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Program Phases
Manatee Agricultural Reuse System (MARS)
Farm Connection Grant Program
Introduction
The Florida West Coast Resource Conservation and
Development (RC&D) Council announces the availability of
grant funds for the MARS Farm Connection Grant Program. The Phase II application period opened March
1, 2006.
Contact Information
For additional information, please contact our office at
941-723-3252 or
email us.
Program Phases
The grant program will be administered in 3 phases:
Phase I: One connection per farmer (Phase I application
period completed 1/31/06 - (Click
for diagram jpeg)
Phase II: Expansion of the number of connections per
farmer (Phase II - open)
Phase III: Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)
demonstrations for connected farmers (Click
for diagram jpeg)
Phase I (Completed 1/31/06)
- One Connection per farmer.
- The RC&D will contract with the farmer to
authorize RC&D to design the connection and have
access to the property for installation and monitoring
of the project.
- The Grant program will cover 100% up to $499,000
(total cost for all phases combined) per farmer of the
installation cost of the connection from the Master
Meter at the right-of-way of the property to the water
supply line at the nearest pumping station, as long as
funding is available. Beginning Farmers without
pumping stations will be considered on a case-by-case
basis.
- Manatee County connection fees within a reasonable
cost will be reimbursed to the farmer.
Connection fees will be evaluated by the RC&D on a
case-by-case basis.
- The RC&D MARS Project Manager will design the
connection specifications.
- The RC&D will contract with and pay contractors
directly.
- The RC&D MARS Project Manager will oversee the
construction and inspection of the connection.
- The contract term will cover the period until
water is delivered to the farm.
Phase II (Open)
- Expansion of the number of connections
- Grant Program will cover 100 percent up to
$499,000 in total program expenditures (aggregate
for all phases) per farmer for the installation cost
of the portion from the Master Meter Connection at
the right-of-way to additional pumping stations on
the property, or for additional connection(s) to the
MARS transmission line for a farmer with fields in
several locations, contingent upon the availability
of funding and funding ceiling.
- The RC&D will contract with the farmer to
authorize RC&D to design the connection and have
access to the property for installation and monitoring
of the project.
- Manatee County connection fees within a reasonable
cost will be reimbursed to the farmer.
Connection fees will be evaluated by the RC&D on a
case-by-case basis.
- The RC&D MARS Project Manager will design the
connection specifications.
- The RC&D will contract with and pay contractors
directly.
- The RC&D MARS Project Manager will oversee the
construction and inspection of the connection.
- The contract term will cover the period until
water is delivered to the farm.
- Additional farmers who did not participate in
Phase I can still apply for funds and be considered
on a first-come, first-served basis within the Phase
II applicant pool.
Phase III (Open)
Phase III of the MARS Farm
Connection Grant Program is designed to provide funding
for demonstrations of practices that improve water
savings and optimize the use of various water sources
for agricultural irrigation, including reuse water,
using an Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)
approach. Each Phase III demonstration site must include
an evaluation component highlighting measurable water
conservation goals and milestones and subsequent
economic benefits.
An additional goal of the
demonstration sites will be to show practices and
equipment that are sustainable for the farmer from both
an economic and maintenance standpoint, and are feasible
economically for replication at other farms.
Diagram of Phase III
(jpg)
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