$3M in state grants available for Maine stream crossing improvements
Courtesy / Maine Department of Environmental Protection
Environmental officials take a look at one of the culverts on Bacon Road over Crooked Brook in Charleston.
Stream crossings throughout Maine need upgrading or replacing, and the state plans to spend $3 million to help get the work done.
A request for proposals issued Thursday by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection is seeking proposals for grants of up to $150,000 for replacing or upgrading culverts along the state's roads. Eligible grantees — which include local governments, municipal conservation commissions, soil and water conservation districts and private nonprofits — have until Nov. 10 to file their applications.
“The projects awarded provide public infrastructure benefits such as by replacing culverts that are currently failing and at risk of complete washouts; opens or improves fish passage; eliminates undersized and other impassable culverts; and reduces some of the worst ongoing erosion impacts to streams, brooks, and lakes,” the DEP said in a news release.
One or two project grants can be awarded to a single municipality, although more applications than that can be filed, according to the RFP. Any allotted grants cannot cover the entire cost of the proposed project, although there is no minimum match required.
Contracts must start by March 1, 2023, and end by March 1, 2025. Photos of the project location and the stream crossing will need to be included in the application. To narrow down eligible projects, applications will be ranked based on potential fish and wildlife improvements, cost effectiveness and safety factors, among other considerations.
Other details regarding application formatting and project specifications can be found on the Maine Department of Environmental Protection’s website. Grant funds for the Municipal Stream Crossing Grant Program come from the Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan.
Prior Municipal Stream Crossing Grant Program rounds were larger in total size but smaller in project grant allocation. In 2020, $5 million in funds was available for grants of up to $125,000. In 2021, the funds fell to $4 million but the maximum grant allocation remained $125,000.
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