Environmental Assistance Grant
Earlier this year, Maplewood updated its stormwater ordinance. One change was to ban the use of coal tar sealants.
An item on this week's consent agenda (item G14), which passed without any fanfare, was to authorize city staff to submit an Environmental Assistance Grant application. Because we adopted the coal tar ban in our ordinance, we are eligible to apply for a grant of up to $100,000 to help manage stormwater sediments contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The total funding for these grants is limited, and I don't know how many cities have taken the steps to be eligible or how much competition there will be for the available dollars. Also, I should note that we are not certain that we will apply for the grant this year; it depends on the results of tests being done on Wicklander's Pond in the city hall campus, and whether those results indicate high PAH levels in its sediment.
We're sure to see more on the topic of stormwater pond dredging and management in the coming years. We've made massive investments in stormwater management in recent years, responding to federal and state clean water mandates. Just as roads start to need reinvestment in repairs and rebuilding when they reach a certain age, so too will we begin to face expenses related to the aging of our stormwater management infrastructure.
An item on this week's consent agenda (item G14), which passed without any fanfare, was to authorize city staff to submit an Environmental Assistance Grant application. Because we adopted the coal tar ban in our ordinance, we are eligible to apply for a grant of up to $100,000 to help manage stormwater sediments contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The total funding for these grants is limited, and I don't know how many cities have taken the steps to be eligible or how much competition there will be for the available dollars. Also, I should note that we are not certain that we will apply for the grant this year; it depends on the results of tests being done on Wicklander's Pond in the city hall campus, and whether those results indicate high PAH levels in its sediment.
We're sure to see more on the topic of stormwater pond dredging and management in the coming years. We've made massive investments in stormwater management in recent years, responding to federal and state clean water mandates. Just as roads start to need reinvestment in repairs and rebuilding when they reach a certain age, so too will we begin to face expenses related to the aging of our stormwater management infrastructure.
Labels: environment, finance
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