Mississippi Municipality & County Water Infrastructure Grant Program

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The MCWI application portal is officially closed for round 2 submissions. Thank you for your participation in the MCWI grant program.

Application Instructions

Applicants will register on the Application Portal for a username and password. Applicants do not have to fill out the application in one session. They can start the application, exit the portal, and return to complete and submit it. Please be sure to click “save” before exiting the portal if you wish to save your draft application prior to submission. Drafts will NOT autosave.

All applications require the submission of the board or council resolution which authorizes the submission of the application and designates the authorized representative to act on behalf of the applicant in an official capacity.

In addition, all applications will require the submission of a signed certification form. The form will be downloadable from the portal at the end of your application. Please have the certification form signed by the authorized representative for your entity. This person must be the same person identified in the board or council resolution. Please upload the signed certification form prior to clicking submit.

After the applicant submits an application, the review process will begin. If you have questions about the application process, please direct them to the support email address located within the portal.

Application Round 2 Walk-Through

Procurement Training Video
Procurement Training Video


Reimbursement Requests Portal Walkthrough

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Recent Updates

04-20-23 - Senate Bill No. 2444

Senate Bill No. 2444 to revise the Mississippi Municipality and County Water Infrastructure Grant Program

03-30-23 - FAQ Update

The FAQ document was updated to reflect changes.

01-25-23 - FAQ Update

The FAQ document was updated to reflect changes.

12-16-22 - Regulations Update

The Regulations document was updated to reflect changes.

12-13-22 - Scoring System Update

The Scoring system document was updated to reflect changes.

09-30-22 - FAQ Update

The FAQ document was updated to reflect changes.

09-23-22 - FAQ Update

The FAQ document was updated to reflect changes.

09-15-22 - Application Portal Questions

Updated Application Portal Questions document

09-15-22 - Procurement Training Video

Added Procurement Training Video

09-13-22 - State of MS MAGIC link

Link updated

09-13-22 - Data Tools added

Data tools add

09-06-22 - Application Portal Questions

The Application Portal Questions document was updated to reflect changes.

08-17-22 - Grant Program Regulations

The Regulations document was updated to reflect changes.

08-17-22 - Scoring System Update

The Scoring System document was updated to reflect changes.

The Mississippi Legislature and Governor Tate Reeves have created the Mississippi Municipality & County Water Infrastructure Grant Program Act  (MCWI) to provide matching funds to eligible entities for making necessary investments in water, waste water and stormwater infrastructure.

Senate Bill 2822 provides the funding and parameters for the program, which is derived from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). More specifically, State Fiscal Recovery Funds available under ARPA are being made available to match Local Fiscal Recovery Funds received by counties and municipalities.

The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) will manage this program. Moreover, MDEQ will produce Rules and Regulations as to the administration of the program, will determine eligibility based on submission of applications for match funds, will rank eligible applications, award funding and monitor the funded programs to assure compliance with federal and state laws, rules and regulations.

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Senate Bill No. 2444 to revise the Mississippi Municipality and County Water Infrastructure Grant Program administered by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality.

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These regulations, adopted pursuant to Senate Bill No. 2822, shall govern the Mississippi Municipality and County Water Infrastructure (MCWI) Grant Program and its implementation.

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The MDEQ has developed a scoring system based on twelve factors set forth in the “Mississippi Municipality and County Water Infrastructure Grant Program Act of 2022”

The following questions are not to be used for submitting applications. The list of questions will be turned into an application to be submitted via the online portal.

The Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) program, a part of the American Rescue Plan, delivers $350 billion to state, local, and Tribal governments across the country. 

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Senate Bill No. 2822 to establish the Mississippi Municipality and County Water Infrastructure Grant Program Act of 2022 administered by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality.

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Coronavirus State & Local Fiscal Recovery Funds: Overview of the Final Rule U.S. from the Department of The Treasury – a simplified user guide to the final rule provisions. 

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Aug 18, 2022

Face-to-Face Discussion

 

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July 28, 2022 Webinar

* updated since the original presentation

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Eligibility and Compliance

There are three types of entities that may apply for match funds: (1) municipalities; (2) counties; and (3) certain public utilities not regulated by the Public Service Commission. The match funds can be utilized to make necessary and cost reasonable investments in water, wastewater and stormwater projects. The funding will be provided to eligible entities in the form of reimbursement grants.

Applicants for these grant funds will have to certify to MDEQ that each expenditure of the funds awarded to them under this Act is in compliance with ARPA guidelines, guidance, rules, regulations and other criteria, as may be amended from time to time by the United States Department of Treasury.

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Required Information

MDEQ will have a portal in which applicants can submit their applications online and which will allow applicants to upload documents. Senate Bill 2822 requires applicants to provide the following information, at a minimum: (a) applicant contact information; (b) a detailed project description and type of project; (c) project map (likely in the form of a shape file); (d) estimate of population affected by the project; (e) disadvantaged community criteria, to include population, median household income, unemployment rate, and current water/sewer rates; (f) estimated project cost; (g) list of match funds of direct Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Funds received or to be received from the federal government and a certification that such funds have been or will be used for the project detailed in the application and documentation of commitment; (h) estimated project schedule and readiness to proceed; (i) engineering services agreement; (j) engineering reports; and (k) information about the status of obtaining any required permits.  

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Additional Information

MDEQ may add requirements associated with the list of items above and these will be made available through the published Rules & Regulations. MDEQ will take this information and rank each applicant based on a number of factors prescribed by SB2822. In other words, this is a competitive grant process. Therefore, completeness and thoroughness in the application is key for applicants to establish eligibility and to be ranked relative to other applicants. MDEQ will provide a series of webinars detailing the application process and answering any questions. Moreover, this site will have a continually updated Frequently Asked Questions section.    

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Information Hub

This page will serve as an information hub for applicants and interested parties for the life of the program. It will be periodically updated with information provided by the U.S. Treasury as well as pertinent information specific to the program as may be determined by MDEQ. Applicants should not use this site as their sole basis for knowledge regarding federal requirements associated with ARPA programs.  

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