Albertville council hears plan to develop watershed management plan, weighing EPA 319 grant vs. private funding

Jay Rucker, an environmental team member at GMC, told the Albertville City Council the city can pursue a watershed management plan through either an EPA 319 grant process or a privately funded contract.

Rucker said the EPA grant schedule would require a July 1 application, a likely award decision by Sept. 1, 2026, receipt of funds in May 2027 and completion of the plan by May 2028, with implementation of physical projects delayed until additional funding rounds (potentially 2029). "The schedule for the grant-funded plan will be submission July 1st ... then we'll know if we get it by September 1st of 2026. Receive the money May of 2027. Complete the plan May of 2028," Rucker said. He described a privately funded option that would complete the plan in roughly 12 months and allow earlier implementation.

Rucker said the net professional services cost for the planning work is about $100,000 in either path, with the EPA expected to cover roughly 60% of costs under the grant and the city providing the remaining 40% through a mix of cash and in‑kind partner services. "The EPA will pay 60% of it, which will be their 60,000, and then the 40,000 will come from y'all, which majority will be money, but ... there's in‑kind services that you can match," he said.

He outlined ten tasks for the plan, including community engagement, GIS‑based watershed characterization, watershed condition assessment, identification of critical areas (the library flooding was cited as an example), selection of best management practices, a regulatory and flood‑ordinance review, identification of other grant opportunities and a monitoring plan that would use state resources to quantify improvements.

Rucker noted Drum Creek and Scarum Creek are listed under the 303(d) impaired waters list for pathogens and biological oxygen demand tied to urban runoff and agricultural sources, and said the monitoring component is key to documenting improvements required to unlock future implementation funding. "This is kind of the key to future funding," he said.

Councilors pressed for detail on how in‑kind services would be counted and whether privately funded work could rely on partner in‑kind contributions. Rucker said in‑kind partner hours are part of the EPA application and would be defined if the city pursues the grant, while privately funded arrangements would be negotiated as part of a contract.

A staff member introduced a resolution that would authorize the city to develop the watershed management plan, submit the July 1 EPA application if the council directs, or proceed via a private contract, and to authorize the mayor to sign related documents. The text as presented allows the city to pursue either path to keep the project moving.

The council discussion also covered how stream stabilization work could be coordinated with a proposed greenway and layered grant opportunities for trails and park infrastructure, maximizing available funding for both environmental remediation and recreational improvements.

Next steps noted in the meeting: staff will finalize the resolution language and confirm whether to submit the EPA 319 application by the July 1 deadline or to pursue a privately funded, accelerated plan.