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1 <br /> <br />Metropolitan Council <br />Water Efficiency Grant Program <br /> <br />Overview <br />The Metropolitan Council (Council) will implement a water efficiency grant program effective September 30, <br />2019 to June 30, 2022. Grants will be awarded on a competitive basis to municipalities that manage municipal <br />water systems. The Council will provide 75% of the program cost; the municipality must provide the remaining <br />25%. Municipalities will use the combined Council and municipality funds to run their own grant or rebate <br />programs. <br /> <br />Grants will be made available in amounts with a minimum of $2,000 and a maximum of $50,000. Grantees will <br />be required to provide estimated water savings achieved through this program for Clean Water, Land & Legacy <br />Amendment reporting purposes. <br /> <br />Legislative Directive - Minnesota 2019 Session Law <br />$375,000 the first year and $375,000 the second year are for the water demand reduction grant program to <br />encourage municipalities in the metropolitan area to implement measures to reduce water demand to <br />ensure the reliability and protection of drinking water supplies. Fiscal year 2020 appropriations are available <br />until June 30, 2021, and fiscal year 2021 appropriations are available until June 30, 2022. <br /> <br />Grant Program Goal <br />The goal of the water efficiency grant program is to support technical and behavioral changes that improve <br />municipal water use efficiency in the seven-county metropolitan area. <br /> <br />Critical Points to Remember <br />x The applying municipality must be a water supplier <br />x New construction and new developments are not eligible <br />x Funds are for rebates or grants only; consulting and city staff time are ineligible <br />x Combined Council and municipality funds cannot pay for 100% of an eligible activity’s cost <br />x A portion of each eligible activity’s cost must be paid by the property owner <br />x Grant recipients must display the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment logo and the Metropolitan <br />Council logo on program-related web pages and paper communications <br /> <br />Grant Program Structure: Administration and Funding <br />The Water Efficiency Grant Program will be administered by Metropolitan Council Environmental Services <br />(MCES) and will be funded with $750,000 appropriated by the 2019 Minnesota Legislature. Grant applications <br />will be reviewed and ranked by the MCES Water Supply Planning Unit staff. <br /> <br />Grants are only for water efficiency programs offering rebates or grants to property owners who are customers <br />of the municipal water supply system and who replace specified water using devices with approved devices that <br />use substantially less water. <br />