Grants available to help municipalities with maintaining or removing dams

MADISON - Applications are now available from the Department of Natural Resources for the Municipal Dam and the Dam Removal grant programs.

Any Wisconsin city, town, village, county, tribe or public inland lake protection and rehabilitation district that owns a dam, may apply for financial assistance through the Municipal Dam grant program to fund eligible engineering and construction costs associated with the maintenance, repair, modification or abandonment and removal of municipally owned dams.

To be considered for funding for the Municipal Dam grant program, completed grant applications must be received by Jan. 21, 2016, and sent to DNR Dam Grant Program, P.O. Box 7921, Madison, WI. 53701-7921. All complete applications received by the application deadline will be scored and ranked. Ranked projects will comprise the priority funding list. Using the priority funding list, grants will be awarded until funds are depleted. Successful applicants will be notified by March 28, 2016.

Dam Removal grants are available for any Wisconsin city, town, village, county, tribe, public inland lake protection and rehabilitation district, or any other dam owner. The Dam Removal Grant Program provides reimbursement for 100 percent of eligible project costs up to a maximum of $50,000 to remove a dam. Applications for Dam Removal grants are accepted on a continual basis until all available funding is committed. Application materials are now available by searching the DNR website for keyword "dam" and then clicking on the link for "grants" and "municipal dam grant" or "dam removal grant."

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Kari Beetham, DNR dam grant manager, 608-264-9207 or kari.beetham@wisconsin.gov, Meg Galloway, DNR dam and floodplain section chief, 608- 266-7014; or Bill Sturtevant, DNR state dam safety engineer 608-266-6790