In 2023, Massachusetts expanded regional support by funding 4 Regional NPS Coordinators. 3 years later, the initiative had produced 16 watershed plans and 30 project proposals

Small municipalities in Massachusetts faced a challenge when trying to address water pollution caused by nonpoint sources (NPS). Many lacked the financial and technical capacity needed to develop watershed-based plans and prepare competitive grant proposals for projects aimed at restoring impaired waters.

The challenge was significant because implementation projects supported by Clean Water Act Section 319(h) funds must be guided by a watershed plan. As communities struggled to meet that requirement, MassDEP received fewer project proposals.

To address the gap, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) introduced the Regional NPS Coordinators (RNC) initiative through its NPS Management Section in the Watershed Planning Program.


The initiative engaged regional planning agencies as MassDEP contractors to support watershed-based planning and other NPS-focused work based on local community needs.

Four regional planning agencies joined the initiative

In federal fiscal year 2020, the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, Franklin Regional Council of Governments and Pioneer Valley Planning Commission received Section 319 Nonpoint Source Pollution grants to serve as Regional NPS Coordinators.

In federal fiscal year 2021, the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission received a Section 319 grant to serve as an RNC in northeast Massachusetts.

The coordinators worked with municipalities, organizations and other stakeholders to identify and prioritize NPS needs, develop watershed-based plans and prepare proposals for NPS mitigation projects.

Building relationships with local communities

The RNCs initially faced challenges in establishing relationships with new partners. Building trust, assessing local capacity and determining what assistance was needed took time.

Several RNCs found that identifying a local champion, such as a municipal staff member or volunteer, was important for building relationships and engaging communities.

Regional and local priorities did not always align, while the timelines of local partners did not always fit within the 319 grant schedule.

The RNCs also used existing relationships and ongoing initiatives to engage municipalities and stakeholder organizations. By starting with outreach, learning what mattered to communities and identifying goals that could be aligned, the coordinators were able to build relationships and identify projects to advance water quality improvements.

16 watershed plans developed

Over the three-year initiative, the RNCs helped develop 16 watershed-based plans.

The project results state that the plans represented a 44% increase statewide. Figure 1 accompanying the project describes the 16 plans as resulting in a 61% increase in Massachusetts watershed-based plans.

The RNCs also worked with community partners to identify watersheds for watershed-based plan development and impaired waterbodies where potential water quality improvement projects could be pursued.

At least 30 proposals submitted for funding

During the project period, RNCs and community partners developed and submitted 14 Section 319 proposals and five Section 604(b) proposals to MassDEP.

Six of the Section 319 proposals and two of the Section 604(b) proposals were funded.

In response to the federal fiscal year 2024 Section 319 request for proposals, RNCs and community partners submitted 12 Section 319 proposals. This represented a 63% increase over the previous 20-year average.

At least 11 proposals prepared for other state-funded NPS grant programs during the project period were also awarded funding.

The source reports at least 30 watershed implementation project proposals submitted for funding through Sections 319 and 604(b) and other state-funded NPS grant programs.

Coordinators worked together

MassDEP’s NPS Management Section held monthly cohort meetings and training sessions for the RNCs.

The meetings gave coordinators an opportunity to discuss successes and lessons learned, benchmark progress, share resources and ask questions of MassDEP staff and other RNCs.

The meetings also helped the coordinators develop relationships with one another. Their collaboration led to a joint proposal focused on building NPS mitigation capacity across their regions.

A regional approach to nonpoint source pollution

The Regional NPS Coordinator initiative gave regional planning agencies a role in supporting communities with NPS-related work, including outreach and education, identifying and prioritizing NPS needs, developing watershed-based plans and preparing grant proposals.

The initiative also continued beyond its initial project period, with three new RNC grants awarded in the FFY 2024 Section 319 grant round and two RNC grants awarded in the FFY 2023 Section 604(b) grant round.