Title
Apply for Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Water Workforce Development Funding Opportunity: Phoenix Water Conservation Corps Grant Opportunity for Fiscal Year 2023-24 (Ordinance S-50510)
Description
Request to retroactively authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to apply for and, if awarded, enter into agreements for disbursement of Federal funding from the Environmental Protection Agency, beginning in or about July 2024 through the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027-28, for the Environmental Protection Agency Water Workforce Development funding opportunity. Further request to authorize the City Treasurer to accept, and the City Controller disburse, all funds related to this item. The total grant funds applied for will not exceed $6,800,000.
Report
Summary
The Water Services Department (WSD) submitted a grant application to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for a Water Workforce Development funding opportunity. This award would be used to fund a three-year program in which young adults in the Phoenix metro receive training opportunities and temporary employment through an applied bridge program, learning about water resources and lowering barriers to entry in the water work field by participating in project-based job duties and receiving relevant training. If awarded, the WSD would initiate a program of organizing the water conservation consultation opportunities throughout the City of Phoenix; Corps Members would perform water efficiency consultations and learn about water stewardship, allowing them to become future job candidates for water-related work. The Corps program would allow Phoenix to create training opportunities, offer jobs for career entry and transition in the diverse field of water resources and natural resource management, and apply a community-based solution to help lower barriers for community-wide water savings. The program can help Phoenix to expand the applicant field for water-related work and help to ensure a resilient water work force for years to come. WSD projects a water savings of 5,720 acre-feet of water (or greater) because of only three years of the program's operation. The cumulative lifetime water savings is estimated to be as high as 29,000 acre-feet in twenty years.
The grant programs would be phased in over the grant period (FY 2024-25 to FY 2025-26) with operation beginning as soon as possible. There is no deadline to use the awards, but the project timeline will last three years.
The EPA Water Workforce Development grant submittal opportunity was Nov.17, 2023.
Due to the timing of the deadline put forth by EPA, WSD submitted an application prior to obtaining City Council approval. If City Council does not approve this retroactive request, the application will be withdrawn by WSD.
Financial Impact
The estimated total cost for the project is approximately $6.8 million. The maximum EPA award is $6.8 million for the application's relevant program category. There is no required local match.
There is potential for additional funding from upcoming Bureau of Reclamation and Water Infrastructure Finance Authority grant opportunities for conservation-related work.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Ginger Spencer and the Water Services Department.