Housing and Conservation Board asks Senate Institutions for $2.8M in capital funds for water-quality grants, conservation

At a Senate Institutions Committee hearing Thursday, April 10, the director of the Housing and Conservation Board told senators the agency is requesting $2,800,000 in the state capital bill to fund water-quality grants, farm retirements and conservation work that yields water-quality benefits.

The request, the director said, includes $800,000 specifically for water-quality grants and farm retirements; the balance would fund conservation projects that carry water-quality benefits. "The administration shows that the funders are housing programs pretty fully out of the transfer tax this year," the director told the committee and noted the board’s capital request is smaller this year than in prior years.

The Housing and Conservation Board (HCB) presented examples showing how water and conservation investments have supported…