Cost Share Assistance Now Available for 2015!

By Paige Ahlborg

A thriving residential rain garden completed in 2012 with help from
RMWWD Cost Share funding. Photo from 2014.

RWMWD is now accepting applications for the 2015 BMP Incentive Program! The program offers technical assistance and cost share funds to support projects that improve water quality. Funds are available to residential homeowners and large property owners including schools, churches, townhome associations, commercial businesses, and government entities. Below are the coverage allowances and criteria for the cost share program. Additional information, including a map of priority areas and application materials, can be found on our Best Management Practices (BMP) Incentive Program webpage. 

2015 Coverage Criteria

Property Type	Type of Projects	Cost Share %	Maximum $	Board Approval	Application Deadline
Residential	Homeowner designed rain gardens	100%	$500	No	Rolling Year Round
Residential	Native vegetation, bioretention without roof or street drainage	50%	$2,500	No	Rolling Year Round
Residential	Bioretention with street or roof drainage, pervious pavement, shoreline restoration, green roof	75%	$2,500	No	Rolling Year Round
Commercial Church School Government	Habitat Restoration	50%	$75,000	Yes if over $5,000	Board Meeting Deadlines
	Shoreland Restoration	100% below 100 yr flood elev. with actively eroding banks	$100,000	Yes if over $5,000	Board Meeting Deadlines
	Water Quality BMPs		$50,000	Yes if over $5,000	Board Meeting Deadlines
		75% in non-priority drainage areas
		100% in priority drainage areas	$100,000

2014 BMP Incentive Program Highlights

2014 was another very successful year for our BMP Incentive Program also known as our water quality cost share program. This program was implemented in 2006 with the intent of helping homeowners and other property owners including schools, homeowners associations, government entities, churches, and commercial sites design and fund BMPs on their properties. This year we gave out 34 grant awards for a total of $706,000. 18 of those were to private homeowners and the rest were broken up between private commercial sites, apartment complexes, various local government projects, and churches. A few projects are highlighted below.

* Washington Conservation District (WCD), who offers technical design on cost share projects within Washington County, took advantage of our cost share program from the other side to help improve their new office site in Oakdale. Their new office drains towards Battle Creek Lake, and WCD wanted to retrofit the property to manage stormwater flowing off the roof and parking lot. This fall they installed a green overflow parking area which is pervious and provides a place for rain and snowmelt to soak into the ground. They also installed a bioretention basin and native plantings to manage stormwater flowing off the parking lot. 

* Maplebrook Pet Care Center in Maplewood installed two rain gardens and a dry creek bed this summer to help with drainage issues they were experiencing on their property. Three parking stalls were removed for the installation of one of the rain gardens. These rain gardens capture roof drainage and parking lot runoff which otherwise would run directly into Kohlman Creek.





* 3M Company off I94 and McKnight Road in Maplewood is currently in the process of constructing a new laboratory, office building, parking lot, and roadway. Stormwater management was required for the project through our permitting process. 3M chose to install a treatment system under the new parking area to capture runoff. The system was oversized to provide additional water quality treatment off the parking lot, and 3M applied cost share funds for the additional treatment. The underground treatment system was installed this fall, but the project will not be complete until fall of 2015.

* This fall the City of Roseville installed a series of best management practices (BMPs) in the Sherren-Dellwood area to minimize drainage issues in the neighborhood. Two underground infiltration trenches and one underground gallery were installed to capture street runoff. The underground systems have 48 inch perforated pipe with 2 feet of rock storage to help filter stormwater and are located under Dellwood Street. One rain garden was installed in a residential back yard to minimize ponding water experienced in this yard by allowing water to soak into the ground. The BMP series will help alleviate local flooding and surcharging of storm sewers in the 10 acre drainage area. The City of Roseville will monitor the system to ensure it is functioning and will perform maintenance as needed.  

Is 2015 Your Year for Cost Share?

Despite all this winter weather, it is never too early to start thinking about installing water quality BMPs on your property. Visit our website for more information or call with questions about the program. Technical service for the cost share program is provided by Ramsey and Washington Conservation Districts. Please call the numbers below to schedule a site visit to see what opportunities are available on your property. We look forward to hearing from you!


Ramsey County Residents:

A 2011 residential rain garden project done through
the RWMWD cost-share program.

Michael Schumann
Michael.Schumann[at]co.ramsey.mn.us
Office: 651-266-7275


Washington County Residents:
Tara Kline
TKline[at]mnwcd.org
Office: 651-275-1136 x28


www.rwmwd.org/costshare