The Division of Boating and Waterways (DBW) is now accepting grant applications from public government agencies for the purchase and deployment of floating restrooms on California waterways. Interested applicants should review the grant guidelines and submit a grant application to DBW’s office by Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020 at 5 p.m. PST.
DBW’s Floating Restroom Grant Program helps reduce pollution from recreational boater sewage by providing floating public restrooms in areas with limited landside access. Over the years, DBW floating restrooms have become known as S.S. Relief stations. California State Parks engineering group re-designed the restrooms this year to achieve ADA compliance. The floating restrooms are solar-powered and the holding tanks capture about 500 gallons of sewage. That’s more than one million gallons of sewage kept out of our waterways each year.
A total of $840,000 in federal and state funding is available this year for the purchase and deployment of approximately six DBW-designed and developed ADA compliant floating restrooms. More than 260 floating restrooms have been placed on California lakes and reservoirs through this grant program since 1972. About 160 restrooms are currently deployed.
To be eligible for funding, grant applicants must operate a California lake or reservoir that is open to the public. General information on the grant requirements and the online application can be found on DBW’s Floating Restroom Grant webpage.
The competitive grant applications will be scored and ranked according to need, as well as the ability to operate and maintain the floating restrooms for at least 10 years. DBW expects to announce grant recipients in spring 2020.
Floating restroom shown above during December 2019 deployment at Lake Berryessa.
The Floating Restroom Grant Program is available through the Clean Vessel Act, which is funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program and the Harbors and Watercraft Revolving Fund. Grants are also available to offset the ongoing operation and maintenance costs of these units through a Sewage Management Equipment Operations and Maintenance grant.
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