfalls.”
Applications will be accepted through 4:30 p.m. on April 4. Applications must be submitted through eLINK, BWSR’s grants management system. More information on how to apply can be found here.
Learn more about the state’s climate work by visiting climate.state.mn.us