NJ Community Water Monitoring Grants Program

The New Jersey Watershed Watch Network is launching a grants program for nonprofit, academic, and municipal applicants to conduct surface freshwater monitoring projects in New Jersey. Grantees will use funds to launch or sustain Tier 3 bioassessment, chemical, and/or microbiological projects monitoring baseline and ambient conditions under a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) approved by NJDEP. Funds may be used to support one to two-year projects, or portions of projects, occurring between April 2024 and October 2025.

Priority will be given to work conducted in HUC-14 subwatersheds with Insufficient Data according to the 2022 Integrated Report. The parameters monitored in the project must address the corresponding area of insufficient data. (For example, a bioassessment project would fill insufficient data for the aquatic life use, but not for recreation. A bacteria monitoring project would fill insufficient data for recreation, but not for aquatic life use. See below for a full list of HUC-14 assessment statuses by parameter.) Equal priority will be given to projects in Overburdened Communities and Adjacent Block Groups as defined by EJMaps.

$10,000 is available in the first funding round in early 2024, with a second round of $10,000 funding in summer 2024. Projects not selected in the first round will be reconsidered during the second round if applicable.  Individual proposals should be within $2,500 – $10,000. Funds can be used to support staff time for QAPP preparation and implementation, supplies and equipment, travel, subcontracted lab services, and other related expenses. Funds cannot be used to pay for NJDEP fees, including lab certification through the Office of Quality Assurance.