DEP update on expiration / renewal of PAG-02 in Dec, 2024
** Announcement **
The PAG-02 General Permit will expire on December 7, 2024. DEP expects that Notices of Intent (NOIs) to remain covered under the reissued PAG-02 General Permit will be required, and those NOIs will be due to the DEP or county conservation district office that approved original coverage by December 7, 2024. DEP expects to provide a streamlined renewal NOI form for this purpose. This form will not be available until PAG-02 is reissued (the current estimate is Fall 2024). Permittees that do not have Notice of Termination (NOT) approval by December 7, 2024 will need to submit a renewal NOI. However, DEP and county conservation districts cannot accept renewal NOIs for PAG-02 until DEP publishes the final reissued PAG-02 General Permit.
MCCD staff will share the renewal form when announced by DEP, to solicit and process renewals in advance of the December 7 expiration. We hope to commence this exercise in September.
TVW 2024 Grant Round
Trees for Watersheds, formerly known as TreeVitalize Watersheds Grants, is now open for 2024 applications.
Applications are due October 31st, 2023.
If you are interested in learning more about the Trees For Watersheds Grant program, please join staff from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and the Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery County Conservation Districts for an information session on the 2024 Trees for Watersheds Grants.
When: Thursday, September 28th from 12-1 pm
Where: Zoom https://zoom.us/j/93977498606?pwd=TWRsSHoxOE4zUjNyYzFnZUorZm95UT09 (a recording will be made available after the session)
What: The Trees for Watersheds grant program (formerly TreeVitalize Watersheds) helps municipalities, nonprofits, and private landowners plant trees along streams, neighboring upland areas, and natural stormwater basins. The result is thousands of trees planted every year, improved water quality in sensitive water protection zones.
Learn about how your community can access funds to improve the sustainability and resilience of your landscapes. The average grant size is $6,000 (a 25% match is required), and eligible uses of the funds include site prep, plant material, and other supplies like mulch and deer fencing.
A full grant announcement and all application materials can be found here.
Ag Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP)
Funding available for conservation work on farm!
Montgomery County Conservation District is pleased to announce that a delegation agreement has been signed with the State Conservation Commission (SCC) to implement the Agricultural Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP) within Montgomery County. In fiscal year 2022-23, the SCC was provided a one-time allocation of $154 million under the newly created Clean Streams Fund to support development of the Agricultural Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP). The original source of funding is through the American Rescue Plan Act. The program will provide financial and technical assistance for the implementation of agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs), focusing on those which reduce nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment loss. Montgomery County will be receiving $1.4 million to be committed by December 31, 2024 and spent by December 31, 2026.
Eligible Best Management Practices (BMPs) include: Waste Storage, Heavy Use Area Protection, Grassed Waterway, Diversion, Stream Crossing and Cover Crop among several others. Practices must be installed to meet NRCS design criteria and project costs are subject to prevailing wage. Montgomery County Conservation District will be reimbursing eligible project costs at a 90% rate, with 10% match requirement by the applicant. Applications are now being accepted and will be accepted on an ongoing basis until funds are spent.
Visit the ACAP webpage on the MCCD website for the application form, policy document, and BMP list.
Attention all NPDES Permit Applicants and Engineers!
On March 31, 2023 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a Special Public Notice (Special Public Notice-23-17) establishing a special condition to all existing authorizations under Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 and/or Section 404 of the Clean Water Act authorizations/verifications in Pennsylvania.
This special condition is added to all Section 10 and/or 404 permits previously authorized or verified in Pennsylvania. It requires that for any authorization or verification where work was not completed by March 31, 2023 an updated habitat screening using the Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Index (PNDI) be conducted, and that any and all avoidance measures listed in the PNDI for northern Long-Eared Bat are conditions of these permits (including PASPGP-6) and therefore must be followed.
MCCD’s guidance from DEP Central Office is that all PNDI receipts for new applications coming in and those in queue should have a date of March 31, 2023 or later, including PNDI receipts for amendment applications which have proposed additional earth disturbance. If the receipt date is earlier than March 31, 2023, the applicant should be notified to re-run the PNDI. Any previously unreported avoidance measures or potential impacts regarding the Northern Long-Eared Bat will need to be resolved with the jurisdictional agencies prior to permit acknowledgement or issuance.